Calls for 'Liberation' from Hijab
May the Peace of Allah be upon you
and may Allah bless you all
The hashtag
#freefromhijab was trending
One of the reasons it was trending
—in Jordan for example—
is the volume of opposing reactions!
I would like to take this opportunity
to deliver some crucial messages
Firstly, dear viewers, this hashtag
was not popular in the Arab region
In such cases we use Extinction:
i.e. Killing falsehood by ignoring it
It is inappropriate to get worked up
over every falsehood
Instead, we should focus on
self-improvement with beneficial knowledge
Secondly, dear viewers
The woman who takes off
her Hijab doesn't become liberated
but falls into the
enslavement of Satan
which Allah Almighty warned against
in what can be translated as:
"O Children of Adam,
never let Satan lure you
like he brought your
parents out of the Garden,
stripping them of their garments to show
them their private parts..."
(Quran 7:27)
We should use this opportunity
to share the "Women in Depth" series
which has had, by Allah's Grace,
a significant impact on many women
—especially the first episode titled:
"Liberation of the Western Women
The Full Story"—
so that girls who are influenced by
the concept of 'liberation' from Hijab
learn the truth about this 'liberation'!
Thirdly and most importantly:
What attracted my attention the most
were the responses of the many Muslim
women who rejected the hashtag
Allow me to say that the responses
indicate various problems
in the way many of our young women think
so I want to dedicate this
episode to advise them
May Allah reward them
for rejecting this hashtag
but the responses contain problems
that need to be addressed;
not to criticize
or hurt anyone's feelings
but to correct and advise
Many of the responses revolve around
the concept of human-centricity:
A western concept which sanctifies
Man and his desires
and removes the centrality
of obeying Allah
which distinguishes us as Muslims
The centrality of obedience to
Allah Almighty!
Let's address some of the common responses
Many young women said:
"This hashtag (#freefromhijab)
hurts the feelings of girls
who chose the Hijab
and makes the Hijab seem restrictive."
So the problem becomes
one of hurt human feelings
taking us back to centricity for Man
while the real problem
is that this hashtag
encourages people to disobey
Allah Almighty
the Lord and Creator of Man
Others said, "The Hijab does not
deprive us of any opportunities.
I'm able to venture into all fields
with the Hijab
Look at me; I'm traveling...
I'm working at this place...
I'm playing sports!"
What if the Hijab does prevent
you from venturing into some fields?
Or, specifically, what if your dedication
to following the commands of Allah
and maintaining your modesty as a female
cause you to miss
some worldly opportunities?
Would this compromise your Hijab?!
Doesn't Islam, dear Sisters, involve sacrifice?
Allah Almighty says what
can be translated as:
"Allah has purchased from the believers
their lives and their wealth
and in return they will have Paradise..."
(Quran 9:111)
So, it's not about opportunities!
In principle, you should sell yourself
and your wealth to Allah Almighty;
in exchange for Paradise
So, such comments neglect
the fact that we sacrifice
in this worldly life
for the sake of Allah
To prove that their Hijab is not
restrictive, some HIjabi young women
post pictures of themselves;
in full adornment
I'm using simpler pronouns
in referring to women
for easier understanding;
even though I know that
for proper grammar, I should use
the correct formal pronouns in Arabic
Let me say again
to prove that the Hijab
is not a restriction or limitation
for women, many girls
post pictures of themselves;
fully-adorned
The message from such pictures is:
Hijab does not make me ugly
Hijab is beautiful!
I can show my beauty with the Hijab!
Remember, dear sister and daughter
that the Hijab was indeed commanded
to cover one form of beauty
and bring out another
Beauty that involves sexual attractiveness
and displays femininity
should definitely
be covered by the Hijab
from those who have no business
viewing you in such a way;
those who are not permitted
to see this form of beauty in you
You are more beautiful
with the correct Hijab that delivers
a message to the men in your community
—the men around you—
telling them:
“I am your sister in Islam, my value
is not in my outward appearance
(this outer crust), in my hair
color, nor in the way I move
but in the faith that unites us
—you and I— as believing men and women
As a Muslim, I want to help you
construct the earth
with what pleases Allah.
Allah says, what can be translated as:
“And the believing men
and the believing women are guardians
of one another..." (Quran 9:71)
Thus, I make it easy for you
to lower your gaze,
maintain your chastity,
and focus on what benefits you."
When you adhere to a proper Hijab
that shows pride
in your Islamic identity
and reminds whoever sees you
of obedience to Allah,
loving Him, and submitting
to His command;
then you are more beautiful
with the Hijab
In conclusion: Your Hijab conceals
a form of beauty, and brings out another
All the mentioned forms of
beauty can only be attained
with modesty through the Hijab:
the proper Hijab which stems from
a wonderful, pure, and innate modesty
If a girl tries to attain both
forms of beauty together:
i.e. to be sexually attractive
and compete with those
who define beauty
from a purely materialistic definition
while at the same time
trying to attain spiritual beauty;
her Hijab will fail as a Hijab!
It will not show the spiritual beauty
that we are talking about
Many girls objecting to the
hashtag #freefromhijab said:
"Hijab is a personal freedom.
Just as I respected your freedom
when you took off your Hijab
you need to respect mine!"
Absolutely not, dear sister!
Hijab is NOT a personal freedom
but an obligation from our Lord
Aren't we Muslims?!
Aren't we believers?!
There are two problems when we say,
Hijab is a personal freedom
First: It is as if we acknowledge
personal freedom
as a supreme, governing,
absolute, and sacred value
while, as Muslims, our highest value
is the obedience to Allah Almighty
and all that this obedience entails
of achieving truth and justice
While everything that contradicts
obedience to Allah is
a reprehensible disobedience;
not a personal freedom
Many freedoms turned out
to be false rather than true
and unfair rather than just!
Thus, the absolute highest value
is the obedience of Allah
and the resulting truth and justice;
not personal freedom
Second: This slogan means that we
demand the Hijab for women
as a personal freedom
and this is false
Hijab is a command by Allah and it is
obligatory for the Muslim community;
not a personal freedom
Even the phrase:
A woman's right to wear the Hijab
makes you feel that it is her
right to wear it if she wants to
and her right not to wear it
if she does not want to
These are all statements that stem
from our failure to remember
that the centrality in a Muslim community
is obedience to Allah Almighty
Allah Almighty says,
what can be translated as:
“The only statement of the [true]
believers when they are called to Allah
and His Messenger to judge
between them is that they say,
'We hear and we obey.'
And those are the successful
And whoever obeys Allah and His
Messenger and fears Allah and is
conscious of Him - it is those
who are the attainers." (Quran 24:51-52)
Feel the light in these words
from the Surah titled: "The Light"
Dear viewers:
Even a sister
who does not wear Hijab
in our community
—may Allah guide her and us—
but says,
"Muslims must obey their
Lord and act upon His commands"
and I stand with my Hijabi sister
in support of the religion of Allah
and defending His Commands;
even though I am sinning
by not wearing Hijab";
will be rewarded for this!
She is sinning for abandoning
the Hijab but is rewarded
because —to her—
the matter is clear:
That obedience to Allah Almighty
is not a matter of personal freedom!
So, Hijab is not a personal freedom
but an obligation from the Lord
These were my comments on
the responses to the hashtag
and once again
I urge you to use this event
to share the "Women in Depth" series
We will put its link for you
in the comments, Allah willing
Finally: I ask Allah Almighty
to guide all the daughters of Muslims
to what pleases and satisfies Him,
to gather them at the Prophet's Fount
—Peace & Blessings be upon him,
make them content,
reconcile their minds,
calm their hearts,
and grant them satisfaction
and certainty in this life
and the Hereafter
May Allah's peace and mercy be upon you