It's been a very long time since I last posted anything. I hope everyone is well Insh'Allah.
Hijaab is a very much discussed topic. What is Hijaab?
"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..." (An-Nur 24:31)
So, Hijaab is the veiling and "covering-up" of a woman. Take a scenario, this is a pretty common scenario used by Muslims trying explain the purpose of Hijaab: Two girls in a public place, say the town centre. One is wearing western clothing (short fitted top, low-cut, skinny jeans, or a short skirt and make-up), and the other girl doing Hijaab (head-scarf, loose fitted abaya/long dress, full sleeves, no make-up); which one will guys look at more? And with the wrong intention, such as looking at them in a flirtatious way.... Obviously the one who is wearing revealing clothes right? Why would anyone want to flirt with or think about raping a dull-looking, and covered up woman?Hijaab is to protect the women, it shows their modesty and chastity.
My family come from Pakistan, I am a British-born Pakistani. I would like to concentrate on the actions and clothing of the women of Pakistan. I know this is not a political blog, or about Pakistan, but I feel very strongly about this, especially as my home country is Pakistan...
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The nation doesn't exactly live up to its' name does it? All you see on the news is more deaths, more attacks, more political problems. There's another side to all this too, the women of Pakistan want more freedom, but for what? To become more Westernised. They think the way forward is to wear revealing clothes, otherwise they will be seen as backwards and they will not gain any fame in the world of showbiz. I see programmes and websites showing fashion shows from Pakistan, and all I see are women revealing more and more of their body each time. It started off with sleeveless, then moved onto strapless, low-cut from both sides, showing the back and stomach, showing more of the bosom, showing legs.. the list goes on. This is not the the costume you would expect to be worn in an Islamic Republic.
Living in England, it is upsetting to see Muslims not dressing according to the Islamic dress-code, but it's not so surprising either. They want to adapt to the culture of this society... but this isn't the culture in Pakistan, why are they wanting to follow this culture? Pakistan has many different costumes, beautiful costumes, and they fit in with the Islamic dress-code, they are not revealing. But the current generation are forgetting and side-lining all these clothes. They think wearing tight fitted clothing, transparent clothing, revealing clothing is the only way to "fit in" with the Western culture and to gain fame. When I go to Pakistan and I see women dressing in revealing clothes, it's much more upsetting than seeing the women in England doing the same.
Hijaab is the universal costume for Muslim women. And wearing Hijaab with the correct Niyyah (intention) will also result in women behaving like they should. You watch documentaries, other TV shows, and secret videos on the internet, of clubs in Pakistan. The women of Pakistan think it's perfectly fine to go to a club, wearing immodest clothes, free-mixing with men, drinking alcohol and dancing. They say that Pakistan is just as modern as the rest of the world, why should they be held back by the Burqah, why do they have to be modest?
I'll tell you why they have to be modest, so they can become role models for other Muslim women around the world, so they can gain more respect than they ever dreamed of, and most importantly, gain the love and rewards from Allah swt.
Pakistan was made for Muslims, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (may Allah reward him with Paradise ameen), fought hard to make a separate nation for Muslims, so that they could follow Islam more freely and properly. But all his effort has gone down the drain, and this, unfortunately, is mainly caused by the female population of Pakistan. They are abusing their freedom rights, they are insulting the whole purpose of Pakistan, they are insulting and degrading the Muslims by acting - I can think of no nicer word - disgustingly. They behave and dress immodestly.
Instead of increasing their knowledge of Islam, they are getting further and further away from it. The little knowledge they have of Islam has not been properly explained to them, and they have not tried understanding it properly either. Islam has given women more rights and respect than any other religion, than any other culture, but still they think that Islam is backwards, it does not fit in with the modern day culture. They have been blinded by the western and non-Muslim ideology. Islam is the religion which fits in with any day and age, it is a complete way of life. Unfortunately, the women of Pakistan have not been educated enough, and are not willing to be educated about Islam, if they knew how perfect Islam was, they would know that they would be awarded with so much more respect whilst being a modest Muslim working woman.
It upsets me dearly, seeing Pakistani women wearing immodest clothes and then behaving immodestly. Do they really think they will be rewarded with Jannah after these acts? Nobody is sure if they will be rewarded with Jannah, I myself am a sinner. I pray Salah 5 times a day, I do Hijaab, I recite Qur'an, but I am not clean from sins, Allah knows best.
However, back to the topic. Hijaab is important, it is compulsory for Muslim women to do it, Allah has ordered us to do Hijaab in the Qur'an. But sadly, the women from my country are not doing this. They think it restricts them. But little do they know, the Hijaab protects them, gives them respect, and freedom. If they realise the importance of the Hijaab, and start wearing modest clothing, it will reflect on their behaviour, which will in turn refllect on the amount of respect they will get from others, and not forgetting the rewards from Allah swt.
If they realised that all this immodest behaviour is the most probable cause for the devestating earthquake, a punishment from Allah swt for all the wrong doings, then they would change their way of life. I hope and sincerely pray that Allah guides the people, especially the women, of Pakistan towards the Right Path, and makes the nation of Pakistan fulfil the purpose of it becoming an independent Islamic republic, and showers Pakistan with His blessings, ameen.
Walaikum Salam.
