WORLD HIJAB DAY REVISITED

Recently, the matter of Hijab – the dress code for Muslim women – came under discussion for several reasons: the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) vs the Lagos State Government’s attempt to ban it; another alleged attempt to tamper with it by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) (later denied); and, most importantly, the […]

Recently, the matter of Hijab – the dress code for Muslim women – came under discussion for several reasons: the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) vs the Lagos State Government’s attempt to ban it; another alleged attempt to tamper with it by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) (later denied); and, most importantly, the insinuation from President Muhammadu Buhari’s maiden media chat that the apparel may be banned for security reasons (also later denied). It is for these reasons that the World Hijab Day – celebrated every February 1 – was particularly significant this year.
ýThe Coalition of Nigerian Muslim Women Abuja (CNMWA) is a convergence of several Muslim women groups in the Federal Capital that came together in 2014 to collaborate and strategise in a bid to promote and propagate issues of concern for Muslim women. Among other activities, the Coalition is involved in empowering IDPs in and around Abuja through education and skills imparting programmes, and hosting the World Hijab Day lecture, a day set aside to create awareness of the Muslim woman’s dress code.
The World Hijab Day lecture organised by the Coalition is, in sha Allah, holding right now, morning of Saturday February 6, at the National Mosque in Abuja. The keynote speaker is Sister Fatima Abubakar Idris (fatima1432@gmail) of the Quality Assurance Inspectorate of Abuja Municipal Education Authority. Below is an abridged version of her lecture titled “Hijab – Our Obligation, Symbol of Piety and Good Conduct.” Enjoy.
erhaps one of the most talked about religious and cultural issues locally and on the international arena recently, and side by side with terrorism, is the Muslim woman’s hijab. Although the highlights have always been that of misunderstanding and misconception, lately the focus has turned on the credibility of those who put it on, and this is due to the activities of miscreants who abuse the hijab as they hide under its cover to perpetrate evil. But hijab is a religious obligation because it is a commandment of Allah (exalted be His Name) in the Qur’an, and the rules were implemented by Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, (upon whom be peace) on his household and female companions.
The World Hijab Day is an occasion to not only create awareness and seek solidarity for the Muslim dress code, but also for reflection and introspection on our part, the wearers of hijab, so we can assess our level of compliance and encourage ourselves to make amendment or improvement as the case may be. The celebration of this annual event is, therefore, an opportunity for individual development as well as an enlightened voice for hijab advocacy.
  Muslim women are usually asked: why do we observe the hijab? We simply say we observe the hijab because Allah commands us to. However, in modern times, many people wonder what the great deal is about veiling, and why a woman should veil at all. Truth is that Islam has always defined itself as a way of life rather than a religion of mere rituals. It is true that mutual attraction between males and females is an instinctive characteristic. It is mentioned in Riyadhus Salihin that one of the righteous people had said: ‘If I were entrusted with the treasury of the people, I would be able to fulfil that commitment; but if I were entrusted with a woman, I fear lest I cannot fulfil that commitment.’ This shows that the temptation which exposure with a woman portends could be greater than that which exposure to wealth does.
So what to do? Since man was created weak and desirous, the Creator Himself made rules that regulate man’s behaviour and provided limits that must not be exceeded in order to maintain harmony in the society and to prevent humans from satisfying their lusts through illegal means. Hence the blocking of all avenues that can lead to temptation – and such preventive measures include lowering of the gaze by both genders, prohibiting men from being in seclusion with non-mahram women, encouraging young people to marry and ordering the Muslim rulers to facilitate marriage for the youths, and women veiling themselves.
And then what is the implication of putting on the hijab? It signifies compliance with divine injunction, of submission to Allah’s Will no matter the personal inconvenience, and of courage in the face of ridicule. It signifies the desire to live by the rules, and of striving to attain piety. It is also a willingness to aspire for purity. Putting on the hijab means you are ready to be recognised as a Muslim woman and so you should be ready to observe all the rules accompanying its use. When you put on the hijab, you are making a statement that you are a free, respectable Muslim lady.
How absurd then it is then for someone to put on the hijab and perpetrate evil! This can only be explained by the fact that perhaps that person has some form of mental incapacity. But even if some misguided immature girl decides to hide under the cover of hijab to commit evil, it does not give anybody the right to ban the use of hijab by the overwhelming number of decent Muslim women of the world. People have hidden under the cover of religion to commit atrocities, and such people are found in the various religions of the world, but it is neither correct to hold the particular religions responsible for the actions of such bad followers, nor reasonable to ban fundamental religious practices based on them.
It is unfortunate therefore that anyone would abuse such a fundamental aspect of the Muslim woman’s identity. Definitely calling for the ban on hijab as a consequence of the act of a tiny minority is unacceptable. It is therefore necessary that whoever puts on the hijab must strive to observe its etiquettes and refrain from doing things that could bring it to disrepute. And as the world debates the hijab, we must endeavor to ponder its mandate.
However, Muslim women must endeavor to live their lives by the laws of Allah. The law of Allah has highlighted her expected behaviour as a believing woman if she adorns herself with the hijab. The purpose of the hijab is recognition and purification, so both the appearance and actions should reflect humility, modesty and piety. The mothers of the believers, the daughters of the Prophet and the female companions are our role models, and we strive to emulate their faith and obedience to Allah in this regard so that we achieve part of what they achieved with Allah.
It is therefore imperative that every Muslim woman who seeks the good pleasure of Allah the Exalted by putting on the hijab should assess her level of conformation with the divine order: that she covers her body completely except that which must ordinarily appear thereof; the cloth she uses should not be an adornment itself; it should not be transparent or show the shape of the body or the size of the limbs; it should not be scented with perfume; it should not resemble the clothing of men or non-Muslims; that it should be free of images; and that it should be halal and pure.
Other conditions are that the hijab should not be a dress of fame and vanity; no extravagant spending involved; and it should be free of anything that may lead to pride and arrogance. This means that it is not just any piece of cloth worn or wrapped round the head or body that qualifies as hijab.
Finally, the the way of the believers, when Allah decrees a matter, is only to say we hear and we obey, and they proceed to execute the commandment immediately. May Allah make us able to fulfill Allah’s Commandments.