I'll very much agree with the above 'fully veiled muslimah's answer, its right at the spot! Leaves little to be added to. Just something that I'd like to add. I'll quote one ayah here, i do not remember its place but it goes like
' Have you seen a person who worships his desires? (nafs) and asks his nafs to lead him?'
That translates, that a person, when forgetting the substance of kalima which states that he submits entirely to the will and command of Allah and the belief in the Prophet Muhammad SAWW, CANNOT question the 'centre of his desires' to lead him to think if the command of Allah is in line with my liking or am i not liking it, does it suit me, my life style? hence, sometimes he starts feeling that maybe Allah did not say it, and its just a vague thought propagated by the Prophet SAW and followed by the Mothers of the ummah and the women who are the role models for the entire Muslim women. What do you say?
Secondly, to denounce Hadees and not rendering it important is as close to totally denying the Prophecy. You must be clear in your concepts of religion to proceed any further in it. It is said by Allah in the Sura Baqarah " And those who follow the Prophet (Muhammad SAWW) Follow me, and those who do not follow the Prophet, do not follow me (God)."
And theres a Hadees as " Those who do not care to follow my sunnah can go die a ( pagan )jew or (pagan) christian". This is such a strong statement about people who think hadees is not an important fact of Islam and the prophet (saw) actually termed such a person's deen null &void, hence he is not a muslim who does not follow sunah.
A specific reply to a specific question like yours that can only be, That Allah has been specific in this ayat. He has said, "
" O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should hang (cast) their outer garments (jilbabs)over their persons (when outside): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as respectable women) and not molested and pestered about. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. "
In this ayah, the Prophet SAWW is being told to tell his wives, the daughters and the believing women to HANG a cloth ,a word jilbab is used in arabic in this ayat for cloth, and surprise surprise, jilbab was the name of the long chaadar (large piece of cloth some women used to wear over themselves to cover themselves when they went out, even before the ayah came, the jilbab was being used in the arab scoiety, but not specifically, probably for protection from heat or other reasons.)
Now, Allah knows that women wore clothes even at that time, so jilbab was and is the extra cloth to cover youself so that you may not be recognized, in shape and form as women's cloth cling to them making their curves prominent.
And the word 'hang the cloth, (jilbab) 'ABOVE you' is used which can imply the few things..tell me what is above you? What is the top most part of you as a human being? Head right? If the ayah had said something about 'below you', would you not have understood? If below the neck was to be said, why would 'above you' be used?
If logic is to be used, only one explanation comes to the mind, since logic is whats gotten into you right now
. Keep one thing in mind,
Faith begins where Logic ends. So dont trust your logic all the time to provide you with the passion that only faith can offer. The word 'believers' comes from faith, not from logic,otherwise wise people or intellectuals would have been adressed to in the Quran, which is not the case. Not that they haven't been mentioned, but not in the terms of believers.
Then, since the demarcation of 'sattar' is that only the face and hands of a woman can be shown,and since in umrah and haj during ibaddaat a woman is to keep her face open, Scholars permit the scarf, but it has to be rememberd that the Prophet's wives hid their face with a cloth as soon as the ayat came, so if the Prophet's wives did not understand Islam well, who did?
There is no compulsion in deen, But there are things that I sometimes find hard to do, but yet i do them, because i know its either nafs or the satan trying to stop me from Allah's command, Not all virtues feel sweet in the beginning, because somethings are hard to change in ourselves as we have so grown used to our non-Islamic self over the time, but with time and with help from Allah SWT you must seek Allah's help and ask Him to make it easier for you to follow that is desired by Him, because Its a fact that some things just do get to your head and nag and confuse you enough to doubt your own actions even if they are in line with Islam.
Quoting what i read about nafs somewhere, ' Our self consists of a conglomeration of wants, desires, impulses, habits, fears, angers, appetites, tendencies and an Ego that constructs a
self image that, it then seeks to protect and maintain any way it can - even by distorting the true nature of the realities around it.
It is commanded by a host of impulses and desires. It wanders distracted or seeks out satisfaction of its wants and justifies its behavior to itself so that it can continue doing what it does, it tends to trap itself in " safe' (self protective), or habitual, or addictive behaviours.
At this stage the person is like a kingdom in chaos where the citizens are habits, desires, fears, moods, impulses, and egoism and all clamour for attention and satisfaction and the self is a slave to them pulled this way and that in response to their demands.
Only Allah Knows best, and true guidance only comes from Him, whenever you are confused about something, you have to sincerely ask for His guidance only, and He always points out the truth to you. There is a reason that there were so many duas that the prophet used to recite and told others to recite as well, because the chances of being swayed into confusion by the shaitan is with us every step of the way. And The more stronger you will try to come towards deen, the stronger, more cunning shaitan is affixed with you, but those who are stead fast and keep close to Allah win over their shaitan and when once he's beaten, he seldom tries to push you again. Sincere prayers for you. keep the Faith!
