Hijab (Veil) between the Bible and the Qur’an
Hijab was made incumbent by all divine messages, including
Judaism, Christianity and Islam
As a matter of fact, the desire for woman as a female is one of the
desires which man naturally craves for a divine rationale, which is
the perpetuation of mankind and their preservation from extinction.
There must be some impulse which man cannot resist so that he
will live with woman and beget offspring from her. God has rendered
the desire for women one of the most burning desires alluring men.
In the Qur’an, God says:
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire – of
women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded
horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly
life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (Aal `Imran 3:14)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “I have not left after
me any temptation to men which is stronger than women.” (Al-
Bukhari and Muslim)
Indeed, such sexual desire is something which is indicative of God’s
mercy towards His servants. Were it not for it, a husband would not
have shouldered any responsibility for his wife and would not have
endured hardships to provide for her as well as her children. In the
Qur’an, God says:
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates
that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you
affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give
thought. (Ar-Rum 30:21)
Since the desire for women is something which men cannot resist
easily, God has imposed strict regulations in His successive divine
messages to make sure that such a desire will play its legitimate
role in the human life and will not be got out of the lawful context in
which it was essentially placed, given the fact that the satisfaction
of such a desire outside its legitimate framework has considerable
disadvantages and enormous damage threatening man’s happiness
as they ruin his life and lose him the Hereafter.
One of such strict regulations is the imposition of hijab on women.
That is to say, women are commanded to conceal their attractive
parts whose charm cannot be resisted by men and only allowed to
expose such outer parts of the body which do not cause much
temptation and have such humanly reasonable adornment which is
quite far away from such finery which involves deliberate display of
woman’s beauty and intentional arousal of men’s desires.
In this sense, hijab was made incumbent in all divine messages,
including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. No wonder, the female
believers in any of the divine messages used to wear hijab.
Hijab in Judaism
Here is the Old Testament telling us that women used to wear the
hijab (or the veil) and praising those decent women. In the Old
Testament, we read the following verses: “Rebekah also looked up
and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant,
‘Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?’ ‘He is my master,’
the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered
herself.” (Genesis 24:64-65)
In the Old Testament, we also read: “Take millstones and grind flour;
take off your veil. Lift up your skirts” (Isaiah 47:2), “How beautiful
you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil
are doves.” (Song of Songs 4:1), “Now Susanna was exceeding
delicate, and beautiful to behold. But those wicked men commanded
that her face should be uncovered, (for she was covered,) that so at
least they might be satisfied with her beauty.” (Daniel 13:31-32)
Hijab in Christianity
This is the New Testament commanding women to wear hijab (or
the veil) and warning them against unveiling and uncovering
themselves. In the New Testament, we read: “But every woman who
prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it
is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not
cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a
disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved,
then she should cover her head.” (1 Corinthians 11:5-6)
The New Testament also commands women to dress modestly and
be characterized by decency and propriety and prohibits them from
finery and from uncovering or unveiling themselves. We read: “I also
want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety,
adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls
or expensive clothes.” (1 Timothy 2:9)
Hijab in Islam
Being the final divine message, Islam has not introduced novel
teachings. Rather, the teachings of Islam came as an extension of
the previous divine messages. Therefore, Islam also commands
women to be modest and decent and avoid finery and unveiling or
uncovering themselves. In the Qur’an, we read:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and
guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that
which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their
head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment
except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their
sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their
sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or
those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who
are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not
stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their
adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers,
that you might succeed. (An-Nur 24:31)
We also read:
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was]
the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer
and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends
only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the
[Prophet’s] household, and to purify you with [extensive]
purification. (Al-Ahzab 33:33)
The Qur’an accounts for the command to wear hijab, indicating that
it is intended for protecting women from any potential harm to
which they may be vulnerable if men happen to perceive their
beauty and finery. We read:
O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer
garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be
abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (Al-Ahzab 33:59)
Prophet Muhammad confirmed women’s obligation to wear the
hijab. He said: “O Asma’, when a woman reaches the age of
menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of
body except this and this.” He pointed to his face and hands. (Abu
Dawud)
The obligation to wear hijab is more stressed upon offering prayers.
Prophet Muhammad said: “The prayers of a woman who has
reached the age of menstruation is not accepted without a khimar
(veil).” (Recorded by the five compilers except Al-Nasa’i)
Finally, the obligation of the hijab is better proven by the fact that
devout, godly and pious women believing in all divine messages
wear it, be they religious Jewish women, Christian nuns or strict
Muslim women
Hijab was made incumbent by all divine messages, including
Judaism, Christianity and Islam
As a matter of fact, the desire for woman as a female is one of the
desires which man naturally craves for a divine rationale, which is
the perpetuation of mankind and their preservation from extinction.
There must be some impulse which man cannot resist so that he
will live with woman and beget offspring from her. God has rendered
the desire for women one of the most burning desires alluring men.
In the Qur’an, God says:
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire – of
women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded
horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly
life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (Aal `Imran 3:14)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “I have not left after
me any temptation to men which is stronger than women.” (Al-
Bukhari and Muslim)
Indeed, such sexual desire is something which is indicative of God’s
mercy towards His servants. Were it not for it, a husband would not
have shouldered any responsibility for his wife and would not have
endured hardships to provide for her as well as her children. In the
Qur’an, God says:
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates
that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you
affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give
thought. (Ar-Rum 30:21)
Since the desire for women is something which men cannot resist
easily, God has imposed strict regulations in His successive divine
messages to make sure that such a desire will play its legitimate
role in the human life and will not be got out of the lawful context in
which it was essentially placed, given the fact that the satisfaction
of such a desire outside its legitimate framework has considerable
disadvantages and enormous damage threatening man’s happiness
as they ruin his life and lose him the Hereafter.
One of such strict regulations is the imposition of hijab on women.
That is to say, women are commanded to conceal their attractive
parts whose charm cannot be resisted by men and only allowed to
expose such outer parts of the body which do not cause much
temptation and have such humanly reasonable adornment which is
quite far away from such finery which involves deliberate display of
woman’s beauty and intentional arousal of men’s desires.
In this sense, hijab was made incumbent in all divine messages,
including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. No wonder, the female
believers in any of the divine messages used to wear hijab.
Hijab in Judaism
Here is the Old Testament telling us that women used to wear the
hijab (or the veil) and praising those decent women. In the Old
Testament, we read the following verses: “Rebekah also looked up
and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant,
‘Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?’ ‘He is my master,’
the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered
herself.” (Genesis 24:64-65)
In the Old Testament, we also read: “Take millstones and grind flour;
take off your veil. Lift up your skirts” (Isaiah 47:2), “How beautiful
you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil
are doves.” (Song of Songs 4:1), “Now Susanna was exceeding
delicate, and beautiful to behold. But those wicked men commanded
that her face should be uncovered, (for she was covered,) that so at
least they might be satisfied with her beauty.” (Daniel 13:31-32)
Hijab in Christianity
This is the New Testament commanding women to wear hijab (or
the veil) and warning them against unveiling and uncovering
themselves. In the New Testament, we read: “But every woman who
prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it
is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not
cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a
disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved,
then she should cover her head.” (1 Corinthians 11:5-6)
The New Testament also commands women to dress modestly and
be characterized by decency and propriety and prohibits them from
finery and from uncovering or unveiling themselves. We read: “I also
want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety,
adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls
or expensive clothes.” (1 Timothy 2:9)
Hijab in Islam
Being the final divine message, Islam has not introduced novel
teachings. Rather, the teachings of Islam came as an extension of
the previous divine messages. Therefore, Islam also commands
women to be modest and decent and avoid finery and unveiling or
uncovering themselves. In the Qur’an, we read:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and
guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that
which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their
head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment
except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their
sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their
sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or
those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who
are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not
stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their
adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers,
that you might succeed. (An-Nur 24:31)
We also read:
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was]
the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer
and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends
only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the
[Prophet’s] household, and to purify you with [extensive]
purification. (Al-Ahzab 33:33)
The Qur’an accounts for the command to wear hijab, indicating that
it is intended for protecting women from any potential harm to
which they may be vulnerable if men happen to perceive their
beauty and finery. We read:
O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer
garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be
abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (Al-Ahzab 33:59)
Prophet Muhammad confirmed women’s obligation to wear the
hijab. He said: “O Asma’, when a woman reaches the age of
menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of
body except this and this.” He pointed to his face and hands. (Abu
Dawud)
The obligation to wear hijab is more stressed upon offering prayers.
Prophet Muhammad said: “The prayers of a woman who has
reached the age of menstruation is not accepted without a khimar
(veil).” (Recorded by the five compilers except Al-Nasa’i)
Finally, the obligation of the hijab is better proven by the fact that
devout, godly and pious women believing in all divine messages
wear it, be they religious Jewish women, Christian nuns or strict
Muslim women
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