02:11
Dawma
Why Do Some Muslim Women Wear the Face Veil?
In the previous section, The Face Veil in Islamic Law, I looked at the debate among Muslims over the status of the niqab (face veil) in Islamic law. In this section, I would like, God willing, to take a more personal approach. Why do some Muslim women wear niqab?
First, there are a number of Muslim women who believe that niqab is obligatory for them. They would give the same kind of explanation for their dress that I did in "Why Do You Dress Like That?"; they would just provide a different explanation of the extent of veiling that is necessary. The possible bases for this position are discussed above.
But there are also many Muslim women who believe that niqab is not required and yet they wear it. Why do they find it good to veil themselves so completely, when this isn't a religious obligation?
The essay Why Wear Niqab? is an address to Muslim women in favor of niqab. A summary is provided here. Hopefully if you have made it this far through the essay, you have already read On Veiling.... If not, this would be a good time to go and do so. In that essay, I discuss several aspects of hijab (the ordinary modest dress of the Muslim woman). Several of these are pertinent here.
In On Veiling..., I discussed the importance of privacy in the Islamic social code. Everything that is not necessary to be known in public should be concealed and kept private. There is an entire code of conduct that a Muslim follows in order to uphold the importance of private space and private things. Hijab is a part of this. A Muslim might desire to be especially careful in protecting privacy. This might involve using extra vigilance in guarding one's tongue and averting one's gaze, above and beyond what is required. It might also involve extra-modest dress. When a Muslim woman is already covering everything but her face and her hands and she wants to dress more modestly, the only things left for her to cover are her face and hands. Seen in this light, niqab is not "extreme", but rather is a natural extension of the principle of privacy.
In On Veiling..., I also discussed some of the spiritual aspects of hijab. In particular, I talked about how it can increase awareness of God, and how it is a struggle that can purify the inner self. Both of these are also true of niqab, and to a greater degree than they are true of hijab. A Muslim woman might want to wear a reminder literally on her face that God is watching everything she does. Or she might find that the struggle to adopt an extra observance improves her faith and her character.
The basic point is that niqab is an extra degree of observance in something that is already done (in this case, dressing modestly.) It is recommended to Muslims, and beneficial for them, to do other extra observances, for instance to offer more prayers than are required, to fast days beyond Ramadan, or to give extra money in charity. Niqab as an extra obersevance is no different than this. This may seem odd or not make sense to non-Muslims, but it is a very real motivation for many Muslim women. At the very least, you should try to understand that it is an act of religious devotion, not part of some inferiority complex. Nearly all niqabi (face-veiling) women that I have talked with have adopted niqab completely by their own decision. They were not forced to it by their husbands or fathers, but chose it for themselves as a way to become closer to God.
Beyond the reasons that I have given above, Muslim women look to see if niqab is part of the recommended way that God and the Prophet (pbuh) have set out. There is very good evidence of this. As I mentioned in The Face Veil in Islamic Law above, the historical evidence seems to indicate that during a troubled time in the early Islamic community, women were commanded to draw their cloaks (jilbabs) to cover their faces. This was to protect them from harassment, and to distinguish them as Muslim women and assert their Islamic identity (these reasons are mentioned in Surah al-Ahzab verse 59 as benefits of the jilbab.) Later, when the Islamic community was secure, this requirement was lifted. The fact still remains that niqab is clearly the way recommended by Islam for a woman to protect herself and to assert her Islamic identity to an extra degree.
As well, the wives of the Prophet (pbuh), who were in the position of "first ladies" and required to answer questions from the ordinary Muslims (Surah al-Ahzab verse 53) and to interact a great deal with men, wore niqab. This is verified from many reports and accepted by all Muslim scholars. From this two lessons can be drawn. First, if a woman will be in a position where she is required to interact a great deal with men, far more than usual, or if she will be the center and focus of attention, the best way for her to screen her privacy is for her to wear niqab. Second, the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) are examples to ordinary Muslim women of what a truly pious and devout woman is like. And in Islam, the examples of the truly pious and devout veiled their faces.
Additionally, there is a good deal of evidence of ordinary Muslim women wearing niqab as they went about their daily lives, with the approval of the Prophet (pbuh).
To summarize, niqab is an extra degree of observance in the area of modesty and privacy and is recommended for being an extra degree, just as extra degrees of observance are recommended in other areas, like prayer or giving to charity. Niqab is also the specific form of extra-modest dress established by Islam. It is part of Islam, and is the clear example of those who knew Islam best.
This, then, is the way that Muslim women approach the question of niqab. If nothing else, I hope that I have given you some insight into the way that Muslims think about veiling issues. It is not about the oppression of women or a sign of their inferiority. It is seen as a guard of privacy, a reminder of God, a personal struggle to improve, and an act of religious devotion following in the footsteps of the righteous predecessors.
In the previous section, The Face Veil in Islamic Law, I looked at the debate among Muslims over the status of the niqab (face veil) in Islamic law. In this section, I would like, God willing, to take a more personal approach. Why do some Muslim women wear niqab?
First, there are a number of Muslim women who believe that niqab is obligatory for them. They would give the same kind of explanation for their dress that I did in "Why Do You Dress Like That?"; they would just provide a different explanation of the extent of veiling that is necessary. The possible bases for this position are discussed above.
But there are also many Muslim women who believe that niqab is not required and yet they wear it. Why do they find it good to veil themselves so completely, when this isn't a religious obligation?
The essay Why Wear Niqab? is an address to Muslim women in favor of niqab. A summary is provided here. Hopefully if you have made it this far through the essay, you have already read On Veiling.... If not, this would be a good time to go and do so. In that essay, I discuss several aspects of hijab (the ordinary modest dress of the Muslim woman). Several of these are pertinent here.
In On Veiling..., I discussed the importance of privacy in the Islamic social code. Everything that is not necessary to be known in public should be concealed and kept private. There is an entire code of conduct that a Muslim follows in order to uphold the importance of private space and private things. Hijab is a part of this. A Muslim might desire to be especially careful in protecting privacy. This might involve using extra vigilance in guarding one's tongue and averting one's gaze, above and beyond what is required. It might also involve extra-modest dress. When a Muslim woman is already covering everything but her face and her hands and she wants to dress more modestly, the only things left for her to cover are her face and hands. Seen in this light, niqab is not "extreme", but rather is a natural extension of the principle of privacy.
In On Veiling..., I also discussed some of the spiritual aspects of hijab. In particular, I talked about how it can increase awareness of God, and how it is a struggle that can purify the inner self. Both of these are also true of niqab, and to a greater degree than they are true of hijab. A Muslim woman might want to wear a reminder literally on her face that God is watching everything she does. Or she might find that the struggle to adopt an extra observance improves her faith and her character.
The basic point is that niqab is an extra degree of observance in something that is already done (in this case, dressing modestly.) It is recommended to Muslims, and beneficial for them, to do other extra observances, for instance to offer more prayers than are required, to fast days beyond Ramadan, or to give extra money in charity. Niqab as an extra obersevance is no different than this. This may seem odd or not make sense to non-Muslims, but it is a very real motivation for many Muslim women. At the very least, you should try to understand that it is an act of religious devotion, not part of some inferiority complex. Nearly all niqabi (face-veiling) women that I have talked with have adopted niqab completely by their own decision. They were not forced to it by their husbands or fathers, but chose it for themselves as a way to become closer to God.
Beyond the reasons that I have given above, Muslim women look to see if niqab is part of the recommended way that God and the Prophet (pbuh) have set out. There is very good evidence of this. As I mentioned in The Face Veil in Islamic Law above, the historical evidence seems to indicate that during a troubled time in the early Islamic community, women were commanded to draw their cloaks (jilbabs) to cover their faces. This was to protect them from harassment, and to distinguish them as Muslim women and assert their Islamic identity (these reasons are mentioned in Surah al-Ahzab verse 59 as benefits of the jilbab.) Later, when the Islamic community was secure, this requirement was lifted. The fact still remains that niqab is clearly the way recommended by Islam for a woman to protect herself and to assert her Islamic identity to an extra degree.
As well, the wives of the Prophet (pbuh), who were in the position of "first ladies" and required to answer questions from the ordinary Muslims (Surah al-Ahzab verse 53) and to interact a great deal with men, wore niqab. This is verified from many reports and accepted by all Muslim scholars. From this two lessons can be drawn. First, if a woman will be in a position where she is required to interact a great deal with men, far more than usual, or if she will be the center and focus of attention, the best way for her to screen her privacy is for her to wear niqab. Second, the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) are examples to ordinary Muslim women of what a truly pious and devout woman is like. And in Islam, the examples of the truly pious and devout veiled their faces.
Additionally, there is a good deal of evidence of ordinary Muslim women wearing niqab as they went about their daily lives, with the approval of the Prophet (pbuh).
To summarize, niqab is an extra degree of observance in the area of modesty and privacy and is recommended for being an extra degree, just as extra degrees of observance are recommended in other areas, like prayer or giving to charity. Niqab is also the specific form of extra-modest dress established by Islam. It is part of Islam, and is the clear example of those who knew Islam best.
This, then, is the way that Muslim women approach the question of niqab. If nothing else, I hope that I have given you some insight into the way that Muslims think about veiling issues. It is not about the oppression of women or a sign of their inferiority. It is seen as a guard of privacy, a reminder of God, a personal struggle to improve, and an act of religious devotion following in the footsteps of the righteous predecessors.
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