to Muslim women.....?

Question

what is the name of the covering used to cover the hair and/or face, and is this for traditional/cultural reason or something based on faith? i respect the modesty of it, i am just curious as to the why?

Answer 1

When Re-bek'ah raised her eyes, she caught sight of Isaac and she swung herself down from off the camel. Then she said to the servant 'who is that walking in the field to meet us?' and the servant said 'It is my master' And she proceeded to take a headcloth and to cover herself. (Genesis: 24: 64 and 65)
In the New Testament we also read:
But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head for it is one and the same as if she were a (woman) with a shaved head. For it a woman does not cover herself let her also be shorn; but if it is disgraceful for woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. (1 Corinthians: 11: 5, 6)

One of the verses of the Holy Quran which deals with the subject of the veil is found in Sura Al Noor where God, the All-Mighty says:

And say to the believing women that they restrain their looks and guard their private parts and that they display not their beauty or their embellishment except that which is apparent, thereof, and that they draw their head coverings over their bosoms, and that they display not their beauty or their embellishment save to their husbands, or to their fathers or the fathers of their husbands or their sons or the sons of their husbands or their brothers or the sons of their brothers or the sons of their sisters or women who are their companions or those that their right hand possess or such of male attendants as have not desire for women, or young children who have not yet attained knowledge of the hidden parts of women. And that they strike not their feet so that what hide of their ornaments may become known. And turn ye to Allah all together, O believers that you may prosper. (24:32)
This verse directs the believing women to restrain their eyes when they happen to face men and to guard their chastity and also not to display their beauty and embellishment, whether it is natural or artificial.
The believing men have already been given a similar commandment, from God in the verse that preceeded this verse where we read:

Say to the believing men that they restrain their looks and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Surely, Allah is well-aware of what they do. (24:31)
So it is clear that both men and women share equally the responsibility of observing this injunction. They should both restrain their looks when facing each other or, in other words, they should observe the Veil of the eyes.
Now we need to understand the benefits which can be achieved by following these directions. God never gives orders to his servants without a reason. Behind every commandment of God there is great wisdom.

The words that is purer for them at the end of one verse and the words that you may prosper at the end of the other verse indicate that these directions are meant for the well being of the believers and to enable them to purify themselves and to safeguard themselves against moral stumbling.

Answer 2

It is the hijab. It covers the hair and throat. The abaya is the long cloth robe that we wear over our modern clothing. The niqab is the face veil. There is a strong Hadeeth written by the Prophet Muhammed(PBUH*) that tells all Muslim women and girls to dress in traditional Muslim clothing (hijab, abaya, and niqab) cover everything except the eyes. It's based on faith. Unfortunately many Muslim women and girls seem to think that wearing hijab is a choice and don't wear it. And most of them choose to ignore this Hadeeth or not read it at all and not follow the Hadeeths which is what all Muslims are supposed to follow as well as the Qur'an.

Answer 3

Hi Thomas. It is called hijab and it is worn to show a women's modesty. It is a traditional, cultural and religious practice. Many women choose to do this because it prevents unwanted attention from men, and because they feel that their bodies are only for their husbands to see and appreciate. Unfortunately the media portrays this as something Muslim men force their women to do. It truly is not, though I am sure there are some Muslim men who feel this way. If they do, they are not following their religion properly and are not respecting their women.

Answer 4

We are to cover out of modesty. Tell me, who do you respect more? A woman in a mini skirt thinking her worth depends on what men think of her figure, or a woman who covers her priceless treasures and chooses to be seen for her intelligence instead? It's called a hijab, and most muslim women wear what is called an abaya and a two piece hijab. Look up the terms. They are actually very beautiful. Also, they are slimming too because instead of your head, for fat women a big round blob, and then two smaller legs, you have one constant. The covered woman leaves a lot to the imagination and is a mystery, while the almost naked one leaves nothing to be imagined. It's both cultural and religious. The burka is cultural. It's not allowed as the Prophet (PBUH) said nothing should be worn that is one piece from the head on down. The abaya and two piece hijab are better descriptions, and are no hassle at all in any way.

Answer 5

The hijab is the traditional head scarf worn by Muslim women. Both men and women are expected to dress modestly, according to the Quran. The hijab is not compulsory, as it is a mark of the wearer's faith and is considered to be between the woman wearing it and her own conscious.

Answer 6

Dearest asker i really apreciate your question,thanks.
to answer your question its called a Hijab which means a Veel.as simply as i could say to you as why is that if you had a million dollars would you have it hanging on the windsheeld? or would you have it protected in a banksafe.and we are ordered by Allah to wear it.and other than that you can see that the rape devoris and alot of other family problems dont have a high rate in the Muslim countries do to that.

actually I was really embaresed to say anything to how polite you are.
HOwever thanks for your time.

Answer 7

Hijab and because God said so. God said in the holy Quran:

024.030: Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.

024.031: And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.

033.059: O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Islam is after all, a way of life of total submission to God and His will based on the teachings of its central Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) and its holy book, al-Quran.

Peace and Love

Answer 8

Hijab is one of the most visible misunderstood symbols of Islam.
woman's body is created diffrently and it deserves Hijab.Muslim women wear Hijab becoz thier Lord(Allah) has ordered them to do so,if you need more information about it you can e-mail me,thanks

Answer 9

god wanted just women cover her body, against those who can not control themseves.
actualy mostly it become cultural more than any thing else. it is good way for them to control women too.
it name burkah. but all muslim women dont cover their hair or face.

Answer 10

Dear Brother,
Before we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijaab’, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam

1. In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust
The following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity:

2.Babylonian Civilization: The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law.

3.Greek Civilization: Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune

4.Roman Civilization:When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.

5.Egyptian Civilization: The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.

6.Pre-Islamic Arabia:Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.

Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.

People usually only discuss ‘hijaab’ in the context of women. However, in the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (swt) first mentions ‘hijaab’ for men before ‘hijaab’ for the women. The Qur’an mentions in Surah Noor: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do."[Al-Qur’an 24:30]

The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.

The next verse of Surah Noor, says:" And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons..."[Al-Qur’an 24:31]

According to Qur’an and Sunnah there are basically six criteria for observing hijaab:

The first criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered. This is different for men and women. The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the body at least from the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover the complete body except the face and the hands upto the wrist. If they wish to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of ‘hijaab’.
All the remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.

A.The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.

B. The clothes worn should not be transparent such that one can see through them.

C. The clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.

D. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.

E. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’ religions.

Complete ‘hijaab’, besides the six criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct, behaviour, attitude and intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling the criteria of ‘hijaab’ of the clothes is observing ‘hijaab’ in a limited sense. ‘Hijaab’ of the clothes should be accompanied by ‘hijaab’ of the eyes, ‘hijaab’ of the heart, ‘hijaab’ of thought and ‘hijaab’ of intention. It also includes the way a person walks, the way a person talks, the way he behaves, etc.

Hijaab prevents molestation:
The reason why Hijaab is prescribed for women is mentioned in the Qur’an in the following verses of Surah Al-Ahzab: "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Qur’an 33:59]

The Qur’an says that Hijaab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women and this will also prevent them from being molested.

Example of twin sisters:
Suppose two sisters who are twins, and who are equally beautiful, walk down the street. One of them is attired in the Islamic hijaab i.e. the complete body is covered, except for the face and the hands up to the wrists. The other sister is wearing western clothes, a mini skirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a hooligan or ruffian who is waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijaab or the girl wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such dresses are an indirect invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijaab prevents women from being molested.


Western society falsely claims to have uplifted women
Western talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. On the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.

there is also mentioned in Bible for Hijab: for example the following some verses from Bible just for your ready reference:

Dressing Modestly
Mathew 5:27-28

Six Criteria for Hijab in Islam
Deuteronomy 22:5
I Timothy 2:9 e.g. of Mary
I Corinthians 11:5-6

I have Best wishes for you...and pray to Allah (swt) for you May God show you the right path and truth.