Pretty Abayas on TV

Khaleejia just did an amazing post on Emirati abaya fashions http://khaleejia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abaya-khalijia-great-mix.html and I really like some of them. Here are my favourites, though I would wear alot of them with the shayla styled differently. The top one, I like the abaya and the cell phone together. Neither are my stle but together they looked kinda cool.

The sleeves on this one are sooooooo fun with the rainbow ribbon, the crochet, and the sweet tassel. I would wear a plain black shayla with it with a pretty hijab pin. Leopard, rainbow, crochet AND tassel are too much for me personally.Both these sisters have pretty Bisht style abayas with a sinple embellishment on the opening of the sleeve.I like the way there is a little gather on the sister's hjab that matches the design her bisht/or matching purse??? Love it, gonna make one of those:D Cover your hair ladies!Pretty purple-lined farasha with just the right ammount of floral embroidery for me.
I really love that these two girls are wearing their shaylas fully on their heads, mashaAllah. Simple floral embroidery is soooooooo my thing and the sister on the left has a cool zebra print hijab (which I am know to sport on occasion).Green fabric inserts. I like, and I don't even know why cuz I think it'd look bad on me. My sister Jane on the otherhand... It is the type I'd get as a gift for her.I like how this sister is wearing her floral hijab, and how it picks up the reds in her abaya sleeves, and matches her bracelet.The one in the pink reminds me of Aalia.

Crazy cool zany print hijab, reminds me of Oman.

Usual Turkish hijab print worn in Khaleeji style with bright bold chunky necklace, lol, I've been doing that for years now too.

I like this look for sisters who are trying to wear hijab but on whom it isn't obligatory yet. It looks cute. But the chest should be covered and the hair when you really start to wear it.

If the bangs were only in... I LOVE the scarf though. Very pretty. For more see the link to Khaleejia's post above.

PART I: The Illustrated History of the evolution of Hijab in the Authentic Sunnah

This will, inshaAllah, be an illustrated history on the evolution of hijab in the authentic Sunnah

Its aims will be to answer the following questions. Where did the clothing we wear now as "hijab" come from? Did it ever exist in a different form? What did the last approved of form of hijab approximately look like?

Where did the clothing we wear now as "hijab" come from?
Many say that veiling the face, wearing an overgarment, and covering the hair in the manner of hijab, predated the birth of the Prophet Mohammed sallalahu alahi wa salaam. Indeed it did. In stating such they infer that it is not a practice from God at all, but one invented by man, rather than the Creator. But Messengers had come before, all the way back to Adam (allahi wa salaam), and no doubt it was revealed to all of the messengers (allahi wa salaam), as their message was always the same. There is one God, worship and obey Him. The Christian Bible contains traces of the command for khimar and a small percentage of Jewish and Christian women preserve the tradition of what was revealed to the Prophets their faiths claim. The meaning of why it was worn, and how it was to be worn was lost, until the message of Islam came to bear the same message yet again, this time as a last and final message, clear and precise, as Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala promises in the mercy and warning that IS the Qu'ran “…This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as a religion…” (Al-Maa’idah:3).

WHAT WERE WOMEN WOMEN WEARING BEFORE THE GUIDANCE OF ISLAM?

At the time when the Prophet Mohammed sallalahu allahi wa salaam was born Scholars say that pagan women among the Quyaish did still wear the remnants of a khimar in the form of covering their hair (or covered it partially) with a headress, which they often threw over their shoulders, wearing a simple or elaborate thobe dress (khamisa) which sometimes was left open so that the breasts were exposed, as Egyptian women did in the time of Pharoh.

From authentic ahadith we know what sort of trade came in and out of Makkah, it being on a premier caravan route "...For the protection of the Quraysh, their protection on their summer and winter journeyings, let them worship the Lord of this House." (Surah Quraysh). Above are pictures of Saudi tribal clothing typical of the areas surrounding Makkah http://www.mansoojat.org/, of a MiddleEastern wig dating from the time period of the Prophet Mohammed sallalahu alahi wa salaam, a sketch from a Roman engraving of the same style of wig from the period, and Beduoin women with traditional blue tribal tattoos on their chins and forheads---some tribes tattooed brown or red circles on the women's cheeks depending on the region. Another picture is of a woman wearing her eyes rimmed with kohl.

We know that yellow, rust red, orange, and brown dyes were available to the peoples of Makkah. Aisha [May Allah be pleased with her], from Al-Qaasim – and he is Muhammad ibn Abee Bakr As-Siddeeq: " ‘Aa’ishah used to wear clothing dyed with safflower while she was in a state of Ihraam." Ibn Abee Mulaikah reported: "I saw upon Umm Salamah a garment and a covering coloured with safflower [i.e. yellow/red]." The yellowish/red dye came from saffron and was thus a more expensive dye, as purple was, in the days before synthetics came about. Thus the Prophet Mohammed sallalahu alahi wa salaam did not like men wearing coloured with these dyes because often they did so to show off their financial status and tribal status and himself discarded clothing this colour, but said "there is no harm" in it for women, as obviously Aisha and Umm Salamah [May Allah be pleased with them] were always allowed to be dressed in it, even during pilgrimmage. Striped garments woven in Syria came through on the caravan routes because the Prophet sallalahu alahi wa salaam was given one such garment but he discarded it since it nearly distracted him from his prayer. The Prophet sallalahu alahi wa salaam himself favoured simple garments saying: "Wear white garments, for they are the best and the cleanest and you enshroud dead in them". But that by no means meant that white was the only colour allowed. Darker colours made the woven cloth less see-through and so no matter their expense (such as saffron) they were to be given to the women after the coming of Islam. Black, being the most common of dark dyes, could be made from goat's milk, so it was easily accessible. We know many colours were available to the women of the Quraysh, and we know that after the coming of Islam, they continued to be worn by the women of Al Islam. Red, yellow, green, brown, indigo, and even black. Natural dyes are made from vegetable or mineral sources. One of the most important natural coloring agents is from the madder, a common plant that grows wild in Persia. The root of the madder produces dye for various shades of red and pink. When combined with a mixture of milk and fermented grape juice, the madder root yields a violet dye. The bright red cochineal insect also provides red dye, as well as the kermes insect that lives in the bark of oak trees. Saffron produces the brightest and also the most expensive yellow. Sumac, turmeric, and pomegranate also supply various yellow dyes. Green can be made from a dyeing of indigo followed by a bath of yellow. Black dye can be made from iron oxide or goat's milk. Brown dyes can be made by mixing madder root with yellow or from the shells of green walnuts, gallnuts, and valonia. Brown dyes sometimes have a tendency to dull with age. Imam Bukhari narrated from Umm Khalid she said: "Some clothes were presented to Allah's Apostle as a gift and there was a black Khamisa with it. The Prophet asked (his companions), "To whom do you suggest we give this Khamisa?" The people kept quiet. Then he said, "Bring me Um Khalid." So I was brought to him and he dressed me with it with his own hands (i.e he handed it to her) and said twice, "May you live so long that you will wear out many garments." . So we know that before Islam and even after, the women of the Sahaba wore colours. For more on the historical processes of dyeing http://sca.livingpast.com/dyes.html.
We also know that before Islam it was common for women to file their teeth and archeological records indicate this. Also wearing wigs, weaving false hair into hair, plucking the eyebrows, and tattooing (typically for women their chins and forheheads and sometimes cheeks) can be evidenced by traditions that exist among Beduoins, and illustrations on the walls of Egypt and in the accounts of the Romans. Growing the nails to impractical lengths and filing them into claw-like shapes resembling falcons talon was also a common attribute considered beautiful among the pagan women of the Quraysh. Allah Almighty has said: "What they call on apart from Him are female idols. What they call on is an arrogant shaytan whom Allah has cursed. He said, 'I will take a certain fixed proportion of Your slaves. I will lead them astray and fill them with false hopes. I will command them and they will cut off cattle's ears. I will command them and they will change Allah's creation.'" Ibn Mas'ud said, "Allah curses women who tattoo and are tattoed, women who pluck their eyebrows, and women who file their teeth to make gaps for beauty, altering Allah's creation!" A woman spoke to him about that and he said, "Why should I not curse those the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cursed when that is in the Book of Allah? Allah Almighty says, 'So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you.' (59:7)". Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cursed anyone who joins hair together and the person asks for it to be joined, and the tattooer and the woman who is tattooed. Asma' reported that a woman asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "O Messenger of Allah, my daughter was afflicted by measles and her hair fell out. I have given her in marriage, can I join on other hair to hers?" He said, "Allah has cursed anyone who joins hair together and the person to whose hair it is joined." One variant has, "The woman who joins hair and the woman who asks for it to be done." The like of it is related from 'A'isha. Humayd ibn 'Abdu'r-Rahman reported that he heard Mu'awiya on the minbar in the year when he made pilgrimage. He took a bunch of hair which was in the hand of a guard and said, "O people of Madina! Where are your men of knowledge? I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbid the like of this and say, 'The tribe of Israel was destroyed when their women adopted this.'" Imam Bukhari and Muslim reported that the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) listed five acts are considered from the (Sunan) Al-Fitrah and he mentioned clipping one’s fingernails and toenails. It is preferred that they are removed whenever they get long, not exceeding forty days as reported in the Hadith by Anass (R.A.A.). To leave the nail for longer was to make one's self resemble the animals and the disbelievers, so we know it was a fashion of the pagan Quraysh.

Two other fashions common to the Quraysh before Islam were the wearing of kohl in the eye rims, henna on the hands, and the wearing of anklets. Anklets were never forbidden to be worn, nor was any other expensive jewelry but And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their adornment except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms, and not to display their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you the faithful, in order that you are successful. (Quran Surah an-Nur ayah 31 (24:31). does command women not to stamp their feet to make those charms obvious. There are also many ahadith that talk about women's jewelry, so obviously this jewelry was also worn before the advent of Islam. Henna and kohl are two form of beautification that the Prophet sallalahu allahi wa salaam did not say were changing Allah's creation, so they remained halal forms of beautification after the event of Islam and obviously existed before. It was also common practice for wealthier women to wear perfume in public but the Prophet sallalahi alahi wa salaam warned women not to do so in front of non-maharam men or outside of their homes, because he likened the action of men being able to smell her perfume to as if she had committed fornication with them.

This above is a form of traditional Saudi dress for the tribes that reside in Al Madinah. It may have been similiar to what the Ansaari women wore, and is often dark-dyed (indigo is a popular shade for some tribes), fitted and belted at the waist and decorated with embroidery and hand-made metal beads, and quilted at the hem to protect against thorny bushes. Patch work is common. This would have been similiar to the dress of the women of Ansaar before the ayaat pertaining to jilbab and khimar were revealed.

Well that's it for part one, WHAT WERE WOMEN WEARING BEFORE THE GUIDANCE OF ISLAM. InshaAllah next up, the Qu'ran gives women guidance to how to dress to protect themselves and please their Creator:D I hope ya'll are looking forward to it.

Egyptian Cotton Jalibiyias/ Galabiyias

I love Egyptian cotton jalibiyias. I wear them around the house and fancier ones for special occasions. I don't wear them out as jilbab very often because in my husband's culture they are expressly an inner garment but I think they work perfect as a jilbab. These are some of the ones I love. Right now this site Al Jilbab is having a small summer sale, and if you buy the less expensive ones, you can get four for $100 +shipping. I miss Oman where I could buy four for $30.00 :D The shipping is what is expensive with this site, not the garments.
Above is how I tend to wear my cotton jalibiyias when I wear them as hijab (but with more chest coverage from the hijab). And when I wear it at home I tend to pair it with more jewelry like crazy earrings, fun party make up, and my hair styled nicely.

Everything I THINK makes a "Qu'ranic" Jilbab

The evolution of the Qu'ranic jilbab to what can be worn today has to follow some simple guidelines. It must a. be an overgarment (i.e something worn over one's regular clothing), b. loose fitting, c. not see-through, d. not be decorated in an ostentatious manner that increases one's social status, e. not resemble men's clothing, and f. not confuse people about whether you are affiliated with something that is only for the disbelievers such as a haraam behaviour or shirk. A simplification of the Qu'ranic jilbab (albeit a more colourful version) worn by the Prophet's wives (R.A) is the Saudi milhafah overhead abaya that may be cut to only reveal one eye or may be cut with a space for the niqab and is often open in style. It is an overhead abayaat that is cut like a farasha. If closed it is an Egyptian style referred to as Isdal. Only very recently did this type of abayaat evolve to have pronounced t-shaped sleeves. That is because the original garments worn by the Ansaar were more like floor length khimars/and Iranian chador clothes. Anyways, from this style is derived the the popular farasha (butterfly) shoulder cut abaya, and the thobe and bisht abayaat. The modesty of the overhead abayaat have recently been popularized again in the farasha, thobe, and bisht shoulder designs.The shoulder abayaat fell out of the scene a little ways when the shoulder/robe abaya came on the scene in the late 80s. Heading towards the nineties there was harsh debate whether it was appropriate for young Saudi ladies, lol, especially when the skin tight french cut became popular. When skin tight became a trend, the abaya stopped being proper jilbab. With 9/11 a renewed interest in preserving the name of Islam helped many sisters research their hijabs to better explain it to prejudiced persons and more modest loose fitting robe abayaat began to return, as well as more Western takes on the Qu'ranic classic, such as open styles (only hijab when also paired with a modest long dress underneath that is itself an overgarment not the undergarment).Before the open abaya ever hit the scene though, places like Turkey and Syria were manufacturing what are termed "jilbabs"----long modest loose-fitting floor length coats that opened, buttoned and zipped. In the West, sisters found it very hard to find long sleeved floor length dresses that were loose fitting, so many started wearing a long coat with a long loose skirt, and long loose tunic tops with long loose skirts, making the traditional hijab that conisted of one or two pieces, be composed with as many as four. Many sisters who could not find suitable tops lengthened their scarf "hijabs" into what is now termed "khimars"---waist or knee length, and paired them with long skirts that were an overgarment (not the outfit itself but what is worn on top of). Some call these garments more polished "prayer outfits". They are what is closest to what the women of Ansaar were wearing before the ayah revealing khimar was revealed, closer even than an overhead milhafaah abaya:D. Other sisters composed their jilbabs out of one peice of cloth, wrapping it around their bodies, some women with Iranian chadors, other bright traditional African patterns, and come with saris. Anyways, I have seen sisters recently wearing maxi dresses and jumpers with their khimars covering their chests and most of their arms with a modest loose fitting t-shirt underneath, and I do think that this is jilbab so long as the maxi is an overgarment and khimar is covering most of the arms. Also, layering tunic (over top of a tee or a tank) and a skirt (over some kind of bottom) so long as the fabric is not clingy or see through, also constitutes jilbab, and maxi worn as an overgarment with a box coat (not a spandex shrug or carina top) is also Westernized jilbab. The key is, the garment has to remain an overgarment. Even a loose robe abaya worn with nothing underneath of it but bra and panties will leave the indent of your belly button exposed if the wind hits you right. Since finding garments manufactured specifically for the purpose of jilbab was expensive and difficult, many turned to ethnic clothing that was loose and non-see-through enough to do the trick, and wore traditional African and Arab inner clothing as the outer layer. Modestly decorated takchita (some ARE worn to display social status), jalibiyia (some are worn too elaborately decorated to count as jilbab to beeeeeeeee careful), djellaba, long dresses, and caftans, all work as an outer layer provided they are worn as such with the same rules about what a jilbab must be in mind. They often make the most beautiful special occasions dressings.

InshaAllah I hope this post is useful to some of you.

Love Pixie

for Sammi: Sirens Hijab Looks

Meet Sammi (this pic only resembles her---it isn't actually her). Sammi works in a teen "club wear" / "casual" cute clothing store, for the same company I used to work for. We met when Aalia, Boxie and me were hanging out, shopping. Sammi has seen me wearing everything from abaya and niqab to skinny jeans and cocktail dresses and she always let me use the stroller change room cuz the store only has mirrors outside the rooms, except that one, and men sometimes have their girlfriend's model stuff for them, so I don't like to peer out. Sammi let me always, kindly. The first time I wore niqab into the store I heard one of her co-workers whisper about how I could wear what I am wearing so I had to correct her and be like, I choose this, I love it, and I get to have the clothes you have AND the ones I am wearing, and mine are more beautiful to me. Anyways... Sammi and most of the girls at the mall have learnt about Islam (badly) from the influx of Saudi boys here on scholarships. Sammi actually had a "boyfriend" that told her he was an Arab prince. She laughed and googled him. Sammi fell in love with one of the playboys, and he broke her heart, but she had been looking up Islam (since he told her he couldn't marry her if she wasn't a Muslim) and she learnt the religion was more beautiful and worthy than him. So she came up to Boxie and me, and asked us to explain it to her. I don't know if she is totally %100 serrious about becoming a Muslimah but she did ask how to pray and came to the Masjid and she asked how she would wear hijab and keep her job. So Sammi, this post is for you, because you are certainly more courageous than me, who was waaaaaay to scarred to approach Muslimahs....I remember going through the same conflict until I stopped caring soooo much. Anyways... I remember people telling me five hundred different things, but I know, since my first attempts at hijab came from Sammi' store, that she'll be able to imitate the store's feature looks easily with hijab----a modesty makeover of this site (warning, contains music so turn speakers off) to see what we are giving a modesty makeover to: http://www.sirensfashion.com/main.htm click on new looks). Here is my makeover of the first look
and the yellow skinny jeans look redone with a Siren's tunic dress.... and yellow skirt instead.

So true: this vid is

For those who claim that hijab (an overgarment [that is loose and not see-through] and khimar [a headscarf that covers the hair and the neck and the chest]) is not required of Muslims even though Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala commanded both in the Holy Qu'ran keep this in mind---it is about obeying God, not about following trends among other Muslims or the kafirun. Love you all my sisters for the sake of Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala and sorry sincerly for sounding sooooooooooooo preachy. Ha ha ha. It is hard not to feel all "mommy" on a subject when you've been there, done that. But everyone really does learn best by their own mistakes. But as my husband keeps telling me, the wise man learns from the mistakes of others'. Since I haven't been very good at that, I do want to say, read, read, read exerpts from the Companions, the Prophet Sallalahu alahi wa salaam, and the Qu'ran. May Allah increase all of our knowledge ameen, and give us the strength to apply it in our lives. And sisters don't go judging one another, instead focus on judging yourself, have you made any effort at knowledge? The one who rejects the Qu'ran and the sunnah reject the two greatest intecessors on the day of judgement, and the greatest mercy and guidance from Allah suhanhu wa ta'ala. There is a great punishment for those who have knowledge but do not follow it. Sister Jamila did a very true and humble post on the subject http://revertmuslimah.blogspot.com/2009/05/punishment-in-grave.html which I've def. gotta apply to myself. LOL, now I'll get back to some fun fashion:D Cuz we all know that's what you come here for jjkn.

Jilbab is a religious requirement of the Muslim Woman

Jilbab is a religious obligation for believing women and once you study how it was worn you will know shalwar kameez does not a jilbab make---though other things besides a traditional abaya can and DO (afterall, that is what this blog is all about---making proper hijab out of EVERYTHING available to the Muslim woman).

On my post about the religious discrimination Shabina Begum was faced with when her school would not allow her to wear jilbab http://ilovehishmatheblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/girl-i-admire-shabina-begum.html I realized that alot of people are mixing up cultural terms with Islamic ones. The way they do when they don't realize that hijab isn't just a headscarf. Jilbab isn't an abaya, though it may consist of one. Jilbab IS indeed an obligation on the Muslim woman and must be worn over her clothing when she leaves her home.

In the Quran, Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 (33:59) says:

Ya ayyuha an-Nabiyy qul li azwajika wa banatika wa nisa al-mu'minin yudnina alayhinna min jalabib hinna; dhalika adna an yu'rafna fa laa yu'dhayn. Wa kana Allahu Ghafur Rahim

O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their JALABIB close around them; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.

The word "jalabib" is the plural of "jilbab". Clearly, this ayah states a command for Muslim women to wear a garment which Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala has called "jilbab". It was never revoked as a commandment, and a great number of ahadith help back that up, and make clearer what jilbab is and how it covers http://www.muhajabah.com/jilbab.htm#sharia. Since it is a commandment in the Qu'ran from Allah the Most High, if you told me I could not have a job or go to school if I wore it (whether you provided me with a plaid school skirt or a shalwar kameez) you would be asking my to disobey my Creator and the Qu'ran to forgo the jilbab, so obviously that it discriminating against my religion.

Alot of people seem to have the image of this in mind when they think of the word "jilbab":

They think "abaya". Well, an abaya can certainly be worn as jilbab (it makes an amazingly practical one and is often stylish too) but the word "jilbab" in classical Arabic, and in the usage of the scholars, is a very general term that may be translated into English simply as "outergarment". Key: all the sisters who posted on my Shabina Begum post listed the criteria of a jilbab that the scholar's have given for it, but they neglected the fact that all the four madhabs are unanimous that the jilbab is firstly, an overgarment.

Any outergarment that meets the criteria given above is a jilbab. There are many styles that are possible, and there are many outergarments in many Muslim cultures that can be used for what the Quran means by jilbab. These may be called "abaya", "chador", "khimar +skirt", "djellaba", "burnous", "haik", "milaya", or a thousand other names. They may even be called "jilbab".
What we must always keep clear in our minds is that there is the Quranic jilbab, which is any outergarment that meets the criteria set out in the Shari'a; and there may also be a "cultural jilbab" that refers to a very specific style. As Muslims we are responsible for following the Shari'a not Arab culture. When a word is used in the Quran or hadiths, we need to give it the definition it has according to the Shari'a, not the definition it might have in Arab culture.

So whether you wear an abaya, a chador, a djellaba, or indeed a "jilbab", be sure that it meets the criteria of the Shari'a:
It is an outergarment, an extra layer, something that you wear over your clothes
It is made of thick, opaque fabric so that nobody can see what is under it
It is loose so that nobody can see the contours of your figure
If you are going to wear a coat-like jilbab, be sure that your head and neck are covered by your khimar and that your feet are completely covered by your garment or by socks and shoes (and, if you follow that opinion, that your face is covered by your niqab).

Because of this Ummah's lack of understanding in regards to the subject of jilbab, many think of jilbab as only an abaya (they don't know what is required in regards to jilbab), they don't know that jilbab is a command in the Qu'ran (except the first girl in the vid I'm about to show you), and so many countries/governments/and ignorant individuals therein don't seem to realize that jilbab, while a religious requirement, is something wholly between a Muslim woman and her Creator and it should not be enforced by any governing body as only Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala can punish or forgive those women who disregard His commands, it is not for us to change our dealings with them, or judge them.

Here is a vid to show you how mixed up people are in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about the subject of jilbab (and hopefully people realize how hard is for women in supposedly Islamic countries to wear proper hijab against the wishes of family and friends and even husbands). I want to stress, there is no Caliphate in the world right now, and so there is no Islamic country, only a -cultural Muslim majority (the narrator of the vid doesn't mention this), and of course jilbab and khimar and even niqab existed before the advent of Islam as all the Prophets (allahi wa salaam) bore the message if Islam before their messages were corrupted. As one wise commentator on the vid wrote "of course the abaya [jilbab] was in Mesopotamia 4000 years ago before the Prophet Muhammad salallahu 3alaihi wa sallam because there were prophets there. We know that Ibrahim and Yunus 3alaihi salam were from Mesopotamia which is present day 3Iraq. These are the teachings of all the prophets. All the prophets taught hijab and the abaya or should I say jilbab is Qur'anic not cultural or traditional like people would want us to believe."

I am soooooooooo on the same page as the first Saudi girl. I wear jilbab because it is a religious obligation (and I understand it and interpret my clothes based on my understanding) but I don't think it should be enforced and disagree with any enforcement of hijab/jilbab/khimar on those who do not believe or have not yet the understanding the same way I object to anti-hijab anti-jilbab regulations. Here is the post I did on everything I think is proper Islamic jilbab http://ilovehishmatheblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/everything-i-think-makes-quranic-jilbab.html

How to Wear Hijab Video: the basic Gulf wrap

Kuwaiti Girls

Famous pic from the elections.

Love that girl's shayla and sleeves but not the way she's wrapped her hijab with all the hair hanging out. See this post http://hegab-rehab.blogspot.com/2009/05/shaytaans-how-to-take-off-hijab.html.

Floral embroidery on her abaya sleeves, pretty blue crystals trimming her shyala, and a cute bag.

A GIRL I ADMIRE: Shabina Begum

Shabina Begum was a pupil at Denbigh High School, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, who claimed she had a right to wear a jilbab (a long gown) to school (which she believed was required by her Muslim faith), in contravention of the school uniform policy. The school stated that she was required to attend school dressed in the correct uniform, and Begum refused to attend for three years unless she was allowed to wear the jilbab.

The headmistress and 79% of the pupils at Denbigh High School were [culturally] Muslims. In addition to uniforms incorporating trousers or skirts, female pupils are also offered a uniform based on the Pakistani or Punjabi shalwar kameez with optional khimar. The school uniform was decided upon in consultation with local mosques and parents. Despite this, in the opinion of Begum and her supporters, the particular form of shalwar kameez offered by the school was relatively close-fitting with short sleeves, and was therefore not compliant with the requirements of Islamic dress that appear to be stated in Sharia law. In addition, the jilbab is, in the opinion of Begum and her supporters, a more culturally-neutral form of Islamic attire. Begum was of Bangladeshi descent, where shalwar kameez is the traditional dress.

The school's supporters had claimed that after Begum's parents had died, she had come under the undue influence of her brother Shuweb Rahman, a supporter of the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. They also argued that if Begum was allowed to attend classes wearing jilbab, other pupils would feel under pressure to adopt stricter forms of Islamic dress [total crap in my opinion---what a cop out---just because other students are allowed to wear a plaid mini skirt does Begum feel the need to adopt a stricter type of Western-dress?????!]

Begum, with her brother, issued a claim for judicial review of the school's decision not to allow her to wear the jilbab at school. The claim was made on the grounds that the school had interfered with her right to manifest her religion and her right to education (both rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights). Begum lost the case in the High Court, but later won on appeal to the Court of Appeal. The school appealed against this decision, and the case was heard by the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords. The Department for Education and Skills was allowed to make submissions in the hearing in the House of Lords. The House of Lords ruled in favour of the school. Begum was represented in the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords by Cherie Blair(Booth) QC.

Lord Bingham of Cornhill stressed at the outset of his judgment that "this case concerns a particular pupil and a particular school in a particular place at a particular time. It must be resolved on facts which are now, for purposes of the appeal, agreed. The House is not, and could not be, invited to rule on whether Islamic dress, or any feature of Islamic dress, should or should not be permitted in the schools of this country". The Law Lords took the view that a person's right to hold a particular religious belief was absolute (i.e. could not be interfered with), but that a person's right to manifest a particular religious belief was qualified (i.e. it could be interfered with if there was a justification). 3 of the 5 Law Lords held that Begum's rights had not been interfered with (Lord Bingham, Lord Scott of Foscote and Lord Hoffmann), and 2 held that they had (Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead and Baroness Hale of Richmond). All 5 agreed, however, that in this particular case there were justifiable grounds for interference, one of the grounds being to protect the rights of other female students at the school who would not wish to be pressured into adopting a more extreme form of dress (again, what a load of crap).

***I had to add, first off non-muslims on this thread, you don't have a clue about the requirements of Islamic clothing (I mean, you have studied the dress of the Sahaba, what the Prophet Mohammed sallalahu alahi wa salaam told people to wear, or even what the Qu'ran i.e God commanded Muslim women in the form of clothing?) The Qu'ran does command Muslim women to wear the jilbab. It says "believing women, pull your jilbab over yourself". It is a command from God, part of the religion, and anyone who will not let a woman get a job or go to school because of khimar or jilbab is discriminating against her religion. JILBAB is considered a fard (obligatory) thing for a Muslim woman to wear by ALL FOUR Islamic schools of thought (Maliki, Shaffi, Hanbali, and Hanafi) so regardless of what her Indian/Pakistani/Bangleshi culturally "muslim" school thought, it is under shariah a command that any judicial body in Islam would decide upon. Shalwar kameez has no basis in Islam and is a cultural dress (Shabina herself calls shalwar her own cultural dress as she is bangladeshi) but it IS NOT an islamic dress. Jilbab is. A khimar is allowed at Shabina's old school (alhamdulilah) but asking a Muslim woman who has read the Qu'ran where God commands a woman to wear jilbab to wear a shalwar is the same asking her to wear a plaid mini skirt. It is forcing her to disobey God and forsake her religion. There are alot of cultural or misinformed Muslims that say a headscarf (khimar) is enough but it isn't. Jilbab was commanded BEFORE khimar was in the Qu'ran, when you study it. Please have an Islamic education before you call people names like "idiots" especially a brave girl liek Shabina that stands up to discrimination. I tell a black man that he can't be black and sit on my park bench. There are plenty other park benches where black people are allowed to sit that aren't this one. Think about it. Discrimination is discrimination, and no, a "muslim" headmistress that doesn't know that jilbab is a fard requirement is def. a cultural muslim, rather than an Islamically educated one. Shalwar kameez is also popular on a cultural muslim population that says women shouldn't come to the Masjids. That has nothing to do with Islam the same way shalwar kameez has nothing to do with Islam.

The Eyes Have It---the eyebrows don't

This is a total re-post from my old BM blog but someone asked and the topic aaaaaaaaalllllwaaaays comes up. Is plucking the eyebrows haraam? If it is pleasing to one's husband may one do it anyway, even if it is generally cursed? Does waxing or threading count as plucking? On and on we go.

Removing hair from the eyebrows is haraam no matter what means you use to dispense with that hair. This is because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: Allah has cursed those women who modify their eyebrows or ask others to do it for them (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim). That means shaping the brows into pretty arabic eyes like these...

is haraam. Not hijab. What does it matter if you are wearing hijab, but you are cursed anyways? subhanAllah. I shake my head sometimes. Some girls seem to think it is okay to shape the brows (but not too much) because Aisha R.A said to remove what is harmful (unnatural) to one. Here is what she said in context, may Allah subhanhu wa ta'ala be pleased with her:

Dr. al-Qaradawi in his book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam has mentioned that "Al-Tabari reports a narrative concerning the wife of Abu Ishaq, who loved to beautify herself. Once she visited 'Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- and asked, 'What if a woman removes the hair from her forehead to please her husband?' 'Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- said, 'Remove what is harmful from yourself whenever possible.' " (see p. 90)

Note, the woman said forehead. Scholars have taken that to mean you may remove a unibrow---something that is unnatural for you to have. Also any hairs that make you resemble a man, such as chin hairs, or a mustache. Not the brow itself, which the Prophet sallalahu alahi wa salaam told you to keep and was beautiful for you---part of Allah's creation not to be altered by men---in the same category as tatooing or filing the teeth.Ladies, please don't go growing a mustache because the kafirun want you to, the same way I beg you please don't thin your lovely brows because some kafirun have deemed it "en Vogue". This is a major source of fitna for our Muslim sisters! Especially, in the traditionally Muslim countries, where you see girls in perfect hijab, but accursed altered brows.
Natural brows are lovely brows. See celebs like Rachel Weisz wearing them. They suit a woman. For more on the subject http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view_print.asp?ID=55