Hijab is Not to Protect Men, But to Honor Women

As we know, Islam provides a few guidelines on dress code for both men and
women. They are designed to promote modesty while still allowing a
functioning and healthy society. Ive heard and read a number of stories and
have observed the attitudes of many brothers: that Islamic guidelines for
womens clothing and modesty exist largely for the purpose of protecting men
from fitnah (trial, spiritual test, calamity). If a Muslim woman does not dress in
a way they deem appropriate in their vicinity, some people will denigrate them
for dressing or acting un-Islamically and being a fitnah for them. Some of these
comments highlight an understanding that is divorced from healthy Islamic
principles:
Oh man, these girls are a fitnah!
If a guy looks at you more than once, you arent covering properly.
If a guy likes you, then you are a fitnah in the community.
If youre causing fitnah at school, it is better for you to leave the school.
Cover properly, so that you arent a trial for the guys!
Such comments strike at the insecurities, religious aspirations, and self-esteem
of our sisters in a way Islam never ever meant. This environment can only result
in a few endings. One, a person will decide that she wants nothing to do with a
practicing version of Islam and will leave practicing circles, deciding to strike
her own path. Why would anyone want to be in a judgmental environment?
Second, she may buy into this version of Islam and develop insecurities and
issues that a natural, Prophetically guided, scholarly approach to Islam would
never allow.
In Islam, hijab is not demanded of women by men. Hijab and modesty is
ordered upon women by the Merciful Ever-Living, Ever-Watchful God, as a
protection and a barrier. A means of interacting in society while holding the line
against anyone who would seek to harass, hit on, annoy, or irritate them. It is an
outward symbol of an inward spiritual reality and aspiration. It is not a political
flag for the Islamic state, it is not a sign of womens subjugation to men, it is not
a litmus test for religiosity, and it is not a measure of a womans piety, family
background, or sign of her upbringing.
It is one act, a result of one of Gods commands. Everyone tries to obey Him, all
of us fall short. As one of the `ulama (scholars) in Chicago once taught: A
persons public sin is no worse than your private sin.
The attitude that hijab and Islamic dress codes exist to protect men are an utter
and total fallacy. How do we know that? Let us approach the Book of Allah
subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He):

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers
to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more
suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving
and Merciful. (Quran 33:59)
This verse comes with the cause or illa behind the commandment: so that they
may be known and not abused. Notice that the verse does not come with any
mention of men. This is about the protection of womens physical safety and
presence from men, not the protection of mens spiritual state from women. The
fact that this protection may occur is a benefit of the Hijab for the community,
not its purpose. From this, we can take four points that are critical to a healthy
Islamic understanding of hijab.
1. Hijab is not there to protect men. If you think it is there to protect you
as a man, we have turned an act to be done for Allah (swt), into an act to
be done for us.
It is there to protect women, so do not pervert the purpose of this command of
God (swt). There is no doubt that we come across immodesty on TV, at school,
work, and all over. We should not use the fact that a sister is dressed in a way
that does not fit Gods commandments (or our personal interpretation of Gods
commandments) into a reason for having bad manners, a lack of respect, and a
lack of humility.
For brothers, we should lower our gazes and move on. We dont need to
comment about how this is such a fitnah or loudly say, Astaghfirullah (I seek
refuge in God), so our boys can hear us and see how pious we are.
For sisters, if you want to advise someone about hijab, ask yourself, am I
advising because it makes me feel pious? Or am I advising because I care about
this person and want to be a good friend and sister in calling her towards the
pleasure of Allah (swt)? Most of the sisters who decide to wear the hijab in
adulthood dont do it because someone yelled at them or taunted them. They do
it because they were able to recognize its beauty after spending time with
people who wore it with dignity and showed modesty not just in their clothing,
but also in their character.

2. Men should frame the issue of the fitnah of women in their environment
as a factor of their own closeness to God. We know the society we live in
and the schools we go to. That was never a surprise. Taqwa (God
consciousness) is the key protecting us, so focus on that.

There are so many gender-relations talks and seminars in Muslim communities

that it almost baffles the outsider. How can a group of people who claim to have
the guidance and the path to Paradise laid out for them by the Best of
Mankind (peace be upon him), have trouble understanding the basics of how to
interact with one another professionally and with respect?
The issue of struggling with the base desires, as mentioned in book, Breaking
the Two Desires, is one that is closely tied to ones relationship with God. The
soul is something that was created by God, and in order to get it to grow and
defeat the base desires of the body, it must be fed. Something that is created out
of the spiritual world cannot be fed with the material of the physical world. If
we want to curtail the desires of our body (for sex, comfort, food), and increase
the spiritual discipline and awareness of God in our own souls, the key is
developing a relationship and connection to the Book of God, the houses of
God, the people of God, and the remembrance of God. Complaining about how
some women in our environment do not dress appropriately and so we are
having spiritual struggles is a cop out.
As many of our spiritual masters have said over the centuries, the first step in
gaining nearness to God, is to understand that one must blame his or her own
soul, and acknowledge his or her own deficiencies, before seeking the One who
is Free From Deficiencies. This is put into action through tawbah turning
towards God in repentance.
3. Hijab is about the Fiqh (Law) for Women, not the Tazkiyyah (Spiritual
Purification) of Men
We should make no mistake. The legal opinion of normative Islam, from the
time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) till today, is undivided in the view that
women should cover their hair and dress modestly in the presence of nonfamiliar men. The scholars are also undivided in the fact that you and I should
not yell at our parents, swear at the weather, treat people harshly, drink alcohol,
miss prayers, speak meanly to others, backbite, or judge other human beings
without knowing their situations.
Muslim men should focus on their spirituality through good company, prayer,
and all the other practices we are ordered to do, while allowing this to remain an
issues of womens fiqh (law), and not of mens spirituality.
Because of the judgmental comments and harshness, and sometimes, sly,
torpedo-in-the-water comments directed towards our sisters, many teachers, and
well-meaning advisors have trouble approaching the topic of hijab. Anyone
even discussing it is often painted with the paintbrush that he is judgmental.

This occurs even when the teacher is doing so in the best of manners and with
sound knowledge. This fault is on all involved of course those of us
responsible for spreading an environment of harshness, and those responsible
for judging all religiously-oriented figures as being harsh and difficult to deal
with.
The bad manners of some of us in enjoining good have made it impossible for
our teachers and people of knowledge to enjoin it correctly, as people paint all
of those who open their mouth on this and other issues with the same brush.
This allows those who actually try to claim that the hijab is not a part of Islam
to have their ignorance heard, while keeping the knowledgeable scholars from
having their knowledge spread.
4. Men should advise the women of their family and encourage them on
this topic in a way that befits the Prophetic character.
No one should take this to mean that hijab is not an important part of a
Muslims womans obligations towards God. But that is the key. Towards God,
Hijab should not become inflated as a symbol that boosts the religious standing
of a womans family, nor a flag of political Islam, nor a tool to show off her
piety, nor a cloth of guilt that makes her hate it.
It is instead, a command from God that comes in the most beautiful manner, for
her own protection, her own elevation, and her own dignity.
Conclusion
As a closing note, we should remember that if we are doing something that is
good, and are enabled to do it we should not cast off that good deed just
because we may have suddenly realized that our original intention was not
solely for the sake of Allah (swt). Even if we are wearing the hijab, praying
regularly, speaking well, giving charity, or doing any other good deed and
originally began it with an intention that wasnt healthy or focused on Allah
(swt), we should not let Satan (the Devil) trick us into ceasing the good deed.
Instead, we can turn towards our Lord, ask Him to purify our intention, and
dedicate our deed towards Him.
This is a religion that is about community. As our Lord states in Surah AlHujurat (The Chapter of the Rooms, Quran 49), we are nothing but brothers
and sisters to each other. We should advise each other towards good, but do it
with a sound understanding of the legal basis of what we are calling to, as well
as a sound understanding of the manners that befit our message.