why do Muslim women wear 'parda'?

Question

wat is the reason behind it?

Answer 1

PARDA (Hijab)

All the scholars of Islam agree that the women should cover all parts of body in front of Non-mahrams except face and hand upto ankles. This is a consensus view.

The Qur’anic verse, “Say to believing women, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them drape their headcoverings over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment . . .” (Qur’an 24:31) is a specific requirement for Muslim women to cover their hair.

The word “headcoverings” (Ar. singular khimar, plural khumur), more familiar in our times as the hijab, is a word of well-known signification among scholars of Arabic, at their forefront the authors of the classical lexical reference dictionaries like Zabidi’s encyclopedic Taj al-‘arus or Mutarrizi’s al-Mughrib, both of which define khimar as “a woman’s headcovering”; or Fayumi’s al-Misbah or Fayruzabadi’s al-Qamus, which both define it as “a cloth with which a woman covers her head.” The Taj al-‘arus also notes that a man's turban is sometimes referred to as a khimar “because a man covers his head with it in like manner as a woman covers her head with her khimar when he disposes it in the Arab manner, turning part of it under the jaws nearly in the same manner in which a woman disposes her khimar.” These authorities are cited in the eight-volume Arabic-English Lexicon of Edward William Lane, who describes the khimar as “a woman’s muffler or veil with which she covers her head and the lower part of her face.”

There is no other lexical sense in which the word khimar may be construed. The wording of the command, however, “and let them drape their headcoverings over their bosoms,” sometimes confuses nonspecialists in the sciences of the Qur’an, and in truth, interpreting the Qur’an does sometimes require in-depth knowledge of the historical circumstances in which the various verses were revealed. In this instance, the elliptical form of the divine command is because women at the time of the revelation wore their headcovers tied back behind their necks, as some village women still do in Muslim countries, leaving the front of the neck bare, as well as the opening (Ar. singular jayb, plural juyub, translated as “bosoms” in the above verse) at the top of the dress. The Islamic revelation confirmed the practice of covering the head, understood from the use of the word khimar in the verse, but also explained that the custom of the time was not sufficient and that women were henceforth to tie the headcover in front and let it drape down to conceal the throat and the dress’s opening at the top.

This is why Muslim women cover their heads: because the Qur’an unambiguously orders them to, and there is no qualifying text or hadith or even other lexical possibility to show that the Qur’anic order might mean anything besides obligation. Rather, the hadiths all bear this meaning out, Muslim scholars are in unanimous agreement about it and have been from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) down to our own day, and it is even known by all non-Muslim peoples about them.

There was thus nothing new or surprising in the Islamic legal opinion promulgated in December 2003 by the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh ‘Ali Jumu‘a of the Egyptian Fatwa Authority (Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyya) that “the hijab is an obligation on all Muslim female adults, as firmly established in the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad’s hadiths, as well as unanimously agreed upon by Muslim scholars.” He pointed out that unlike the cross sometimes worn by Christians, or the skullcap worn by Jews, the hijab is not a “symbol” of Islam but rather that “Islam orders female adults to wear hijab as obligatory religious clothing.” It is part of every Muslim woman’s religious practice.

Some ink and words have been spent by some contemporary ethnic Muslim women writers (and an occasional convert) trying to do away with the covering of hair mandated by the Qur’an and the unanimous consensus of Muslims. They say—accurately enough, for a Muslim does not leave Islam merely by committing a sin—that one can take off the hijab and still remain a Muslim. But such a person remains a bad Muslim, who deems aping non-Muslims better than practicing Islam. For what? The Supreme Being knows our benefit better than we do; and if one believes in Allah, Master of every atom in the universe, it is only plain sense to follow Him. When all else fails, read the directions. Those who refuse to wear the hijab are acting out of ignorance or bad faith, and when one meets them, one seldom finds they manage to practice the other aspects of their religion. In the end, it is a matter of hearts. The heart that is alive has a sense of eternity, and knows that the infinite is greater than the finite. The heart that is dead follows the trends of the trend makers because it has turned its back on the Divine and forgotten endless time.

Answer 2

Parda In Islam

Answer 3

Coz the Arabian Night's Sulthan may pick her up and make her as wife for a day by seeing her beauty. To avoid that muslim women started wearing parda. There were many sulthans later who will take away ladies by seeing the face and hence they continue to wear purda. Now there are no such sulthans in this 21st centuary and they still wear it as a custom.

Answer 4

It's an old tradition which isn't even followed by the majority of American Muslim women.

Answer 5

The muslim women wear parda becuz it says so in the Holy Quran!

Answer 6

They are like wild animals when they see a woman they go crazy and want to mate with them just like a jack wants to mate with jenny. They are on viagra.Therefore, women are being covered not to draw attention and for their personal safety.

Answer 7

Muslim men doesn't want their ladies face to be seen by any one else except their husband / family.

Answer 8

IT IS THE SYSTEM IN THEIR SOCIETY.

Answer 9

Either you mean Prada or I'm getting confused here!

Answer 10

The religion originated in a dry land. A little breeze could blow a hell lot of dust in a dry land. Hence not only women, but men too used to cover themselves completely in loose clothes to protect themselves. You may still see a lo of arabs in their custom dresses.

However ages have passed since the religion originated. Times changed. Male dominance became prominent. Later it came out as a custom for women (although completely uneccassary) to wear burkas while men could wear whatever they want.

Answer 11

Some claim wearing hijab means going back to some prehistoric period. THIS IS NOT TRUE.Moreover such people fail to realize that actually dressing half naked means going back to the
stone Age!!!!!!!."A practicing MUSLIM is one who knows he is not perfect, but is always striving to better himself and make others around him better"......