Wholesale

What is the significance of the Muslim women’s headscarves?

I was just wondering what the importance for the religion is of the headscarf for women. It seems degrading to women that in this modern world they should have to cover their heads from other men. Is it a trust thing? Shouldn’t they be equals? And lastly, in some countries the Muslim women can’t drive and do other things like that but then they come to my country (Australia) they can drive and all of that but have to wear the headscarf still. It seems contradictory to me. I have no idea about the religion, I’m not attacking Muslim people, just wondering?

Equal? No, men and women are not equal in Islam, women are considered intelectually inferior to men and lacking in reason, and men are supposed to be in charge of women.

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/1105/men%20women%20equal

Those who say that Islam is the religion of equality are lying against Islam. Rather Islam is the religion of justice which means treating equally those who are equal and differentiating between those who are different.

Not one single letter in the Qur’aan enjoins equality, rather it enjoins justice. You will also find that the word justice is acceptable to people, for I feel that if I am better than this man in terms of knowledge, or wealth, or piety, or in doing good, I would not like for him to be equal to me.

Every man knows that he find it unacceptable if we say that the male is equal to the female.”
Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitah, 1/180-181

Based on this, Islam does not regard men and women as equal in matters where regarding them as equal would result in injustice to one of them, because equality that is inappropriate is a severe form of injustice.

The Qur’aan commands women to wear clothes that are different from those worn by men, because of the differences in the ways each sex is tempted by the other. The temptation posed by men is less than the temptation posed by women, so the clothes that women should wear are different than the clothes that men wear. It makes no sense to tell women to expose the parts of the body that men are allowed to expose, because of the differences in the temptation posed by a woman’s body and a man’s body – as we shall explain.

Secondly: There are matters in which men and women are treated differently in Islamic sharee’ah, such as:

1 – Qiwaamah (being in charge of the household) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means” [al-Nisa’ 4:34]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Allaah says ‘Men are the protectors and maintainers of women’ meaning that the man is in charge of the woman, i.e., he is the leader and head of the household, the one who disciplines her if she goes astray.

‘because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other’ i.e., because men are superior to women and are better than women. Hence Prophethood was given only to men, as was the position of khaleefah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘No people shall ever prosper who appoint a woman as their ruler.’ This was narrated by al-Bukhaari from the hadeeth of ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakrah from his father. The same applies to the position of qaadi (judge), etc.

‘and because they spend (to support them) from their means’ refers to the mahr and the spending on women’s maintenance that Allaah has enjoined upon men in His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So a man is inherently better than a woman, and he is superior to her because he spends on her. So it is appropriate that he should be in charge of her, as Allaah says, ‘but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them’ [al-Baqarah 2:228].

‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn ‘Abbaas: ‘Men are the protectors and maintainers of women’ means that men are the leaders of women and they should obey them in areas where Allaah has enjoined obedience. Obedience may mean treating his family kindly and protecting his wealth.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/490)

2 – Testimony or bearing witness. The Qur’aan states that the testimony of one man is equivalent to the testimony of two women. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And get two witnesses out of your own men. And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women, such as you agree for witnesses, so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her” [al-Baqarah 2:282]

Ibn Katheer said: Two women are to take the place of one man because women are lacking in reason, as Muslim narrated in his Saheeh… from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O women, give in charity and seek forgiveness a great deal, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.” A wise woman among them said, “Why is it, O Messenger of Allaah, that we are the majority of the people of Hell?” He said, “Because you curse too much, and you are ungrateful to your spouses. I have seen none lacking in common sense and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise, besides you.” The woman asked: “O Messenger of Allaah, what is wrong with our common sense and our religion?” He said: “Your lack of common sense (can be well judged from the fact) that the evidence of two women is equal to that of one man, that is a proof of the lack of common sense.

There may be some women who are wiser than some men, but this is not the usual rule and such women are not in the majority. Sharee’ah is based on what is general and most common. The fact that women are lacking in reason does not mean that they are crazy, rather their reason is often overtaken by their emotions, and this happens to women more often than it happens to men. No one would deny this except one who is arrogant.

3 – A woman inherits half of what a man inherits.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah commands you as regards your children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females” [al-Nisa’ 4:11]

There are other differences between the sexes, including the following: A man can marry four women, but a woman can only have one husband; A man has the right to issue a divorce and it is valid if he does so, but a woman does not have the right to issue a divorce; A man may marry a woman from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), but a Muslim woman may not marry anyone but a Muslim; A man may travel without his wife or any of his mahrams, but a woman may not travel unless she is accompanied by a mahram.

And men are different in intellectual terms, for men are known for their strength of understanding and their memory as compared to women. Women are weaker than men in memory and forget more than men do. This is well known, for most of the reputable scholars in the world are men. There are some women who are more intelligent and have better memories than some men, but this does not cancel out the general rule. Most cases are as we have described above

Why Muslim Women cover

1898 TITLE: Costumes and characters, etc. Veiled Mohammedan [i.e., Muslim] women. #630 $9.99 1898 TITLE: Costumes and characters, etc. Veiled Mohammedan [i.e., Muslim] women. #630…

Arab Woman Buys an Islamic Head Dress in Preparation for the Muslim Holy Fasting Month of Ramadan Photographic Poster Print, 40×30 $49.99 Arab Woman Buys an Islamic Head Dress in Preparation for the Muslim Holy Fasting Month of Ramadan is digitally printed on archival photographic paper resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail that is suitable for any museum or gallery display. Finding that perfect piece to match your interest and style is easy and within your budget!…

Arab Woman Buys an Islamic Head Dress in Preparation for the Muslim Holy Fasting Month of Ramadan Photographic Poster Print, 48×36 $69.99 Arab Woman Buys an Islamic Head Dress in Preparation for the Muslim Holy Fasting Month of Ramadan is digitally printed on archival photographic paper resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail that is suitable for any museum or gallery display. Finding that perfect piece to match your interest and style is easy and within your budget!…

Living Islam: What It Means to Be a Muslim in Today’s World [Paradise Lies At the Feet of the Mother, Vol. 4) $55.00 The role of the family is a key element in Islamic life. The film explores the position of women under a shari'a law in Egypt and Iran and asks how much is laid down by the faith and how much is added by the confines of local or tribal custom. In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, women are seen in jeans and short skirts working alongside those jilbab. Is this Islam or a heresy....

Nazrah: A Muslim Woman’s Perspective [VHS] $29.99 …

Not Without My Daughter $6.57 The Arab anti-defamation leagues understandably had a field day with this one. Sally Field plays Betty Mahmoody, an American who marries an Iranian (Alfred Molina) and has a child. They go back to Iran for a visit and, to her horror, he tells her he’s decided to stay there. If she wants to leave, she must leave her daughter behind. If she stays, Betty must live in a culture vastly different and, s…

Caramel $4.20 Taking its title from the sweet substance that doubles as a depilatory, this honey-hued diversion makes few claims towards originality. Other female-oriented films have centered around salons, but the Lebanese locale of Nadine Labaki’s debut distinguishes Caramel from the likes of Venus Beauty Institute (with Audrey Tautou) and Beauty Shop (with Queen Latifah). In Labaki’s generous take on the sub…

Arranged $10.43 ARRANGED – DVD Movie…