Sharing: The age of a woman should observe hijab in front of a boy

Assalamualaikum dear friends,

I'm a bit busy getting ready for tomorrow's event. There are still a lot of abayaat to fold and pack. So... while I'm doing that, I'll share with you a Q & A about the above topic which I have copied from this fanpage, Niqab; The Face Veil.

Please pray for a successful event tomorrow.

Source: Tonja's Photo Blog

Question:-

What is the age at which a woman should observe hijab from a boy – is it when he reaches the age of discernment or when he reaches the age of puberty?.

Answer:-

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah says in the passage where He speaks of those to whom it is permissible to show one’s adornments (interpretation of the meaning):

“…or small children who have no sense of feminine sex”

[al-Noor 24:31]

If a child shows some awareness of a woman’s ‘awrah and starts to look at her and talk to her a great deal, then it is not permissible for a woman to uncover in front of him.

This varies from one boy to another in terms of natural disposition and in terms of the company that he keeps. A boy may have a greater interest in women if he sits with people who talk about them a great deal, and if it were not for that he would not be particularly interested in them.

What matters is that Allaah has set the guidelines for this matter when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“…or small children who have no sense of feminine sex”

[al-Noor 24:31]

i.e., these are among the ones in front of whom it is permissible for a woman to show her adornments, if they have no interest in women.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), Majmoo’at As’ilah tahumm al-Usrah al-Muslimah, p. 148

Among the things which indicate that a child has started to be aware of a woman’s ‘awrah are the following:

- He describes women to others

- He can distinguish between a beautiful woman and an ugly one

- He compares the way women look

- He stares at women for a long time

Undoubtedly movies and soap operas, as well as social corruption, lead to children being aware of women’s ‘awrahs at an early age, so we have to be very careful. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid

Indeed, It Is A Very Touching Story

Copied from Majlis Syura Muslimun

Original source www.msmnorthwest.wordpress.com

Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumma services at the Central Mosque (and shortly after Al-Usrah program), the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out “PATH TO PARADISE” and other Islamic literature.

This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for the Imam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, ‘OK, dad, I’m ready!’

His ‘Mu’allim’ dad asked, ‘Ready for what?’

‘Dad, it’s time we gather our tracts together and go out.’

Dad responds, ‘Son, it’s very cold outside and it’s pouring rain.’

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, ‘But Dad, aren’t people still going to Hell, even though it’s raining?’

Dad answers, ‘Son, I am not going out in this weather.’

Despondently, the boy asks, ‘Dad, can I go? Please?’

His father hesitated for a moment then said, ‘Son, you can go. Here are the booklets. Be careful son.’

‘Thanks, Dad!’

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST BOOKLET. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered..

He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally, this eleven year old da’wah-expert turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, ‘What can I do for you, son?’ With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, ‘Ma’am, I’m sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that “ALLAH REALLY LOVE AND CARE FOR YOU” and I came to give you my very last booklet which will tell you all about God, the real purpose of creation, and how to achieve His pleasure.’

With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave..

She called to him as he departed. ‘Thank you, son! And God Bless You!’

Well, the following Friday afternoon after Jumat service (during which period they hold a weekly program, Al-Usrah) the Imam was giving some lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, ‘Does anybody have questions or want to say anything?’

Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly voice was heard over the speaker. As the voice went on, a hint of glorious gaiety and contentment was plainly evident in it even though it wasn’t to be seen, ‘No one in this gathering knows me. I’ve never been here before. You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim, and thought I could be. My husband passed away some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, I’ll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away……

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly…… ……

I thought to myself again, ‘Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.’ I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, ‘Ma’am, I just came to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVE AND CARE FOR YOU!’

Then he gave me this booklet, “Path To Paradise” that I now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn’t be needing them anymore.

You see? I am now a Happy Vicegerent of the One True God. Since the address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God’s little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in Hell.’

There was not a dry eye in the mosque. And as shouts of TAKBIR!!! ALLAH AKBAR!!! rented the air, even among the ladies.

Imam-Dad descended from the pulpit to the front row where the little angel was seated….

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no jama’at has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love and honor for his son……. Except for One. This very one…

Blessed are your eyes for reading this message. Remember, Allah’s message CAN make the difference in the life of someone you know (:

KakChik's Notes:
1. I believe this story is not a real story but it was composed as a motivational story for us, people of dakwah.
2. To inspire others to love our deen, we need to always be istiqomah or committed in our good deeds.
3. Amal makruf and nahi mungkar (can somebody help me translate this into English?) should always be done anywhere and anytime regardless of the weather condition, but please with caution.
4. Soleh children are the result of the good Islamic teaching from parents and teachers who really teach for Allah's sake.
5. As parents, we are the one who are responsible in nurturing the future of our children. Don't let them be influenced by the current hedonistic culture too much without a firm tauhid or belief in Allah and Islam.

Sharing: Hijab/Niqab or No Scarf at All

This article is written by Prepare For The Hour

It is a very well written article about aurat and hijab. I hope it is okay with her for me to share her article here because I think her good article will have more readers. Please give credits and thanks to Sister Safyiah of PREPARE FOR THE HOUR.

Now, let's read her article and reflect.

Bismillah


Salamo Aleikom Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu


I want to comment about an article that I happened to read one of these days. I posted it on my Facebook profile by mistake, but I want to have my say in it, inshaAllah.


This is the article in question: Stop Telling Muslim Women How To Dress


I must say, I was allured by the title, but, once I started reading it I just felt how much of consciousness of todays trials and Islamic thought weren't put into the article.


I agree that some people lead the subject of hijab/niqaab to sexist views, but it's not all of them. Let's see: isn't a Muslim woman supposed to follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah? So, why would she go back on the Qur'an and the Sunnah at the same time when it comes to her clothing? WAIT, now that I'm saying this, people will start calling me extremist. Well, it's not me who is extremist then, look to the Qur'an, see the context and the commentaries of the Sahabah and other scholars and then check the Sunnah about hijab. No, it's not me who is extremist.


Also, there's a difference between insulting and giving advice. The first is not allowed from a Muslim to another Muslim or even to a kafir (unless during war, when the kuffar are hostile towards the Muslims). The second is more than allowed, but are the receivers of this advice with an open heart for the worry her sister/brother has on her Hereafter?


Another thing is when the people that don't wear hijab and don't wear the proper hijab, try to say that there's no such rules in the Qur'an and Sunnah that tell them to cover up more. Well, go look again and bring a sheikh to explain it to you or just look to the rulings on the clothing through Islamic history and compare to the lay back attitude of some sheikhs today that allow some people even to drink wine and eat pork... astaghfirullah.


Now, let's make some differences here. Not wearing hijab or not wearing proper hijab does not mean we can judge the faith of that person. Faith is in the heart, it can't be seen through a garment. It's like smoking. You can't tell a person that smokes that they have low faith. Some relative in my husband's family smokes and I see each Fajr prayer, he stays praying and reading Qur'an until the sun rises, he is an old person, so it's hard for him to go to the masjid. And I KNOW many Muslims don't do that, they don't even go to the masjid if they can. Many of them don't even pray Fajr and they still don't smoke. So, let's make some sense here.


The reality I see many times is that as much as the sisters and brothers want to see some positive change in the people who don't wear hijab or don't wear proper hijab, out of worry, not of insult, they take the advise as an offense, which shouldn't happen. Why are they so sensitive to this matter? Is it because they know they are wrong in wearing what they wear? Allahu A'lam.


I see many times a sister giving an advise to another sister who is not wearing proper hijab and she simply gets offended by the worry of her sister who is advising.


One of these days, after I took care of my visa, I went to a masjid near the building I was in. The prayer started, everyone prayed. Then, after it finished, a sister comes to the prayer room. For you to have a picture, she was not wearing proper clothing to enter a masjid, she was wearing a very tight shirt on the upper part. Yes, like most of the girls in Egypt. So, before she prayed, a lady who was about 40-50 years old called her and asked her name. She said her name and then the lady advised her "you can put some prayer dress over your clothes so that your prayer can be accepted". The girl smiled and went away, she did not pray. So, which kind of Muslims are we talking about? The ones that take an advise as an offense (generally). I must tell you, if the Sahabah took and advise and confirmed it to be the Sunnah and the right way, they would hold on to it and practice it as much as they can.


Understand, my sisters in Islam, that the people who advise you, worry about you. They are not indirectly offending you, they want the best for you, they want Paradise for you. Insulting is one thing, advising is another thing. Let's distinguish that a bit.


To the people that advise, try to be as subtle as possible, be kind and gentle. Explain with proof from Qur'an and Sunnah.


To the subject about "men and women can't be friends in Islam", well, they can, as long as they are mahram. It's not about sex, it's about Islamic rulings and how Islam was and is practiced. I remember the incident when 'A'isha (raw) was alone in the desert when she went to search for her necklace, she fell asleep. The person who came and saw her said "subhanAllah", did he go there and say "how are you 'Aisha, what happened, why are you here?". No, their conversation was direct to the point and he tried to help her, not out of friendship, but out of respect and knowing that she was the wife of the Prophet (sws). Also, why is there a separation between men and women in prayer? Even if the women pray behind the men, there's a separation, the women don't pray beside men and men don't pray beside women, and this is a Sunnah. So, you see there's no mixing allowed by the Prophet (sws). And he (sws) advised us not to go to supermarkets, if possible. To avoid what? Mixing. So, if you say non-mahram girls and boys can be friends, why did the Prophet (sws) forbid girls and boys to be in touch in the first place?


Another thing, scholars are mostly men, if you don't take an advise from a scholar then you're in an even worse situation and you should check yourself and the faith you are having right now. If people write books on this subject it's because they care, they don't write books out of a hobby.




Let's take a deeper look to our teachings.


About the non-Muslims telling Muslim women how to wear. They are adding wood to the fire. I must ask to the non-Muslims, where in this whole world are you capable of telling a Muslim what he/she is doing wrong or right in his/her religion?


Most of these non-Muslims just go to their Muslim neighbor Sami around the corner and ask him to give them a commentary from himself on the Qur'an just because they think by a person knowing Arabic that they can understand the Qur'an to that extend.


Let me remind the non-Muslims that Qur'an is not like the Bible. Many of you may not have seen the original texts of the Bible, but we Muslims have to see things in Arabic to have a deeper understanding of what's being said and even so, we need something called Tafsir from scholars to know the exact meaning. It's not like "bring a cup of popcorns and let's watch the movie". It requires years of study of the grammar and the interpretation from hadith and the sahabah and the students of the sahabah to know about these verses in the Qur'an and explain them. It's not like you read it just like that and it's what's in front of you. There's something called "context". If you don't care about the context you're just like Al-Qaeda that reads and does, no question about it. You're using Al-Qaedas tactics? Aren't you supposed to be against their way of thinking?


Take Care


Salam