Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam

Muslim Brothah: Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part I
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MONDAY, 12 MARCH 2012
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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
cover over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment except to
their own husbands ... (Quran 24:31).
MEANING OFKHIMAR
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Is Hijab
Mandatory
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Part I
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There are many who are led to

believe that khimar means
head cover, and not simply
cover.I find it very odd that
some translate khimaras head
cover, even when the word
head or hair is not present;
even though Allah, the AllKnowing isexplicitlytelling
women to cover their bosoms
and body parts.
Furthermore, you will notice
that the word khimar is also used throughout the Qur'an in reference to
wine and alcohol. Try asking an imam if crystal meth is not haram because
it is notexplicitlyforbidden in the Quran, and he will most likely point you
towards the root word ofkhimarbeing used for alcohol:
The imam will tell you that Allah chose to use the word khimar for alcohol,
because it is anything that "covers" the intellect and leads one to other
http://muslim-brothah.blogspot.com/2012/03/hijab-mandatory-or-not.html[20.5.2015. 21:06:55]
January (2)
sins. If khimar trulymeant head cover, can you imagine how odd these
verses would sound if they were telling the believers to abstain from head
covers? That wouldn't make much sense, would it?What's interesting is
that Allah uses this same word for covering of the bosom.Therefore, the
word khimar,even according to some mistaken scholars, does in fact
mean "to cover".
If one was to translate khimaras "veil", as other translators (or

niqabists)have done, one must ask the question, "What is a veil?" Is a veil
not a "cover", and its purpose being "to cover"? A face veilcoversthe face,
and a bosom veil coversthe bosom.Also, a further point is that in the
same chapter (24), and verse 60 of the Qur'an, Allah has allowed elderly
women to be less careful in covering. However, the word used here was
thiyaab, and not khimar. So why has the head coverbecome part of the 10
MuslimCommandments, taking its place as anIslamicnorm?
MISINTERPRETING THE QUR'AN

What one may find rather frightening is
that the male-dominated scholars
whooriginally translated khimaras head
cover are the same ones who translated
the "beat" your wife verse, the killing of
disbelievers to spread the word of Islam,
the polygamy verse, killing apostates,
stoning to death, and much more of what
has been labelledIslamictoday. Although
some more modern scholars may not
agree with all of these fanatical teachings,
they still base their knowledge on these
same interpreters of the Qur'an.
Why do most of today's dogmatic imams and translators keep insisting
thatarabin 4:34 means "to strike" your wife, when this same word is
used for travelling, departing, leaving, breaking apart, going forth,
presenting, etc. Why can't these translatorssimply teach Muslim men to
"leave" their harsh wives if all else failed. Why do so many Islamicsources
and so-called scholars keep insisting that the Qur'an states Jesus will be a
signof the Hour (43:61), when the word ayahis not used. The
wordknowledge ('ilm)is used to suggest that"He [or it] is knowledge of
the Hour", yet this dogmatic belief of Christianity is still preached.The list
of misinterpretations and mistranslations can go on forever.
THE QUR'AN IS COMPLETE

"And We have revealed the Book to you which hasclear explanation of
everything, and a guidance, mercy and good news for those who submit."
(Qur'an 16:89)
In the same khimar verse (24:31), after Allah lists in detailthose kindred
who are allowed to see the woman not fully-covered,it even gives such
fine details as to tell women not to strike their feet as a means of
attracting men:
And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their
adornment (Qur'an 24:31)
At the time of the Prophet, some women used to wear ankle bracelets and
bells. Women in India and Pakistan still do, and some would stamp their
feet in order to seduce men or to get their attention.Out of all the verses
in the Qur'an, He clearly tells us not to eat the flesh of swine, blood, and
even several different animals that are killed improperly. We are told to
avoid strong drink/gambling, avoid usury, abstain from backbiting, to cover
the bosom, to lower our gaze, when and how to pray, and steps in
performingwudu.
Allah evenexplicitlytells us to
wet our heads before we pray.
Ifthe hijabwas truly
mandatory, why wouldn't He
simply order women to cover
their heads, just as all the
other verses of Divine
Instruction? Why do we have to
dig out so much
ahadithinterpretation in order
to prove the head cover, which
is still left unproven in the end?
If the hijabwas such an
important practice, as are the many other teachings in the Qur'an, wouldn't
Allah have cared to explicitlyorder women to cover their heads. Instead,
they are told to cover their bosoms and body parts, as in 24:31.
THE WORD HIJABIN THE QUR'AN

It is very interesting that the Qur'an does use the word hijab, but nowhere
is it used in reference to a women's headcover. The word hijabis used to
mean a barrier, veil, or screen:
DidAllah know in His infinite wisdom that Muslims

would later make hijab as part of the religion, and
deliberately chose to use this word in the Qur'an?
Some imamswill point towards the
oralahadithliterature to prove the ordinance of the
hijab, even though theseahadithwere not
authorized by the Prophet himself, and were put
into writing 300 years after him.Yet amongst the
countless poorly-compiled ahadithnarrations, filled
with fabrications, one will still not find a direct order
where the Prophet is reported(through so and so

...) to have ordered women to cover their hair.
WHAT ABOUT MOTHER MARY?

In being unable to provide tangible proof from the Qur'an to support the
notion of hijab, some may even resort to Christian teachings:
"But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
dishonors her headit is the same as having her head shaved.For if a
woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off" [1
Corinthians 11:5-6]
If it was up to the Saudi mullahs, this rule
would probably be made shariah!Even
though Jesus did not direct his followers to
cover their heads, with all due respect, some
Christians do practice it.Some may even
equate Mary's head covering with being
righteous or chaste (modest), even though
Mary may not have covered her hair fully.
However, the Qur'an refutes this claim,
teaching us that true chastity (modesty) is
abstaining from lust:
She said: "How can I have a son when no
man has touched me, neither have I been
unchaste? (Qur'an 19:20)
And she who was chaste, therefore We
breathed into her of Our Spirit and made her
and her son a sign for (all) peoples. (Quran 21:91)
It is alsointeresting to notethat many Jews and Christians who later
convertedto Islam during the Prophet's time and onwards brought with
them much cultural/religious baggage. Some of these beliefs and teachings
even made their way into the ahadithliterature, seeping their way into
Islamic beliefs and practices. Although they have no basis in the Qur'an,
they were still adapted by later generationsonly to become today'sMuslim
or Islamic norm. The head covering is not the only Judeo-Christian teaching
that has made its way into our faith, butothers such as the return of
Christ, the impure menstruating woman, original sin, intercession of sins,
and various others have nothing to stand on when viewed in the Light of
the Qur'an.
FOLLOWING THE SHARIAH LAW
The Qur'an tells believing men and women to lower their gaze (24:30-31),
and so does the Gospel (Injeel). During the time of Jesus, many Jews
actually followed the commandments and outwardlyteachings (or shariah)
just as we Muslims do. One such example was notcommitting adultery, or
the notion of "look but don't touch". Some hearts had become corrupt, and
Jesus taught them:
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)
Many Jewish followers even believed that they could divorce their wives
anytime they liked, and all they needed was a certificate (a statement),
since this Law (shariah) was given to them by their Messenger, Moses. But
Jesus tells them:
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.
But it was not this way from the beginning.I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another
woman commits adultery. (Matthew 19:8-9)
Some Muslim men think the same way of divorce (similar to the Jews), as
it is allowedin the Qur'an, yet it should really only be for valid reasons. You
can't simply throw away a woman when you're done with her. I have seen
some instances in a community where an imamwould actually encourage a
woman who is having marital problems to divorce her husband, and quickly
marry her in order to get into her pants. One must ask the question, how is
this different from adultery? Is he really following the shariah? Yet this is
the kind of hypocrisy we deal with--the same hypocrisy and lawful shariah
misunderstood evenduring the time of Jesus (Isa).
CULTURE VS RELIGION
Many religious followers can
mistake cultural norms for
religious or spiritual practices.
For example, it is a known fact
that most women during the
Prophet's time in the
ArabianPeninsula did cover
their head--but so did men!
And so did Mother Mary of
Jerusalem. If this is the basis
for our belief, how come men
aren't required to cover their
heads? The reality is, had they
not covered their heads in the
heat of the sun, they would be
asking for trouble (i.e. heat
stroke)! And who is to say that
these were not worn as a looseheadcover rather than a
completehairsuffocation.
Also, men's and women's dress were very loose and open, in order to allow
air circulation. Although it is fair to say that women (and men) should not
wear tight bodily revealing clothes, the abayahshould not be considered an
Islamic dress either! Can you imagine a MuslimaEskimo freezing and
tripping over the snow in herabayah,while trying to hunt a seal? Whilst
not followingunnecessarytrends, who is to say that we cannot wear
ordinary clothing, such as loose-fitted shirts and jeans? Allah reminds us in
the Qur'an the purpose of clothing:
O Children of Adam! We have revealed unto you garments to cover your
shame, and splendid vesture; but the garment ofrighteousness--that is
best. This is of the revelations of Allah, that they may remember. (7:26)
PURPOSE OF HIJAB?
Many imams will tell us that the purpose of hijabis to hide a women's
precious beauty, while using many other sugar-coated sayings.Although
we can agree that hairis beautiful, but so are hands, nose, eyes, and
mouth!In fact, the face is probably the most beautiful thing God has
created on a human being! (This would be a great time forthe niqabistto
jump in). But let's ask ourselves the question of which is more attractive:
a) an image of a face with the hair covered or
b) an image of hair with the face covered
Almost anybody (especially the niqabist) can
agree that the first option is the mostattractive. Most men may probably agree that
they would rather see skin thanfilamentous
biomaterial (i.e. hair). With this same notion of
hiding her beauty, should the woman now
cover her face?
Women are told that their hairshould only be
revealed to their husbands. They are told to hide their beauty (i.e.
hair),yet they are freely able to beatify their faces with petrochemical
makeup and lipstick, highlighting their eyes, brows, and lips. Also, does
highlighting one's eyes with mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow help men
to "lower their gaze" (24:30) or raise their gaze to stare at those
beautifully noticeable eyes? Wouldn't this directly help two eyes to meet
and stare? We must be skeptical of the makeup imams and ask
ourselves,why the double standards? Speaking of double standards, if hair
is such a private part, should men not cover their hair as well? Picture that
for a second.
While trying to sound equal, imamswill also preach in the masjid that the
man's hijabis lowering his gaze, whereas the woman's hijabis covering her
hair. However, this doesn't agree with the Qur'an, since Allah orders both
man andwoman to lower their gazes. So why simply stress on the man?
And it also creates a notion (which I have seen) that hijabisdon't have to
lower their gaze, staring at menas they walk by. This is the kind of
hypocrisy we are dealing with when our imamspreach fake
outwardlyteachings, forget about guarding one's heart from evil thoughts.
HIJAB CAN ATTRACT MEN

Here is one story worth sharing, from my
non-hijabwearingaunt. She walked into a
restaurant with her two friends, one who wore a
hijaband one who let her hair out. Surprisingly,
they noticed that her friend who wore the
hijabgot all the attention from the males. In
trying to be realistic, don't you think ahijabcan
sometimes bring out a women's face, while
hiding big ear's, old age, or unwanted features.
Some men may even admit (I deem them not!)
that a certain woman looks better witha hijab.
But I don't think that was the case, unless all
these men in the restaurant had
ahijabobsession.
My aunt exclaimed how her friend actually
looked far more beautiful than her
non-hijabfriends, with her decked out
colorfulhijab, cuffs, sleeves, and makeup! Worn
with the right style, ahijabcan actually
increase a woman's attractiveness, and with

men'scuriosity, gain more stares than not-cares. Perhaps this is the reason
why some women dye their hair pink or blue, in order to stand out and get
more attention, yet this is not the
righteousMuslima'sintention.Nowadays, it appears as though hijabhas
become a fashion statement, and some non-Muslim women have even
chosen to wear it for that very reason.
CONCLUSION
Whoever works any act of righteousness and has faith,- His/her endeavour
will not be rejected: We shall record it in his/her favor.(21:94)
Not choosing to wear a hijabdoes not make a woman immodest nor
unrighteous, as Allah will reward us for all our acts of goodness as
mentioned in the verse above.I am not against wearinghijab, but nor am I
against not wearing one. I am not against the idea of a hijabjust as much
asI am not against a baseball cap, a tuque, or a wig. A woman should
have the right to choose if she would like to wear one or not.But Muslim
women should not be discriminated against or judged for not wearing one.
I know a precious girl who was righteous and modest, yet she did not wear
hijab. Some of the hijab-wearing girls were out doing immodest things, and
in the end, the modestnon-hijabi was looked down upon by them for not
wearing the hijab. How twisted and backwards have we become to think
like this?Let's leave the judging to Al-Hakam, The Judge.
What has become of our Muslim

society and values, as we
preachoutwardlythings
overinwardlythings? We think
we follow theshariahjust as
the Jews did, but do we?I truly
have sympathy for these poor
women who are commanded by
their imamsto cover their itchy
scalps all day, suffocating their
heads that long to breathe the
fresh air. How sad is it for the
nature-loving Muslima who
cannot feel the breeze flow through her hair, since that would involve being
seen in public. How unfortunate for the bird-watching Muslimawhose ears
are covered from hearing the distant chirps of the glorious meadowlarks. I
express my sympathy for the water-loving Muslimawho is unable to dip
her bare head in the cool soothing sunlit waters, while running her fingers
through her scalp as a way of healing.
When thinking about hijab, let us not forget the Judeo-Christian cultural
influence that was rampant in Arabia. There surely was women who did not
cover their hair during the Prophet's time, so why would there be no
Qur'anic injunction ordering women to explicitly cover their hair? After all,
they are advised to cover their bosom. We need to re-observe hijab in the
Light of the Qur'an, and itshould not be mandated as afardhteaching
ofIslam by our imams, equated to taking off one's clothes. It should not be
regarded as one of the tencommandments of Islam. Exposing one's hair
should not be considered a religioustaboo,and women who choose to wear
it (or not)should be respected. Let's start preaching what it truly means to
be modest and righteous.True chastity, as we learned from Mary in the
Qur'an, comes from guarding your chastity. And true modesty comes from:
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
covers over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment ... (Quran
24:31)
Below is a more scholarly answer that may be of interest, written by Moiz

Amjad:
It is true that"Khimar"is generally used for head covering. However, a
close examination of the related verse ofSurah Al-Noorshows that the
directive entailed in it is for women to cover their bosoms."Khimar"is
only referred in this verse as a possible 'tool' for covering their bosoms. A
woman who uses any other piece of cloth for this purpose would be said to
have carried out the directive of theShari`ah. This point is further
substantiated by the fact that in verse 60 ofSurah Al-Noor, where the
Qur'an has allowed older women to be less careful in covering their
bosoms, it has used the word"Thiyaab"- implying any piece of cloth
that may have been used for the stated purpose.|
It is clear that had the Qur'an required women to cover their heads, it
would then have given an express directive to the effect.
In view of the above, I am of the opinion that head-covering, even though
it has always remained a part of the noble Muslim social traditions, is not a
directive of theShari`ah. [Source]
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Moiz Amjad
Related Articles:
Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part II
Hijab & Niqab in the Qur'an
Posted by Al-Mumin at 14:31

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Muslim Brothah: Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part II
Muslim Brothah
SUNDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2012
FOLLOWERS
Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part II
ABOUT ME
Say [O Muhammad]: "Who forbids the nice things God has created for His
creatures, and the good provisions?" Say: "Such provisions are to be
enjoyed in this life by those who believe. Moreover, the good provisions will
be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection." We thus explain the
revelations for people who know.[Quran 7:32]
BLOG ARCHIVE
2012 (6)
November
(1)
Al-Mumin
View my complete
profile
Is Hijab
Mandatory
in Islam:
Part II
April (1)
INTRODUCTION
If you haven't read Part I, it can be read here. The above verse was
revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), with God ordering him to "say", in
response to something that he was facing at that time, as seen with the
context. It was most likely similar to things that Jews forbid when Jesus
came to them with clear signs. So why do many Muslims keep forbidding
hair, the filamentous biomaterial that grows from follicles found in the
dermis? Why do they treat the head like a private part, when really it is
no different (in attractiveness) than their face, or many would say it doesn't
even come close to being more attractive than the face! And even if
hairwas to be covered, why would this include ears?
OTHER SCHOLARLY INTERPRETATIONS
There are people who attest thatkhimardoes not mean head-cover, and
they are definitelynot alone in questioning this notion. Check out scholars
of Indonesia, Turkey, Libya, and Iraq; orsee works by Khaled Abou El Fadl,
Amina Wadud, Fatima Mernissi, Leila Ahmed, Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed
(President ofIslamic Research Foundation International, Inc).Majority of
salafi/wahhabi scholars and their translators insist that khimar means headcover,onlybecause they resort to ahadithwhich possibly imply that the
women (culture and norms of that time)did cover their heads (but as did
men also). Perhaps it is orthodox vs un-orthodox? However, this is a poor
way to translate the Qur'an. We should not fall into this trap, becausekh
mm r( )or khimar(in Quran, 24:31) is also mentioned in reference
to wine and intoxicants, describing them as "covering" the intellect.
Therefore,khimar orkh mm r()should be properly translated as
cover. If you have not read our previous blog post, please read it here.
http://muslim-brothah.blogspot.com/2012/11/hijab-is-not-islamic-part-ii.html[20.5.2015. 21:05:10]
March (1)
February (1)
January (2)
"If you think the difference between heaven and hell is 45 inches of material, boy will you be surprised..."
[Amina Wadud]
Sahih International (the Saudi Mullah version) translateskhimaras head

cover; Muhsin Khaneven goes to afurther biased extreme, suggesting it
meansface cover. These people have their own religious agenda and
interpretations. On the contrary, other scholars such as Yusuf Ali, Pickthall,
and Dr.Ghali have chosen to use the word "veil". Since a veil's purpose is
to cover,khimarshould simply be translated as "cover". Even if we were
to believe that it means head cover, which it does not, we can look at
some historical context.One respected scholar and translator, Muhammad
Asad (in reference to Quran, 24:31), states:
"The noun khimar (of which khumur is plural) denotes the headcoveringcustomarilyused by Arabian womenbefore and after the
advent of Islam. According to most of the classical commentators, it was
worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as anornamentand was let
downlooselyover the wearer's back; and since, in accordance with
thefashion prevalent at the time, the upper part of a woman's tunic
had a wide opening in the front, her breasts were left bare. Hence,
theinjunction to cover the bosomby means of a khimar (a term so
familiar to the contemporaries of the Prophet) does not necessarily relate
to the use of a khimar as such but is, rather, meant to make it clear that a
woman's breasts are not included in the concept of "what may decently be
apparent" of her body and [bosoms] should not, therefore, be displayed."
So why are we stressing on covering hair when Allah is stressing on

covering bosoms in 24:31.The bosom,jayb(
),is mentioned by name,
but not the hair or face. Furthermore, the word 'hijab' is used several
times throughout the Qur'an, but there is no use of the word 'hijab' in
terms of women's dress code or head scarf.One may only begin to wonder
what other teachings have been made a part of our deenwhich have no
basis in Islam or that which was revealed unto Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh).
CULTURAL CONFUSION
How many other cultural practices and
norms that were not originally a part of
Islam have now been made Islamic today?
The face veil is just one example.This is
noted by historians and scholars alike:
"The veil was first introduced by the

Assyrian kings in the near east. The practice
of hiding ones face was also prevalent in
classical Greece, in Persia, and in
thebyzantine Christian world. Later on,
Islam embraced these regional practices of
covering ones face and in the second Islamic
century the veil became common. It was
considered as a status symbol as it signified
power and was first used among rich
women. Around the 10th century the veil
Culture vs Religion
appeared as a common rule and in the
Middle Ages various laws were enacted regarding the wearing of the veil.
Some urged strictness in veiling and forced women to remain inside the
four walls of their homes. It became known as the attire of the oppression
among women."
ALLAH BRINGS YOU EASE
Let us not forget how hard it is for women to have their heads suffocated
all day, and with the head being a major source of heat loss, that's a lot of
trapped heat! Along with not being able to air out her tightly squeezed
head, her hair follicles (if she has bangs) are being pulled back with great
pressure. This kind of practice promotes headaches and itchy scalp
syndrome. But Allah reminds us:
He desires not hardship for you . . .you should magnify Allah for having
guided you, and that peradventure you may be thankful.[Quran, 2:185]
And strive for Allah with theendeavorwhich is His right. He has chosen
you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of
your father Abraham. He has named you Muslims of old time and in this
(Scripture) ... [Quran 22:78]
And again Allah reminds us that those who forbid what God has made
lawful invent a lie against Allah. This appears to be very common in our
communities, and should also include the forbidding of a women's head:
"And do not speak lies for what your tongues describe: "This is HALAL and
that is HARAM, to forge a lie against Allah." [Quran 16:116]
Is this not interesting? How many imams and conservatives do you hear
yelling haramand halal? By telling people lawful things are haram, they
are stating that God says so, and since it is not true, this is
(unintentionally) forging a lie against Allah. Yusuf Alisimilarlytranslates
the last part as "ascribe false things to Allah", because one is making
people believe God said something when He (in fact) did not. This is a
perfect example for those who forbid the headof women, making their
exposed hair strands seem haram.It is as though Allah knew future
Muslims would fall into this very thinking that the "righteous" Jews of Jesus'
time did, when really it is they who were inventing what was haramand
what was halal (and not God). Furthermore, in response to our hijab
debates today, our Lord instructs us about dress code:
O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed garment upon you to cover your
shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the garment of
righteousness - that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah,
that they may receive admonition(7:26)
Another instance where Allah could have chose to mention the garment
covering of the head as a religious requirement, but He did not.
WHAT ABOUT THE HIJAB HADITH?
There is not onestatement in the hadith literature where the Prophet

(pbuh) is reported to have directly instructed women to cover their heads.
The closest we can find that I am aware ofis in Abu Dawud. Keep in mind
that thishadith I am about to show you iscompiled by Abu Dawud, in
order to please his teacher Imam Ahmad. It was not written down by the
Prophet or his disciples (i.e. hissahaba). The hadith was not even written
down by Aisha. This hadith has only beenascribed to Aisha, passed down
through the many narrators from generation to generation. So, even to say
that Aisha surely said this, can bedoubtful:
Aisha said, "Asma (Aishia's sister), daughter of Abu Bakr, entered upon the
Apostle of God (pbuh) wearingthin clothes. The Apostle of God turned his
attention from her and said, "O Asma, when a woman reaches the age of
menstruation, it does not suit her except that she displays parts of her
body except this and this," and he pointed to herface and hands. (Sunan
Abu Dawud)
Keep in mind that Asma was wearing thin or

little clothes, depending on who translated
this. If the Prophet was telling her to cover
up and not display parts of her body, it
would make more sense that she was
wearing little coverage. Also keep in mind
that theobserver(Aishia)said he is
pointing towards her facial area, which can
also include the head. If I pointed towards
your face, it can imply that part of the
body, meaning the head also, could it not?
If I pointed to the bosom, would that imply
center chest only, or back area and breasts
also? Should we really be soliteral when
interpreting one's speech? In the end, it's
all merely interpretation.This hadith is
found only in the hadith collection of Abu
What do you know about Bukhari?
Dawud (no. 4095). According to Abu
Dawud, it is considered weak (da'if) because the narrator who transmitted
it from Aisha is not known (mursal).This hadith, which may most likely be
untrue, has been the sole reason why Muslim female have to wear the
hijab (headscarves). Many Muslim scholars of Morocco have decreed that
hijab is NOT mandated by Islam.
HOW ACCURATE ARE HADITHS?
Now a little background information about the compiler of the abovehadith
would be useful for the devout Muslim. That hadith which you read was
compiled by Abu Dawud, more than 200 yearsafterthe Prophet's
departure. Here is a short biography of him:
"Imam Abu Dawud heard hadith from 300 persons who were histeachers.
Some were: ImamAhmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawaiy, Abu Thaur,
Yahya ibn Ma'in. For one to grasp his elevated status, he narrated hadith to
the teachers ofImam Ahmad.He completed its compilation at Bagdad in
241 A.H. He presented the completed compilationto his beloved teacher
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal,who was greatly pleased at this collection."
It's interesting how many times you hear the mention of Imam Ahmad. It
sounds very similar to how the Gospels were written. Here is one example
from the writer of Luke, presenting hishadithwork to his beloved leader:
"...it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some
time past, to write an orderly account for you,most excellent The-oph'ilus".
An example of how people can use ahadith to mislead the masses:
Abu Yala narrated in his Musnad from Ibn Abbaas that the Prophet said:
The bonds of Islam and the bases of religion are three, on which Islam
was founded. Whoever gives up one of them becomes a kaafir thereby
and it is permissible to shed his blood: the testimony that there is no
god but Allah, the prescribed prayers and fasting Ramadan.
This hadeeth was classed as Sahih (true) by al-Dhahabi, and as hasan

(sound)by al-Haythami in Majma al-Zawaaid, 1/48, and by al-Mundhiri in
al-Targheeb wal-Tarheeb, no. 805, 1486. However, it was classed as
daeef (weak)by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Daeefah, no. 94. Shaikh
Muhammad Nasir-ud-deen Al-Albaani, the famous Muhaddith and Faqeeh
of our century, found over 5,000 "Weak, Spurious and Fabricated
Hadeeths" that "Islam absolves" today. You can read more about this here.
It is also fascinating that Allah has chosen to use the word
hadiththroughout the Quran, and informs us:
And there are among men those who purchase ridiculous hadiths, without
knowledge, misleading (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on
the Path) (Quran, 31:6)
And one may wonder how many false hadiths have indeed mislead mankind
from the path of Allah, and these are merely only a handful in the ocean of
fabrications.
Let us not forget that the Jews also made their own laws (hadiths) and
went astray from the teachings of Moses. This happened when they created
their book of hadiths, the Talmud. Jesus told them, "You have a fine way of
setting aside the commands of God in order to observeyour own
traditions!Thus you nullify the word of Godby your traditionthat you have
handed down. And you do many things like that. (Mark 7:9-13)
CONCLUSION
As a final proof of assurance, one may go to the Quran.com search engine
and search for the word "head".There are numerous results returned
which use or reference the word "head", yet none of these verses tell
women to cover their heads.The triliteral rootr hamza sn( )" occurs
18 times in the Quran as the nounras(
"
), the word used for head.Out
of these verses, Allah speaks about how we bow our heads (2:43), wash
our heads (in ablution or wudu, 5:6), shave our heads (2:196), hold our
heads (7:163), carry bread on one's head (12:36), birds eating off one's
head (12:41), raising one's head (14:43), nodding our heads (17:51),
and even the grey hair on our headswhen we become old (19:4 and
30:54). But none of these verses mention the covering of a woman's head.
If a head cover was so mandatory for a woman, why would Allah not have
mentioned covering her head? If our Lord could mention eating birds off
one's head, why not simply for a woman to cover her head? It is simple
logic--simply because Allah does not require a headscarf for women. It is a
shame there are those who try to place words in God's mouth. If covering
a woman's head was mandatory, our Lord would have said so, just as He
instructs her to wash her head before prayer (5:6). Hair is not forbidden in
the Qur'an, and women need not be bashed for refusing tocensortheir
hair. A woman can still have faith and practice Islam without a head scarf.
Furthermore, Allah does speak about hair in the Qur'an, and there is no
mention of banning women's hair.
"Having faith without a headscarf"
Related Articles:
Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part I
Hijab & Niqab in the Qur'an
Posted by Al-Mumin at 14:06
Labels: 24:31, abayah, adultery, beauty, bosom, hadith, hair, halal, haram, hijab, hijab in
islam, Islam, islamic dress, khimar, modesty, muhammad, Quran, sunnah, women
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Muslim Brothah: Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part I