A I S E H M A N . O R G

Not only majority, in fact there is a verse in Quran for women to lower their headscarf/veil/tudung to at least covering the chest. that is from Quran, the first source of Islamic hukum, and it cant be disputed.

Hullo, sorry if I misunderstood. What are you saying here? Are you saying that there is no consensus on whether wearing a tudung is wajib?

g-man:

No, I am not saying that there is no consensus on whether wearing a tudung is wajib.

The difference of opinion is on what can be shown, with the majority opinion being that the face and hands need not be covered.

Other opinions include those that assert that the whole body, including the face and hands, must be covered.

You seemed liberal ideologically. Unfortunately, the differential thoughts of ideology had caused much divergence amongst muslim and most of it are from Islamic scholars.

Fundamentally, it is about faith in Allah and how the children of God would behave decently to glorify His creation. At such, it is not the dress, but the thoughts and actions that determines. A rapist do at times cover-up themselves wholly for being afraid to be known and seen. In general, if covering up oneself would make a better society and reduce crimes or sins, then it is noble. If not covering up would not cause problem or invite harm, it is self explanatory.

Sorry Maverick,

But "it's the thought that counts" just doesn't cut it in Islam. According to the religion there are commandments that Muslims must follow. Some are mandatory (wajib), some are encouraged, but optional (sunat), some are forbidden (haram).

Praying five times a day is wajib, whether you like it or not. So is covering oneself for women. All the major schools of thought in Islam (Hanafi, Hambali, Maliki, Shafie) are in agreement that things like praying and covering oneself for women are wajib.

Of course, in an ideal situation it would be better if you had innate spirituality in performing your actions of the religion, but good intent is not enough. You have to walk the talk.

assuming muslim reporters know better?

There appears to be theocratic imposition of submission to a majority view or opinion. Somehow a majority opinion seems like it would turn to being sacred and almost devine and compulsion to subscribe to that majority opinion becomes imperative with the threat of penalties should one not submit.

Somehow that seems the very opposite to the maker's intention for man when He created man in His image, don't you think?

It is not merely a 'majority' issue, Observer. From the Islamic perspective, man has been given 'aql' (innate ability to think) and is henceforth given the opportunity to choose. In choosing based on the exercise of his 'aql' would bring him closer to the Truth, although Truth may need to be seeked. That is why 'people in the pursuit of knowledge' have a special place in Islam.

Ijtihad, or individual/informed reasoning, is much preferred to taqlid (blind adherence to traditions). If you start from the basis of the Quran and Hadeeth as core to Islam, then you minimise meanderings into falsehood and conjectures (as many are prone to do when 'reasoning' is purely based on logic, which IS manmade).

If you want to question any opinion, it should be by looking at its source, rather than opposing a 'majority' stance for its own sake.

I also had a non-tudunged wife for years, who Alhamdulillah, put it on when she was ready to wear it sincerely. For years, especially at boarding school, both gentle and more direct 'coercion' pushed her further away from hijaab, even though she has no qualms that it is wajib or compulsory. Faith, when embraced freely, is beauty unto itself.

Islam means 'submission to Allah'. Mean it. Otherwise... time will tell, innit?

'Hijaab' is the distinctive Islamic dress which features have been clearly defined by the Quran (surah an-Noor 24:31) and Sunnah.

Knowing the above is one thing, understanding the rationale & hikmah behind it is another thing. Now, embracing and abiding by the clearly defined words of the Holy Quran is obviously another issue, with even the most educated & knowledgable muslims men & women who may have benefited from extensive Islamic education still oscillating from one extreme practice to another - as they deem fit to justify their lifestyle & preference, to survive the stereotypical if not ignorant demands of modern societies' definition of contemporary dressing for women.

Nevertheless, 'nawaitu' (good intent) of wearing hijaab is still accounted for - incomplete though, until executed, by the women themselves, and by the husbands/fathers/brothers - in guiding the women under their custody to practice what they say they believe, as faith is not a matter of claims or wishful thinking, rather it is both belief and the practical application of that belief in daily life.

Many Islamic concepts are not always easy to express in English, especially where words carry much cultural baggage that do not always exist or translate well for others. Spin as the 'doctors' may desire - in the media, in blogs, in lectures & sermons, but let not these spins be a reason for the so-called educated & knowledgable muslims men & women to be misguided.

May believers continue to be guided by the Quran & Sunnah to what is right, and protect us from errors in thinking, bad intentions, slips of the pen (finger rather...), weakness of arguments and excessive verbiage.

Wassalam

Hijab, tudung or dress code has nothing to do with religion. Its just a 'way of life' which has been dictated by Muslim society.

If women have to cover-up to help stop crimes against women or to stop tempting men into sinful fantasies, isn't men then the real problem.

And isn't the real problem then education? The ability to know what is right and what is wrong. If a man has a hard-on looking at a naked woman standing in front of him, that is his choice. As it is his choice to fornicate should the woman invite him by spreading her legs. Tough choices? Ask a gynecologist.

Wajib, sunat and other moral standards we Muslim try to impose on others. Stop it! We are just bringing embarrassment and shame to Islam. Now isn’t that the bigger sin?