بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم ,
The greatest inequality perceived by non-muslims in regards to Muslim men and women is that the women in Islam are all covered up and limited in how they may speak and act in public, while the Muslim men may dress as they wish, and act as they choose. A family might condemn a sister or a daughter for participating in premaritial sex but it is dismissed with a coy smile between brothers, and a shrug from the family. The general attitude "boys will be boys" prevails. A man may wear right fitting clothes in public while he lectures a woman about her lack of a headscarf. A`uthu billah! This is not Islam.
Fornication outside of marriage is punishable with public flogging for men or for women in Islam and to engage in premaritial sex and to pursue the young innocence of women and girls without intention of marriage through flirtations and a waste of their time and energy is a terrible sin. There are no girlfriends/boyfriends in Islam, and I am sick of a Mexican-English student in my city coming up to me to ask me questions about Islam and then she stops because her Arab/supposedly Muslim boyfriend dumps her, and what kind of example of our "shining, perfect" religion was that tool? Hmmm?! This sick sick "Muslim man" is NOTHING like the example of this brother:
There was a Brother in Glasgow (United Kingdom) who became ill and was hospitalized. He was admitted for three days and on the fourth day the attendant nurse said, "Marry me".
He [the brother in Glasgow] asked, "Why? I am a Muslim, you and I cannot become companions---Muslim men don't date." She said, "I will become Muslim". "What's the reason?" it was asked. She said, "In all my time that I have served in hospitals, except you, I have never seen a man lower his gaze in front of a woman. In my life you are the first person who lowers his gaze when seeing a woman. I come, and you close your eyes. Such great modesty can be taught by none other than a true religion."
The protection of one's gaze entered Islam in her. Lowering one's gaze is so much a part of a man's hijab that the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa-sallam used to use his own hand to lower a brother's gaze if he was staring at a beautiful woman. Brothers, you should be doing this to eachother and be the example that brother in Glasgow was. That woman he treated with the respect Islam says EVERY woman deserves (not just the Muslimahs) testified to the Oneness of Allah and became a Muslim. They both got married. By now, the same woman was and is the means of bringing so many other girls and women into Islam. Alhamdulilah!
Also, in regards to hijab, men have a clothing requirement from hijab as well, only it differs in which parts of the body they have to cover. O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment* upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment, and the raiment of righteousness, that is better. Such are among the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allâh, that they may remember (i.e. leave falsehood and follow truth). (The Noble Qur'an Al-A'raaf 7:26). If you are in a speedo and your wife is in niqab, you don't deserve your wife and you are also committing a sin. The parts of your body that are awra and have to covered with clothing are: from umbilicus (belly button) of one's abdomen to one's knees, and it is better that both his shoulder should be covered, and no trace of the garment should trail on the ground. Also forbidden to wear is the wearing of gold, silk, or the colour red or purple (this is for men only). The sunnah of what should covered is the wearing of the izar (loin-wrap), thawb (long cloth), `imama (turban), jubba (coat or mantle), sirwal (baggy pants), and not wearing the colour yellow, as this was the Prophet's salla Allahu alaihi wa-sallam Sunnah of dress. There is no such thing as an unimportant or unnecessary Sunnah. Also, to dress in other than the sunnah is to dress in the way of the disbelievers. The Prophet said on the authority of Ibn `Umar: "Whoso resembles a people in appearance, he is one of them." [Narrated by Abu Dawud (Libas) and Ahmad (2:50, 2:92) with a chain which has some weakness according to Sakhawi in al- Maqasid al-hasana, however he states that its authenticity is verified by other narrations. Also narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf (5:313), Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari 10:274 [Dar al-Fikr ed.], and Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (8:53). `Iraqi said its chain is sound (sahih). al-Bazzar also relates it through Hudhayfa and Abu Hurayra, Abu Nu`aym through Anas, and al-Quda`i relates it through Tawus, a chain which Ibn Hibban declared sahih. Ibn Taymiyya in his Iqtida' al-siratal- mustaqim (p. 82) calls Abu Dawud's and Ahmad's chain "a good chain."] For those who wish to rememble the believers, this blog is for you and here is a quick list of how it is best for you to dress and maintain yourself before I do the other posts I have planned: always cover your awra (for men, this is the distance between the knees and bellybutton, including both the knees and bellybutton being covered)---cover more when able, such as the arms for modesty, wear your best available clothes for prayer,
do not resemble the disbelievers attire, keep your clothes clean, do not wear bright, flashy colors, wear white when able to for prayer, do not wear images of people, animals, or insects on your clothes, hem your pants short so that they do not drag on the ground, do not tuck your shirt in your pants, but instead have a thawb that covers the knees, or wear an izar, etc, cover your hair for prayer when able, do not shave off your beard, for it is part of your required hijab, and do not wear gold or silk.
