Importance of wearing hijab in Islam – Sambo Rigachikun

Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Rigachikun is Deputy National Chairman, Ulama’u Council of Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’a Wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) also known as Izala, Jos, Plateau State. He spoke on the issue of the Muslim female veil (hijab) to Trust Islam Forum from Kaduna via phone. Bismillahir-Rahmanir Rahim. To start with, wearing the hijab by a Muslima […]

Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Rigachikun is Deputy National Chairman, Ulama’u Council of Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’a Wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) also known as Izala, Jos, Plateau State. He spoke on the issue of the Muslim female veil (hijab) to Trust Islam Forum from Kaduna via phone.
Bismillahir-Rahmanir Rahim.
To start with, wearing the hijab by a Muslima covering her entire body, from head to foot, is an injunction of Allah (swt). Just as Allah (swt) gave injunction in the Holy Qur’an on observance of the five daily prayers, between nightfall and daybreak, so has He revealed in the Holy Qur’an verses on the wearing of the Hijab. It is such that the woman that failed to observe the five daily prayers and that other who neglected to wear her hijab have committed the same offence in the face of Allah (swt). 
In the Holy Qur’an, Allah (swt) told the Holy Prophet (saw): “Prophet, tell believing men to lower their glances and guard their private parts: that is purer for them. God is well aware of everything they do. And tell believing women that they should lower their glances, guard their private parts, and not display their charms beyond what [it is acceptable] to reveal; they should let their head-scarves fall to cover their necklines and not reveal their charms except to their husbands, their fathers…”
Allah (swt) also told the Holy Prophet (saw): “Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and women believers to make their outer garments hang low over them so as to be recognized and not insulted…”
These injunction that came direct to the household of the Holy Prophet, are directed to his wives, his daughters and the wives of Muslims as a whole. This ayat speaks succinctly on this matter.
Now why does Islam require the Muslima to wear the hijab, covering her entire body.  There are many reasons. The Prophet (saw) says in a hadith: Al mar’atu kulliha awra (woman is nakedness) except her face and the palms of her hands. In fact even exposing the face is contentious as many reputable hadith scholars worldwide are agreed that it should be covered with the niqab where it is capable of subjecting the woman to abuse amongst men.
Also on this matter Allah (swt) says: “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms…” (‘only that which is apparent’ refers to women’s face and hands). They should not draw attention to their privates (not to fornicate); their beauty, their jewellery (bangles), earrings, necklaces which when exposed to men other than their husbands could leave them open to abuse.
The believing women should not expose their adornments except to their husbands, their children, their parents, their in-laws, parents of their husbands and such other persons who are their mahram (marriage is prohibited between them). The idea here is that, as mentioned above, quoting the Holy Prophet, the woman is entirely awra, so she should not expose her adornments – breasts, backside or any part that could attract other males to her and upset them.
The prophet said in another hadith: “There are two features that are of the dwellers of Hell. I have not witnessed them and will not see them. When the time comes, you will see people with long canes flogging others without reason. When the people degenerate thus, you will meet some women then who are dressed in expensive clothes but are working about naked. They are crooked and turn people to crooked ways of life.
The prophet explained that these crooked people will not enter Paradise, nether will they perceive its scent even though it could be perceived 500 thousand miles away.
The above hadith, is vindicated as today you will see a Muslima dressed in expensive cloth, lace material that could cost N100,000, N120,000, or even above but which still leave her naked – you could see her underwear such as her pants and the shape of other inner clothing.    
Today in Nigeria, you see the Muslim women and girls who have their clothes measured to tightly fit them, not only displaying the contours of their body but also exposing their breasts and other protuberances.
Such Muslim women and girls also wear animal hair extensions on their head to give impression that they are endowed. Others even thoughtlessly shave off their head in the name of fashion.
The hadith of the Holy Prophet has explained the problems and ills associated with such attires and so-called fashion and why they are not for the believing woman. Islam has made the wearing of hijab mandatory for the Muslima to cover her body entirely.
So the issue that some women, said to be Boko Haram, now wear hijab to carry out bombing and therefore the veil should be banned is fallacious because cases of robbers and kidnapers using military and police uniforms to carry out their criminal activities have not caused the authorities to ban those uniforms.  Government should take note of this. For us wearing the hijab for Muslim women is a religious duty, an obligation.
Such contentions on the hijab actually stated about 30 years ago in Kaduna at Queen Amina College where a Muslim student was driven away from school by the principal because the girl was wearing hijab. Izala Islamic group took up the matter with the education ministry  and it was resolved. But sponsors of islamaphobia at home globally are  bent on giving it a bad name, yet even non-Muslims  in the west who try the veil have related stories of tranquillity and respect while wearing it.
For  world hijab day, Muslims already have guidance in the Shari’ah on the wearing of the veil by the entire Muslim women and girls as part and parcel of the Islamic faith based on the Qur’an and hadith.  May Allah continue to guide us.