As salaam 'alaykum wurahamatulaah wa barakatu
Forgive me this is only my second post on this forum, but as the topic is quite interesting to me I thought I could add to the discussion.
When we are asked to cover from head to toe from Allaah its for a good reason , lets start with modesty , maybe someone will say we dont need to be covered to be modest , we all know when we are covered we are away from prying eyes, and sisters that were not muslims before will recall speaking to boys at school or at uni that most were not always looking at our face when chatting to us. When your covered your respected for what you have to say.
Men are allowed to wear shorts although they should be very baggy and long down to the bottom of the knee , where as for us the whole of our bodies are awra to a man, because some men like feet some like knees , yes and some love womens hands , I am sure none of us sisters would like to be the reason a man was becoming aroused because he found a certain part of us attractive ( even though he should be lowering his gaze as commanded)
I live in a very hot climate, outside right now its about 105 F , if you buy the thicker abaya thats not transparent then you can wear a cotton dress underneath , wullaahi when I am out I dont feel the heat too much because I am layering my clothes , if your in the west dont wear these tight jilbabs that are restricting the movement of air around the arms and shoulders.
Its a lot hotter in a place where we could be put if we dont cover.
We are muslims striving against our desires night and day to have a life of ease in the hereafter , any tiny suffering even a pin prick you gain a reward , we see women swinging it down the high streets ,but she has given into her lusts and desires and she has no taqwa and we know where her abode is.
My dear sisters in Islaam when you read articles or hear lectures and they seem to be all on the topic of the hijaab its for a good reason , women are throwing off their hijaab daily , some women believe its an opression to be covered , the authors and daees receive mail and telephone calls from parents and husbands asking for help for their women folk who wont cover. The non muslims attack the hijaab constantly because it signifies our devotion to Allaah and his commands.
There are many speakers who talk about womens issues , like Muhammad Shareef and Jamal Zarabozo and Dr Bilal Phillips , and like was mentioned above the women asked our beloved phrophet (s.a.w) about the most intimate details and my sisters in Islaam the scholars when they study they go into the matters of women issues deeply , you dont have to bear a child to know that childbirth hurts or to know that the bond between a mother and her baby is something that a father wont feel , but a scholar knows that its that bond that gets the mother out of her bed 4 times during the night to feed and change her baby or to sit with a sick child all night.
Our scholars work hard for us they are in touch with scholars and ex students who have went back to their own countries , issues are explained to them regarding the east and west.
Finally I dont doubt that we do need women scholars and teachers we also need the male scholars and teachers who will do classes that adress the concerns of women privately.
May Allaah subhaanah wa taalaah guide us all on the path of moderation in all we do and say the sirat al mustaqeem
Umm Ahmed
