Ahlul Bayt (AS) International News Agency - ABNA: In Islam, the matter of covering and maintaining Islamic hijab is among the important commandments, and numerous verses of the Holy Quran have pointed to this significance, including verses 31 and 60 of Surah An-Nur, and verses 33, 53, and 59 of Surah Al-Ahzab. These verses emphasize the issue of hijab, sometimes addressing believing women, sometimes addressing the wives of the Prophet (PBUH), and sometimes by exempting elderly and infirm women, clarifying the duty of others. Thus, through various expressions, they reiterate the importance of this Islamic obligation. (1)
The Importance of Maintaining Hijab
Hijab preserves a woman's dignity, prevents the deviation of youth, and stops the spread of corruption in Islamic society. Just as wearing clothing in general does not contradict freedom for men and women, hijab is likewise not a restriction. (2)
Without a doubt, one of the things that fuels sexual desire is "nudity and self-adornment by men and women" in front of one another, the effect of which—especially among unmarried youth—is undeniable. It can be said that moral corruption has a direct relationship with lack of hijab, nudity, and self-adornment in public. According to some documented statistics, the more this issue intensifies, the more moral corruption increases. For example, in summer when nudity increases due to hot weather, sexual harassment rises proportionally, and conversely, in winter when women wear more covering, such harassment decreases. Clearly, removing hijab is a prelude to nudity, sexual freedom, and promiscuity, the problems and corruptions of which in our era are not hidden from anyone.
Lack of hijab causes a group of women to participate in an endless competition of displaying their bodies and arousing lustful men. In our time, when the age of marriage has risen due to educational and economic pressures, and a vast segment of society consists of unmarried youth, this has extremely destructive effects.
Furthermore, from a moral perspective, it also causes insecurity within families and triggers crimes, as well as leading to continuous nervous tensions and even psychological illnesses, the result of which is the weakening of family bonds and the diminishing of women's status in society. (3)
Meanwhile, some pseudo-intellectuals—whether out of knowledge and awareness, or out of animosity, or ignorance—oppose hijab and women's covering. They consider hijab a cause of women's isolation from society, or see it as a cumbersome garment incompatible with social activities, especially in the age of modern machinery. Or they argue that because hijab creates distance between men and women, it makes men's greedy nature even more covetous, and instead of extinguishing the fire of their greed, it fans the flames.
Yet, we see with our own eyes countless women who, while observing Islamic hijab, are present everywhere: in government offices, in workshops, in marches and political protests, on radio and television, in hospitals and healthcare centers, in medical care, and in universities. These critics are unaware of women's great mission, which plays a vital role in the family and in raising children to build a healthy, prosperous, and dynamic society. (4)
Causes of Tendency Toward No Hijab or Poor Hijab
The causes of the phenomenon of no hijab or poor hijab must be examined from individual and social dimensions within cultural, social, or political spheres. Unfortunately, it must be acknowledged that after the Islamic Revolution, many issues—and especially the matter of hijab—have not received logical and serious attention.
For example, no precise definition of Islamic hijab has been provided, nor have appropriate Islamic-Iranian models and specific types of women's dress been determined. On the other hand, extremism and negligence—sometimes leading to laxity regarding hijab, and sometimes to confrontations involving violence, verbal and physical altercations—have caused cynicism and resentment among people, especially women, toward the issue of hijab. Here, we will mention some of the causes of tendency toward poor hijab.
Change in Values:
One factor that causes some women and girls to lean toward no hijab or poor hijab is the perception of what constitutes value in society. They imagine that showing off and displaying oneself (poor hijab) in front of people and in society is considered valuable. Imam Ali (AS) said about such women: "Wa inna al-nisaa'a hammuhunna zinatu al-dunya wa al-fasadu fiha..." — "Indeed, the concern of women is the adornment of worldly life and corruption within it." (5) Of course, "women" here does not mean all women, but rather those women who pursue corruption and sin choose this type of dress to display themselves.
Influence of Western Culture:
Cultural invasion and the influence of foreign culture is another cause of lack of hijab in society. In today's world, Western propaganda machines, using the most advanced means of promotion such as satellites and social networks, attempt to implement a culture alien to Islam—mostly corrupt and destructive—in third-world countries and especially in Islamic societies, and to dominate the world with their culture.
The Supreme Leader of the Revolution, in a meeting with members of the Cultural and Social Council of Women, stated regarding the influence and invasion of Western culture: "In my opinion, what you as a group, and any group of women working in various forms and with different goals, are responsible for today is to erase the false belief that Western and European culture over the past decades has implanted in the Iranian woman's mind. Certainly, false beliefs also existed in the past; that is, a tendency toward certain wrong forms of consumerism and luxury has always existed. With the entry of European culture, this obsession with fashion and novelty in consumption intensified strangely. This was calculated and premeditated. The leaders of Western policies—who were mostly Zionists and colonialists—did this with specific intent and purpose. These false beliefs must be eliminated, and this can only be done by presenting Islamic discussions and works. If this is done, the root of these problems that are sometimes raised—poor hijab, the spread of corruption and indecency, and such things—will be uprooted by itself. These are mostly symptoms; the causes are those beliefs and cultures, which must be worked upon." (6)
Weakness of Faith and Modesty:
One of the most important factors in poor hijab is weakness of faith and spirituality, which leads to weakness in modesty. Faith is like a refuge that protects a person from falling into sins, just as the Holy Quran states in Surah An-Nazi'at, verses 40-41: "Wa amma man khafa maqama rabbihi wa naha al-nafsa 'an al-hawa fa inna al-jannata hiya al-ma'wa" — "And as for he who feared the standing before his Lord and restrained his soul from desire, then indeed, Paradise will be his refuge." Imam Sadiq (AS) also pointed to the connection between faith and modesty, stating that a shameless person lacks faith: "La imana li-man la haya'a lahu" — "One who has no modesty has no faith." (7) Covering and modesty are two inseparable concepts. Modest women do not display their adornments by observing hijab.
But women who display their secrets and beauties have torn the veil between themselves and God and have damaged their own dignity and credibility. Although hijab does not fully equate to possessing all levels of chastity, chastity without observing external covering is also unimaginable. (8)
Deficiency of Love and Affection:
Sometimes, when the expression of love in a person is insufficient, it causes personality deficiencies, and the individual resorts to various ways to compensate for those voids. Emotional deficiencies in childhood, and sometimes in adulthood, severely damage one's identity and personality. Then, if such individuals lack proper guides, they resort to unnatural methods to compensate, creating a false and baseless personality for themselves.
Examining the behavior of some women and girls regarding the issue of dress clearly shows that self-adornment and self-display are a kind of manufactured personality—a way to cover voids by attracting attention and creating allure. Human beings are status-seeking and always want to hold a noteworthy position among people.
Such a position can be achieved in two ways: real and false. A real position is obtained through the acquisition of knowledge and moral virtues. But some women, lacking these values, try to attract others' attention by displaying their natural and artificial feminine charms and beauties in order to respond to their inner deficiencies. They are heedless that no one ever considers displaying feminine beauties as proof of personality or worth. Lack of hijab does not grant a woman virtue; rather, it turns her into a puppet far removed from growth and transcendence. Moreover, positions gained through sexualized behavior only exist in the eyes of the sick-hearted, who themselves have the least worth. (9)
Lack of Awareness About the Consequences of Poor Hijab:
It is very often observed that ignorant and unaware individuals in society commit ugly deeds and also possess vicious traits. When they gain sufficient awareness of the ugliness of those deeds and the corruptions and harms of those traits, or when their level of understanding and knowledge rises, they either abandon those deeds and traits entirely or at least significantly reduce them.
The logical reason for this is clear because moving toward noble traits and righteous deeds requires motivation. Without a doubt, one of the best motivations is awareness of the benefits of good deeds and traits and the harms of evil deeds and traits. Awareness of the origin and the afterlife, and familiarity with the programs of the school of the prophets and saints, drives a person toward them and has a wide-ranging effect on reforming moral corruption.
Of course, knowledge and awareness here do not mean expertise in technical industries and material matters, because there are many people who are experts in these matters yet are among the most polluted of all. Rather, it means knowledge and awareness of sublime human values, divine teachings, spiritual benefits and harms, and divine sciences. (10)
Footnotes:
(1). Ahkam-e Khanevadeh (Family Rulings), Naser Makarem Shirazi, prepared by Hojjat al-Islam Vahid Alian-Nejad, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Publications, Qom, 2010 (Persian solar calendar), second edition, p. 33.
(2). Same as above.
(3). Akhlaq dar Quran (Ethics in the Quran), Naser Makarem Shirazi, in collaboration with a group of scholars, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib School, Qom, 1998 (Persian solar calendar), first edition, vol. 2, p. 319.
(4). Tafsir-e Namuneh, Naser Makarem Shirazi, prepared by a group of scholars, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, Tehran, 1995 (Persian solar calendar), 32nd edition, vol. 14, p. 446.
(5). Tuhaf al-Uqul, Hasan ibn Ali ibn Shu'bah al-Harrani, edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari, Islamic Publications Office of the Qom Seminary Teachers' Society, Qom, 1984 (Persian solar calendar), second edition, p. 156.
(6). Statements of the Supreme Leader during a meeting with members of the Women's Cultural-Social Council, January 6, 1991 (Persian solar calendar) / October 16, 1990 (Gregorian).
(7). Al-Kafi, Muhammad ibn Yaqub al-Kulayni, edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, Tehran, 2004 (Persian solar calendar), seventh edition, vol. 10, p. 552, chapter on "Al-Nawadir."
(8). Article "Hijab-e Bartar va Ilal-e Bad-Hijabi" (Superior Hijab and Causes of Poor Hijab), Maryam Esma'ilili, Maryam Karimi-Tabar, Encyclopedic Topical Compilation of the Holy Quran, Research Institute for Islamic Sciences and Culture, Qom, 2004 (Persian solar calendar), no. 2, p. 59.
(9). Hijab az Didgah-e Quran va Sonnat (Hijab from the Perspective of the Quran and Sunnah), Fathiyyeh Fatahi-Zadeh, Bustan-e Ketab, Qom, 2013 (Persian solar calendar), tenth edition, p. 180.
(10). Akhlaq dar Quran (Ethics in the Quran), Naser Makarem Shirazi, in collaboration with a group of scholars, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib School, Qom, 1998 (Persian solar calendar), first edition, vol. 1, p. 178.
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