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Some women misuse Hijab

Question

My friend says Allaah's Laws will never lead to Haraam activities. He says in the Gulf women covering their face use it as a cover to do Haraam activities like prostitution which everyone knows today. Also I think in Dubai covering face by Muslim woman is banned. Here in Kasargod a small district in Kerala, India women cover their face, nobody will recognize them and is very easy for them to do prostitution. So by covering face, has given rise to the very thing which Islam asked us not to do, the very thing Islam gave us protection, is being done very easily. So he says that Ayah should not be interpreted that face should be covered. This is the only Law in Islam which leads to a Haraam activity if misused. For example a man marrying more than one wife if misused the husband will be sinning if he do not do justice with his wives and wife may have a difficult life. But this does not lead to a Haraam activity. So my friend says it is the end times, where Fitna increases and to prevent the Haraam that is occurring women should not be asked to cover her face. Even men wear Pardah and do stealing. Is his opinion correct?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is an obligation to abide by Allaah's Orders as abiding by them leads to the good of this world and the Hereafter. Therefore, if Allaah orders women to cover their body or men to grow their beards, then it is an obligation to abide by this order and it is not permissible to violate it on the pretext that dissolute and corrupt women may cover themselves with a veil, or do other matters that Allaah ordained a Muslim to do. Therefore, this should not be a reason for abandoning or waiving these obligations. Rather, the correct and sound attitude for Muslims to take instead is to abide by these obligations and stop the corrupt and bad people.

On the contrary, women’s abandoning the proper Hijab and subsequently not being modest or bashful led to many disadvantages, like Zina (fornication or adultery) and rape and sexual abuse and every person with a sound mind realizes this. So, are these bad consequences not a reason to say that it is an obligation for women to abide by the veil as this is better because it leads to the protection of the society and helps to stop the corrupt and dissolute people [from practicing immorality]? What the Muslims experience today is not a result of abiding by Allaah's Orders, rather those evil consequences are a result of abandoning Allaah's Orders, but most people do not know. It is for this reason that they try to solve the consequences of perversion by opening other doors of deviation and corruption which are even more dangerous and harmful.

Allaah Knows best.

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