10-19-2004, 07:58 PM
Asalamalaykum
<b>And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not show off their beauty and ornaments except what is (ordinarily) visible thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards God, that ye may attain Bliss. </b>
Surah 24 Verse 31
<b>O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. </b>
Surah 33 Verse 59
Yes you are very right hair is a sign of beauty. Depending on most cultural contexts, Hair is considered almost 50% of a woman’s beauty, and so is everything else that Allah ordered us to cover from everyone else except the persons described in the verses, (Including the Husbands and close family members etc). The term hijab means more than just covering the hair and refers to the general code of modesty outlined in the verses quoted above.
To understand what is implied in these verses, consider what is it that women do to show off their beauty? What is it that they make a display of to be sexually attractive? To be sure that you are not showing off your beauty as a woman you should cover up these areas appropriately. So that’s the whole point, a womans Hair and body is covered because it’s beautiful and not for lustful eyes to be gazed upon. Allah says in the Quraan to cover our <b>"beauty" </b> see? Islam aknowledges the fact that a womans hair is a sign of beauty and everything else in between too, but it teaches us to respect our beauty and to keep it hidden, to treasure & cherish it with utmost care and deep respect. If you really want to know what the result is of a Disrespected and not valued beauty just have a look at what happens to women who display their beauties in all the wrong places.