Hair covering as a part of Islamic modesty? Why?

[Do]

Is there a prescribed reason in the Quran and/or authentic hadith as to why we are obligated to cover our hair? Why is our hair viewed in enough of a sexual light for it being uncovered to be considered us lacking in hayaa (modesty)?

I understand 'we hear and we obey', and am content with suppressing my feelings to submit to my Creator regardless, but it doesn't make rational sense for some sheikhs and Islamic speakers to place the covering of hair on the same priority level as covering (not wrapping tightly) the body.

Surely, these two below weighed as equally haraam in the diin, would be self-contradictory of why modesty was ordered by Allah (SWT) because the sister with the headscarf on but curves on display fits with the male gaze more than the sister with her hair out but wearing an abaya that lacks in that sexiness of a bodycon dress.

Fully loose clothing but no hair covering example:

Form-fitting outfit but with full hair covering example:

Spoiler: because I'm in the Islamic section and don't wanna cause fitnah, it's behind a spoiler

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Given that, let's circle back to the question I posed above: where can I find the Islamic explanation for why we have to cover our hair, when almost all men don't care about hair when considering their sexual attraction to a woman?

Jazukullah kheir for your answers below.

 

[Killamenace78]

Is there a prescribed reason in the Quran and/or authentic hadith as to why we are obligated to cover our hair? Why is our hair viewed in enough of a sexual light for it being uncovered to be considered us lacking in hayaa (modesty)?

I understand 'we hear and we obey', and am content with suppressing my feelings to submit to my Creator regardless, but it doesn't make rational sense for some sheikhs and Islamic speakers to place the covering of hair on the same priority level as covering (not wrapping tightly) the body.

Surely, these two below weighed as equally haraam in the diin, would be self-contradictory of why modesty was ordered by Allah (SWT) because the sister with the headscarf on but curves on display fits with the male gaze more than the sister with her hair out but wearing an abaya that lacks in that sexiness of a bodycon dress.

Fully loose clothing but no hair covering example:
View attachment 336805

Form-fitting outfit but with full hair covering example:

Spoiler: because I'm in the Islamic section and don't wanna cause fitnah, it's behind a spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Given that, let's circle back to the question I posed above: where can I find the Islamic explanation for why we have to cover our hair, when almost all men don't care about hair when considering their sexual attraction to a woman?

Jazukullah kheir for your answers below.

Hair covering came from Umar he spotted one of Muhammad’s wives one night while she was outside and Umar gave out the suggestion for the hijab and woman covering then it was revealed in the Quran

 

[Do]

Hair covering came from Umar he spotted one of Muhammad’s wives one night while she was outside and Umar gave out the suggestion for the hijab and woman covering then it was revealed in the Quran

What's your reference for this? Post it here, please.

 

[Yami]

What's your reference for this? Post it here, please.

The wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) used to go to Al-Manasi, a vast open place (near Baqi` at Medina) to answer the call of nature at night. `Umar used to say to the Prophet (ﷺ) "Let your wives be veiled," but Allah's Apostle did not do so. One night Sauda bint Zam`a the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) went out at `Isha' time and she was a tall lady. `Umar addressed her and said, "I have recognized you, O Sauda." He said so, as he desired eagerly that the verses of Al-Hijab (the observing of veils by the Muslim women) may be revealed. So Allah revealed the verses of "Al-Hijab" (A complete body cover excluding the eyes).

Sahih al-Bukhari 146

 

[World]

Hair covering is also in Christianity and Judaism, not just Islam.

 

[Do]

Hair covering is also in Christianity and Judaism, not just Islam.

I'm aware with there being verses in the Bible and Torah that instruct it. The one I remember most distinctly from memory was on in the Bible saying that a believing woman might as well shave her head off if she doesn't want to wear a hair veiling. This one:

1 Corinthians 11:6 In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that For if the woman be not covere

In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be...

www.bible.com

But respectfully, I don't understand how this is a reasonable retort to my question. Christianity and Judaism have both been corrupted and distorted, calling for Islam's need to be revealed, so what does it matter if it was also ordained in the Old and New Testament

Even Hindu women have their own hair covering but they're mushrikeen so is it suddenly appropriate to reference them to justify the orders of Allah (SWT)?

 

[Omar del Sur]

honestly this is one reason I don't believe the opinion that covering the hair is what's obligatory and not the face. when we think about it in an unbiased way- doesn't it make more sense that the face is covered? why the hair? so I think the idea that covering the hair and not the face is obligatory, I think it doesn't really make sense because it isn't actually the correct opinion. but there are scholars who view covering the hair as obligatory and not the face. but myself I believe the opinion that covering the face is obligatory.

"That the reason for this ruling is the fear that men may be tempted by the woman and fall in love with her. Undoubtedly the face is the site of beauty and attraction, so concealing it is obligatory lest men who do feel desire be attracted and tempted by her."

"If a woman is commanded to draw her veil over the neck opening of her garment then she is commanded to cover her face, either because that is implied or by analogy. If it is obligatory to cover the throat and chest, then it is more appropriate to cover the face because it is the site of beauty and attraction."

Is Covering the Face Obligatory? - Islam Question & Answer

Women observing hijab in front of non-mahram men and covering their faces is obligatory as is indicated by the Quran and the Sunnah and by rational examination and analogy.

islamqa.info

I understand that many people don't like this opinion but I think it's more logical and doesn't lead to the puzzle discussed in OP.

 

[Omar del Sur]

honestly this is one reason I don't believe the opinion that covering the hair is what's obligatory and not the face. when we think about it in an unbiased way- doesn't it make more sense that the face is covered? why the hair? so I think the idea that covering the hair and not the face is obligatory, I think it doesn't really make sense because it isn't actually the correct opinion. but there are scholars who view covering the hair as obligatory and not the face. but myself I believe the opinion that covering the face is obligatory.

"That the reason for this ruling is the fear that men may be tempted by the woman and fall in love with her. Undoubtedly the face is the site of beauty and attraction, so concealing it is obligatory lest men who do feel desire be attracted and tempted by her."

"If a woman is commanded to draw her veil over the neck opening of her garment then she is commanded to cover her face, either because that is implied or by analogy. If it is obligatory to cover the throat and chest, then it is more appropriate to cover the face because it is the site of beauty and attraction."

Is Covering the Face Obligatory? - Islam Question & Answer

Women observing hijab in front of non-mahram men and covering their faces is obligatory as is indicated by the Quran and the Sunnah and by rational examination and analogy.

islamqa.info

I understand that many people don't think like this opinion but I think it's more logical and doesn't lead to the puzzle discussed in OP.

also wallahi I think it would be more convenient for me in a sense to adopt the opinion that covering the hair is what's obligatory. I personally do not think I'd be willing to marry a woman who doesn't cover the face- and this limits my options. if I was going by my own desires, I think I'd go with the covering-hair opinion, I'm not going out of my way to adopt the view that's stricter.

 

[NidarNidar]

Is there a prescribed reason in the Quran and/or authentic hadith as to why we are obligated to cover our hair? Why is our hair viewed in enough of a sexual light for it being uncovered to be considered us lacking in hayaa (modesty)?

I understand 'we hear and we obey', and am content with suppressing my feelings to submit to my Creator regardless, but it doesn't make rational sense for some sheikhs and Islamic speakers to place the covering of hair on the same priority level as covering (not wrapping tightly) the body.

Surely, these two below weighed as equally haraam in the diin, would be self-contradictory of why modesty was ordered by Allah (SWT) because the sister with the headscarf on but curves on display fits with the male gaze more than the sister with her hair out but wearing an abaya that lacks in that sexiness of a bodycon dress.

Fully loose clothing but no hair covering example:
View attachment 336805

Form-fitting outfit but with full hair covering example:

Spoiler: because I'm in the Islamic section and don't wanna cause fitnah, it's behind a spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Given that, let's circle back to the question I posed above: where can I find the Islamic explanation for why we have to cover our hair, when almost all men don't care about hair when considering their sexual attraction to a woman?

Jazukullah kheir for your answers below.

I'm going to approach this from a different angle. There always a historical reason behind it, headscarfs were still popular until the 60's in the west.

Head coverings were first written into law around 13th Century BC, in an ancient Assyrian text that mandated that women, daughters and widows cover their heads as a sign of piety. Headscarves were forbidden to women of the lower classes and prostitutes.

“There is this underlying idea of having your head covered as a way of symbolizing being a respectable person,” said fashion and textile historian Nancy Deihl of New York University in a phone interview. “The headscarf helps to control that.”

The headscarf was popularized in the religions that emerged from the region, with early Christians and Jews covering their hair with veils according to their sacred texts.

 

[World]

I'm aware with there being verses in the Bible and Torah that instruct it. The one I remember most distinctly from memory was on in the Bible saying that a believing woman might as well shave her head off if she doesn't want to wear a hair veiling. This one:

1 Corinthians 11:6 In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that For if the woman be not covere

In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be...

www.bible.com

But respectfully, I don't understand how this is a reasonable retort to my question. Christianity and Judaism have both been corrupted and distorted, calling for Islam's need to be revealed, so what does it matter if it was also ordained in the Old and New Testament

Even Hindu women have their own hair covering but they're mushrikeen so is it suddenly appropriate to reference them to justify the orders of Allah (SWT)?

View attachment 336807

If we’re gonna use logic and reasoning, then the facts also are that Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism are the four religion that make up 70+ % of the world population, and there is hair covering in all of them.

So, it’s not a matter of why does Islam do it but why does the world do it ? It’s a bit of a contradiction to say that hair covering as modesty isn’t logical if 70 % of the world does believe it’s modesty. Why is it found in all the ancient civilisations if it’s not logical?

 

[Do]

whos more attractive, a bald woman or a woman with a full head of hair?

A woman with a full head of hair of course, but if it has been asserted since forever that the reason why we wear hijab is curb sexualisation in society, then why bother with hair if it doesn't really contribute to sex appeal as much as its a cherry on top, so to speak?

I mean the existence of women like that baldy Amber Rose bagging both Kanye and Wiz Khalifa supports what I'm getting at.

 

[Do]

@Angelina

I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on my confusion here on covering hair here.

 

[Do]

If we’re gonna use logic and reasoning, then the facts also are that Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism are the four religion that make up 70+ % of the world population, and there is hair covering in all of them.

So, it’s not a matter of why does Islam do it but why does the world do it ? It’s a bit of a contradiction to say that hair covering as modesty isn’t logical if 70 % of the world does believe it’s modesty. Why is it found in all the ancient civilisations if it’s not logical?

Hmmm...this is sound reasoning, and I will keep this in mind to consider later.

I think my issue is not the conclusion I came to in my original post, but the assumption on hijab's purpose being based on how it's been taught to a lot of us Muslimahs growing up.

It's typically taught to us via the lens of cutting down on societal sexualisation and that women are inherently a fitna for men. So it's hard for me to not evaluate why we're obliged to cover our hair when I've never seen a dude be turned on by my curls before I started wearing hijab.

 

[Do]

honestly this is one reason I don't believe the opinion that covering the hair is what's obligatory and not the face. when we think about it in an unbiased way- doesn't it make more sense that the face is covered? why the hair? so I think the idea that covering the hair and not the face is obligatory, I think it doesn't really make sense because it isn't actually the correct opinion. but there are scholars who view covering the hair as obligatory and not the face. but myself I believe the opinion that covering the face is obligatory.

"That the reason for this ruling is the fear that men may be tempted by the woman and fall in love with her. Undoubtedly the face is the site of beauty and attraction, so concealing it is obligatory lest men who do feel desire be attracted and tempted by her."

"If a woman is commanded to draw her veil over the neck opening of her garment then she is commanded to cover her face, either because that is implied or by analogy. If it is obligatory to cover the throat and chest, then it is more appropriate to cover the face because it is the site of beauty and attraction."

Is Covering the Face Obligatory? - Islam Question & Answer

Women observing hijab in front of non-mahram men and covering their faces is obligatory as is indicated by the Quran and the Sunnah and by rational examination and analogy.

islamqa.info

I understand that many people don't like this opinion but I think it's more logical and doesn't lead to the puzzle discussed in OP.

This is precisely what's not clicking for me.

If it's all about reducing women being a fitna for the opposite sex, then it should have been ordered this way:

Body (curves) > Body (legs) > Rest of female body > Face >>>> Hair

Since what men find sexy/hot would obviously be more of an issue of what men find cute/pretty (facial features + symmetry)

 

[World]

Hmmm...this is sound reasoning, and I will keep this in mind to consider later.

I think my issue is not the conclusion I came to in my original post, but the assumption on hijab's purpose being based on how it's been taught to a lot of us Muslimahs growing up.

It's typically taught to us via the lens of cutting down on societal sexualisation and that women are inherently a fitna for men. So it's hard for me to not evaluate why we're obliged to cover our hair when I've never seen a dude be turned on by my curls before I started wearing hijab.

The verse of the hijab says:

“...and not display their hidden adornments except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms...” (24:31)

So the obligation of the hijab/khimar was so they could cover their body/breasts. The khimar was already being worn as the verse states, and it was worn from the head, and hair is included in the khimar but the primary objective is to cover your body.

This was the norm in most of the world until recently, for example here is a video from 1906 England:


The concept that women have to wear hijab because they’re an inherent fitnah, is not true.

 

[Vacelere]

also wallahi I think it would be more convenient for me in a sense to adopt the opinion that covering the hair is what's obligatory. I personally do not think I'd be willing to marry a woman who doesn't cover the face- and this limits my options. if I was going by my own desires, I think I'd go with the covering-hair opinion, I'm not going out of my way to adopt the view that's stricter.

I thought that the original stance in Islam about covering hair for females is only the hair unless it's time of fitna then covering face will be wajib.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Jazakallah khairan

 

[Khaem]

A woman with a full head of hair of course, but if it has been asserted since forever that the reason why we wear hijab is curb sexualisation in society, then why bother with hair if it doesn't really contribute to sex appeal as much as its a cherry on top, so to speak?

I mean the existence of women like that baldy Amber Rose bagging both Kanye and Wiz Khalifa supports what I'm getting at.

View attachment 336809

You're playing Semantics no man is cooming over a girl like that. Rappers and them lot are weirdos