We know from Imam Ali PBUH:
“He who recognizes his self recognizes
God.”
And to not do this is to perish, because
the self must be considered as worthless
before Allah s.w.t, but not through abuse
and oppression, rather through allowing
the self to slowly undergo the journey of
recognition, in which case this
understanding that we are, in fact,
nothing, must bloom like a flower gently
tended, not pitilessly crushed.
The other extreme of hijab is where the
woman abuses the hijab itself, simply by
not observing the correct rules. Breaking
these rules to suit our whims is unfair
and inappropriate. Of course, there are
different forms of hijab but this does not
mean that hijab is super-flexible.
Different styles, while keeping the rules
in order, are great. Different styles and
no rules just lead to a mutated mess.
So what is the best way of ensuring the
beautiful concept of hijab is kept intact?It
is surely to understand the essence of
the concept.
In order to do this, one must understand
the advantages of observing hijab and of
not observing hijab.
What are the advantages of observing
hijab?
True hijab preserves and perfects the
identity of a woman. It grants her respect
in society. It depicts her as somebody
who demands respect in a world filled
with intolerance. Her identity allows her
to have a sense of freedom, which is
freedom of thought, expression, and
belief. This sense of freedom enables the
woman’s family to grow a sense of
confidence and love for each other,
because the mother of the family is
somebody who is sure of herself. Hijab
also strengthens the relationship of
mutual affection between the woman
and her husband.
What happens in a society where the
woman does not observe hijab?
Of course, it is first necessary to
understand that the way she is looked at
will differ from the way the hijabobserving woman will be looked at. For
one thing, the hijab-lacking woman will
be displaying her physical appearance in
a manner that goes against the criteria
set down by Allah. This means her
appearance will have negative
consequences on both herself and her
society. She will not be demanding
respect. The way she looks at herself
may become dependent on the way
others look at her. Looking good for
others will be her priority, whereas the
hijab-observing woman will want to look
good qurbatanillAllah. Big difference.
Also, the woman who does not observe
hijab will be i