Author: Abdul Hameed Nowrozi
Islamic Hijab and Women in Pre-Islamic and Islamic Societies (Part One)
Abstract:
Islamic Sharia has expressed dignity and justice toward women in the best possible way and saved them from the oppression of ignorance. Islam has protected their various human and sexual aspects, including being a daughter, a wife, a mother, and a member of society, in a fair manner. We do not deny that in some Islamic societies, certain Muslims oppress women in the name of religion and deprive them of their fundamental rights, such as learning religious matters, choosing to wear the Islamic hijab, and enjoying other benefits of Islam. They have not allowed women to choose a life partner of their choice. However, these issues stem from a lack of correct religious consciousness and do not represent a general trend. On the other hand, there have always been Muslims who found such disorderly situations unacceptable and sought to correct them; as a result, they have advocated for women’s rights, women’s education, and the value and status of women, as well as the importance of women’s veils and hijab. In this regard, they have written extensive and valuable literature that has opened the eyes and ears of many.
In this article, an attempt has been made to provide brief information about women in Pre-Islamic (Jahiliya) and Islam, hijab and Islamic clothing, and the recommendations of the Qur’an and hadith regarding the observance of hijab and other related matters.
Keywords: Hijab, woman, Islam, ignorance.
Introduction
Humans have been created for the sake of worship, development, and the settlement of the world, and the duty of caliphate on earth has been bestowed upon them so that social justice can be established. Certainly, the establishment of justice depends on the society in which men and women together play a significant role in its development. However, experience has shown that their mixing, instead of fostering justice and equality, often leads to disobedience, sedition, and corruption.
Many centuries before and after the advent of Islam, in non-Muslim nations, there was immense oppression and abuse towards women. Islam is the only heavenly religion that has elevated both men and women to their own distinct statuses and specific roles, while assigning particular responsibilities to each of them.
Today, when human rights are neglected, and under the pretext that women were deprived of their rights in the past, lawless practices in the name of freedom prevail, dragging women from the high position of chastity into the marketplace of immorality. This deprives them of their dignity and Islamic covering; it displays them in ways that reveal their nakedness to the public. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reaffirm the high position of women and to introduce the hijab of Islam so that they recognize their true value and are not preyed upon by unscrupulous individuals under the guise of friendship.
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