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 (1523 Reads)(2059 total words in this text)
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After the death of the Prophet (s), Muslims witnessed much controversy and disagreement on matters related to the religion. With the appearance of heretical groups came the need to refute foreign ideas from the religion and preserve the creed held by the Prophet (s) and his Companions, which resulted in much disputing, and even bloodshed, among Muslims. However, religious disputes were not solely characteristic of those between heretical groups and Muslims upon the Sunnah, but they were also present among Muslims who held fast to the Sunnah.
Nevertheless, these disagreements between the people of the Sunnah were, as described by early scholars, those that did not harm them in the least. In other words, even in matters of serious disagreement, the scholars of the Sunnah remained respectful toward one another and continued to love one another for the sake of Allah. In recent times, by the mercy of Allah, the scholars of this ummah have continued on this path of mutual respect even in disagreement, but, unfortunately, the laypeople have witnessed something entirely different.
Since the common person does not have the knowledge, wisdom, and good manners of a scholar, she is likely to approach an issue of difference of opinion quite differently than would a person of knowledge. As a result, an issue that results in respectful disagreement among the scholars more often than not results in bitter disputation and animosity among laypeople. Of course, one of the most obvious examples of this is the disagreement on Islam’s view of the niqaab, the face veil. Although the issue of whether or not the niqaab is obligatory (fard) or recommended (mustahabb) is the central dispute among Muslims, this essay will address another aspect of the niqaab dispute that is often left out of scholarly discourse on the issue but is the source of great harm and animosity among Muslims: the absence of respect for one another’s view on the niqaab.
It goes without saying that the answer to whether or not the niqaab is obligatory or recommended will never be solved in circles of laypeople, for it has not even be solved in circles of scholars. In fact, the arguments are so detailed and specific on each side that it quite likely will not be solved until the Day of Judgment. With such a reality, arguments among laypeople on this issue should be rare to nonexistent except in the context of a friendly exchange of information. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and bitter arguments characterize many Muslim discussions. Internet chat rooms, message boards, and sisters’ gatherings are just a few examples of this. However, what is more unfortunate is that beyond the argument itself is an underlying intolerance, if not disrespect, among Muslims for a person having another point of view than them.
On one of the most popular Muslim websites on the internet, a message board was titled “Yes to Hijaab, No to Niqaab,” and, as the title suggests, the board was filled with a host of insults—from Muslims—against Muslim women who wear niqaab, ranging from labeling them extremist to referring to the niqaab as “repulsive”. On the flip side, it is not uncommon to hear sisters who wear niqaab discussing, quite vehemently, the senselessness of a woman displaying her face in public. However, Muslims should avoid such harmful discourse that does nothing more than create animosity in our hearts (which prevents us from loving each other for the sake of Allah) and removes faith from our hearts and replaces it with diseases that corrupt our souls.
In addition to such harmful discussions and despite Islam being very clear that Muslims are one brotherhood, many Muslims have an “us versus them” mode of thinking on the issue of the veil, in which sisters who wear niqaab comprise one group and those who do not wear niqaab comprise another group. Sometimes this “us versus them” phenomenon manifests itself in conversations, and, more seriously, it sometimes manifests itself in people’s choosing of friends. In other words, the “us versus them” mode of thinking has affected us so much that many Muslims choose—and lose—friends based on whether or not someone does or does not wear niqaab, even if this choice or loss is not done intentionally. There are even Muslim internet groups and clubs that base membership on whether or not a sister wears niqaab, which further complicates the phenomenon of categorizing, and thus dividing, ourselves by our dress.
Another phenomenon regarding the niqaab is the further dividing of Muslims based on how frequent a person wears or does not wear niqaab. What happens here is an offshoot of the “us versus them” phenomenon in that a sister who wears niqaab sometimes finds herself at odds with a sister who wears it all the time. This phenomenon further manifests itself when a sister who wants to wear niqaab is given an ultimatum: all or nothing. In other words, she must either wear the niqaab all of the time or not all, leaving her to feel as if she has to choose “us” or “them”. This position, which does not recognize an Islamic position in between, has been defended by the belief, “If you don’t wear it all of the time, then it’s not for the sake of Allah.” This ultimatum is actually given quite frequently as advice to sisters thinking of covering their faces. In fact, many sisters thinking of wearing the niqaab have been warned against being like the “them” group, who “wear it and then take it off,” whether they stop wearing it altogether or wear it only sometimes.
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