1. THE ISLAMIC MODEST DRESS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
HIJAB
THE ISLAMIC MODEST DRESS
FOR MEN AND WOMEN

2. "Say to the believing men to cast down their glance and guard their private parts..." (Quran 24:30).
"Say to the believing women to cast down their glance and guard their private parts…" (Quran24:31).

3. THE MODEST DRESS IS NOT TO EXPLOIT WOMEN!
In the Islamic System, man has no right to exploit women, but on the other hand, this same system has established the Modest Dress.
So, it is very clear then that Islam did not establish the Modest Dress to Exploit Women!

4. THE FREE AND INDEPENDENT WOMAN
(Even when in Hijab/ Modest Dress)
A Woman is:
Economically Independent
Free in whatever work she does.
Whatever she earns belongs
to her alone, no matter what
legitimate work she performs.

5. HIJAB – THE ISLAMIC MODEST DRESS
It is for the well-being of a person's
Self
Family
Society.

6. LITERAL MEANING OF HIJAB
Not every covering is HIJAB!
That “Covering” which is referred to as a Hijab is “that which appears behind a curtain”.
The Holy Quran describes the setting of the sun in the story of the Prophet Solomon, "...until the sun was covered (bil hijab) and time for the afternoon ritual prayer was over." (38:32)

7. The use of the word satr, in the sense of 'covering' was used instead of hijab, especially by the religious jurisprudents.
IF the word “HIJAB” is to be used in the sense of ‘Covering', it gives the idea of a woman being placed behind a curtain.
This very thing has caused a great number of people to think that Islam has wanted women to always remain behind a curtain, to be imprisoned in the house and not to leave it.
SO, “HIJAB” is actually not the correct word for the Islamic Modest Dress. However, it is popularly used.

8. PHILOSOPHY BEHIND HIJAB
The philosophy behind the hijab for woman in Islam is that she should cover her body in her associations with men 'whom she is not related to according to the Divine Law' (na-mahram)  and that she does not flaunt and display herself in front of those men.

9. THE REAL VISAGE
Hijab is NOT concerned with the question: “Is it good for a woman to appear in society covered or uncovered?”
Hijab IS concerned with the question: “Whether ‘a woman and a man's need of her’ should be a limitless, free association or not?”
Should a man have the right to satisfy his needs with every woman and in every place, short of committing adultery?

10. WHO BENEFITS???
In keeping the Modest Dress away, the one who benefits here is the man and not the woman; or at least a man benefits more than a woman does.
As Will Durant has said,
"The mini-skirt is a blessing for everyone in the world except cloth merchants."

11. PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON
SHE IS THE HUNTER IN THE DOMINATION OF THE HEARTS OF MEN AND MAN IS THE PREY, WHEREAS MAN IS THE HUNTER IN THE DOMINATION OF THE BODY OF WOMEN AND SHE IS THE PREY.

12. PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON
The reason why the Islamic command to cover for men and women is because the desire to show off and display one's self is a particular trait of both of them.

13. PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON
A desire to display one’s self comes from this essence of the hunter.
The general female instinct is to capture hearts of men. The general male instinct is to capture the bodies of women.
It is because of this human instinct that both men and women are required to cover to their respective appropriate degrees.

14. At any rate, Islam has placed special emphasis upon the amazing power of this fiery instinct. There are traditions which speak of the danger of a 'look', the danger of a man and woman being alone together and, finally, the danger of the instinct which unites a man and a woman.
Islam has established ways of balancing and taming the instinct. Duties have been given to both men and women in this area. One duty which is the responsibility of both men and women relates to looking at each other, seen in Quran verse 24:31&32.

15. Solidifying the Root of the Family
Anything which causes the relationship between a husband and wife to grow cold is harmful to a family and must be struggled against.
The philosophy of the modest dress and the control of sexual desires other than with a legal wife, from the point of view of the family unit, is for the strengthening of the roots of the family, i.e. the love and trust between the husband and wife.

16. Solidifying the Root of the Family
The Islamic Modest Dress, and the limitation of
obtaining sexual pleasures only to one’s legal spouse is so that one legal partner will be the cause for the
wellbeing of the other.
Whereas in the system of free sexual relationships,
One's legal partner is psychologically considered as a COMPETITOR, someone who gets in the way of that person's “fun”, like a prison guard.
As a result, the basis for the family becomes enmity and hatred.

17. The Perseverance of Society
Taking sexual desires away, from the bounds of the family environment to society, has weakened society's capacity for work and activity.
THE GENERAL OPINION: “The modest dress results in paralyzing half of the energy potential of the individuals of society”!
BUT IN REALITY: The lack of the modest dress and the gradual development of free relationships has caused the social force to fail.

18. If a boy and a girl study in a separate environment or in one environment where the girl covers her body and wears no makeup, do they not study better? Do they not think better and listen to the words of the teacher better? Or is it better when a boy sits beside a girl who has on make-up and is wearing a short skirt which barely reaches her knees? Will men work better in an environment where the streets, offices, factories, etc., are continuously filled with women who are all wearing heavy make-up and are not covered or in an environment where these scenes do not exist? Any company or office that is serious about its work and endeavors to produce good products or services, prevents these kinds of inter-mixings. If you do not believe this, experience it yourself.

19. DIGNITY CALLS FOR MODEST DRESS
Does not the dignity of a
woman, the dignity of a
man, or the dignity of society
cause a woman to leave her
home being
Serious in her work
Diligent
Simply dressed
And in a manner not drawing the attention of everyone she passes by?

20. HIJAB FOR MEN
It is common for people to associate the Islamic Hijab with females, but Islam has ordained Hijab for both men and women. In fact, Allah has warned the men first about their Hijab.

21. HIJAB FOR MEN Islamic teachings on Hijab for males can
be divided into three categories:
1)The Physical Hijab
2)The Social Hijab
3)The Hijab of the Eye
When discussing the issue of Hijab for men,
it is essential to keep in mind the Golden Rule:
“Do unto others as you would have them do
unto your sisters/ mother/ wife/ etc.”

22. HIJAB FOR MEN The Physical Hijab
Although the amount of body that is to be covered is not the same for men as it is for women, the physical hijab of men cannot be neglected. It is clear through rulings that wearing lavish and tight fitting clothes which explicitly reveal the body parts are forbidden as much for men as they are for women.
Besides the clothes, pride and boastfulness are among the greatest sins in Islam, and attempting to impress others (both males and females) using one’s physique falls into this category. Therefore, any form of clothing which arouses pride in oneself must not be worn.

23. HIJAB FOR MEN The Social Hijab
Openly socializing of men and women without school/work-related or otherwise unavoidable reasons is prohibited in Islam and even then, complete modesty should be observed.
Men who flirt with women overtly or covertly are going against the Islamic commandments for them.
The social hijab for men demands completely modest and respectful interaction between men and women. Covert things like cracking crass jokes, vain improper talk and shooting double meaning comments, etc in the presence of women too are included in the social hijab.

24. HIJAB FOR MEN The Hijab of the Eye
Lowering of the eyes/gaze in presence of women is an important part of the Hijab for men.
Prophet Jesus (a.s) once said to his disciples: "Beware of looking at forbidden things, for that is the seed of desire and leads to deviant behavior."
Rulings state that it is even prohibited to intentionally look at pictures of women on magazines, billboards or T.V if it is sexually exciting and is associated with fear of falling victim to that which is prohibited or leads to vile consequences.
If men find this burdensome, they must remember how would they feel if someone entertained lewd thoughts or glanced inappropriately at their own mothers, sisters, wives, or daughters?
….Exactly!

25. Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) The Perfect Example
On a final note, when Zulaikha, the wife of the Aziz of Egpyt, tried to seduce Prophet Yusuf (a.s), she covered the face of the idol placed nearby. When Prophet Yusuf inquired, she said she did not wish for it to witness her commit a sin. Prophet Yusuf's reply to Zulaikha encompasses the true essence of the Hijab for men. He said: "If you exhibit shyness and modesty before a stone that does not see, it is more befitting for me to exhibit shame and modesty before the One Who sees and Who is aware of everything that is manifest about me and everything that is concealed within me." (Anecdotes for Reflection, vol. 2)

26. The Islamic Modest Dress
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The Islamic Modest Dress
By Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari