Is Hijab a Choice? - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Khutbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَبَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ وَتَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْبَهَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ فَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَى بِهَدْيِهِ وَاسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

My brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah Almighty and sending blessings and salutations upon our Messenger Muhammad ﷺ.

What It Truly Means to Submit to Allah

My brothers and sisters, insha'Allah, I'm going to be speaking about something that I find is very important, which is to remind ourselves what it truly means to submit to Allah. And we're going to give some examples of that submission. Too often we forget that the word Muslim means to submit yourself to your Creator.

We're not going to live our life the way we desire, the way we want to live because of our own whims and desires and wants. No. The moment you declare لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ, you submit yourself to your Creator.

And our Creator has given us a legislation by which He teaches us what is right and what is wrong and how to live our life. It's very simple. Right now all of us are here for the Jumu'ah prayer because Allah told us to do so. It's very simple.

Now, sometimes you will find people looking at certain acts of worship that are legislated by Allah and then you'll find statements like: you don't really have to do it, it is outdated, it is unnecessary. And nowadays one that is being spoken about quite often is the obligation upon our sisters — the hijab.

Now I'm not going to talk about the fact that some countries have decided to ban the niqab and the hijab and the face covering at a time where everyone has to cover their face and the hypocrisy and double standard. But what I want to speak about is some of the responses I have seen people make to the obligation of hijab. A lot of our young sisters and brothers who are trying to speak about this will say: well, it's a personal choice — why are you taking our choice away from us?

Is Hijab Really Just a Personal Choice?

Now, maybe that is technically correct. Yes, no one should be forced to do an act of worship — Allah will not accept it. We can't force someone to pray; that prayer will not be valid. It must come with the intention to worship Allah, and similarly with the hijab, with Hajj, with any act of worship.

But that being said, we have to remember that the right answer is: why do our sisters wear hijab? And this is what they should answer: because God told us to do so. Because this is a requirement in our religion. Not something the men told us to do. It is a tenet of our faith. It is an act of worship in our religion.

They don't ask us why we pray. They don't ask us why we give zakat. Who told us to pay zakat? Allah. Who told us to stay away from alcohol and drugs? Allah Almighty. Who told our sisters to wear hijab? Allah. These are all obligations that came from Allah. That is what being Muslim means. And it is important that we understand that.

So when we say stuff like, "well, it is our choice" — is it really our choice? Technically it is, because no one is being forced to be Muslim. No one can be forced. But it is as much your choice as it is that you are stopping at a red light. Yes, when you stop at a red light, it is your choice. You can choose to carry on — no one is forcing you or holding you at gunpoint. But you do it because it is a responsibility and obligation upon you. You have a moral and ethical responsibility to follow the legislation that tells you not to drive when it is red. Because if you do, it will have repercussions — either you will be harmed or others will be harmed.

And any act of worship that we do is very similar. Yes, you can choose to sleep and not pray Fajr. But you will deal with the consequences on the Day of Judgment. Yes, you can choose to not wear hijab. But then you will deal with the consequences — Allah will ask you about it. I can choose to just hoard my money and never pay Zakat. But then I will deal with the consequences. It is an act of worship. It is an obligation upon us.

And it is very important that we reiterate and remind people that point. We are Muslims. And this is our faith. And we worship Allah through these means. Allah didn't oppress us when He told us to pray five times a day. Nor did He oppress us when He told us that we need to pay Zakat or go to Hajj or any of the acts of worship that exist.

And most acts of worship, men and women both have to do. And some are more specific to men and others are more specific to women. Men are legally — Islamically — required to pay for the bills in their home. Not the sisters; it's the men. And they will be asked about this. They can't say it's not fair. Well, you can say that, and you can stop doing it, but it is your obligation to take care of your family. It's an obligation upon you — like the prayer, like the fasting.

And it is important that we always remember that, ikhwani fi Allah. So going back to the hijab: yes, technically it's a personal choice, but what I would like our sisters to say — and our brothers to say — is: it is an act of worship.

The Concept of Being a Muslim: Examples from the Companions

The other thing, ikhwani fi Allah, that I want to highlight — which is the main point — is the concept of being a Muslim: how it is us striving to please Allah Almighty and do what He tells us to do. And I want to share some examples with you.

The Prohibition of Alcohol

The first example is when alcohol was prohibited. Something that the Muslims were used to drinking in the time of the Prophet ﷺ — it wasn't prohibited at the beginning of Islam; it became prohibited far later. And the day the verses came down saying no one is allowed to consume alcohol anymore, some men among the companions ran to the streets announcing it had become haram. What was their response? Did they say, "Well, I guess, but it's still my personal choice"? No. They threw all of the alcohol they had away. Because they are submitting to Allah Almighty. They were Muslims. They didn't question it. They didn't justify it. They listened and they obeyed.

The Example of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Another example — and this is an example of a particular companion. I want to show you how far they were willing to go and how much they were submitting to Allah. That is why they were the best of the best. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came into the masjid and the Prophet ﷺ said to the people, "Sit down." And he was at the door. He sat down at the door, because he heard the Prophet ﷺ say "sit down." He didn't walk in and then sit down. And the Prophet ﷺ told him, "Come in, come closer." Why? He immediately wanted to submit to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

The Change of the Qibla

And there are so many examples that you'll find. When the verse was revealed that the Qibla was changed — as you all know, we used to pray towards Baitul Maqdis, then the Qibla was changed from Al-Quds to Makkah. When this verse was revealed, a companion came upon some of the Sahabah who were praying still towards Baitul Maqdis and told them: a verse has been revealed telling you to face Makkah. In their salah, they immediately changed direction. That is how much they were willing to go for Allah Almighty — to obey and to listen. That is what being Muslim is about.

When the Verse of Hijab Was Revealed

The final example I want to give is when the ayah of hijab came down. Because at one point the Muslims were not wearing hijab; then the verse was revealed telling them to do so. And subhanAllah, the ahadith mention and praise the women of the Muhajireen — may Allah have mercy on them. When the ayah of hijab was revealed and they heard about it, they tore up their lower garments and their izar and used that as a cloak to cover themselves. They didn't even wait to go home to buy another piece of cloth. They immediately did it as an act of submission to the Almighty.

This is what the right answer is. We do it not because we are expressing our freedom, not because it is our personal choice — but because Allah told us to do so. And we chose to submit to Allah Almighty. And it is exactly the same for every other act of worship that we do.

The Wisdom Behind Allah's Commandments

Allah wants good for us. And every single commandment that we are told to do — there is good for us in it. Now, what is very important to understand is that sometimes we don't understand the wisdoms behind legislation that comes from Allah. Why? Because our knowledge is limited. And sometimes we do understand, and sometimes we try to understand.

Which is why, coming back to the topic of hijab as an example, one would say: our sisters wear hijab because this is better for them and they will not be harassed or harmed. They wear the hijab because we want to respect them for who they are, not how they look. These are all very good points. It is an act of modesty. It is an act of decency. These are all correct and beautiful and right answers. But the best answer, like I mentioned earlier, is because it is an act of worship.

Why do I say this? Because when you say to someone "it is modesty," they will say, "Well, modesty — that is your definition of modesty. Modesty can be explained in many different ways." So you leave room for argumentation and discussion when there is no room for argumentation or discussion. Because if we do that, we say: what is the prayer? "The prayer is how we are connected to Allah." "Well, I have my own way to connect to Allah. I am going to pray starting from the sujood and go backwards. I am going to do it my own way." We have some people saying right now: "I don't pray five times a day. I do it my own way. I have my own connection with Allah. I am a Muslim but I have my own way of connecting with Allah."

And some people might be saying, because of these reasons, ikhwani fi Allah: "Alcohol is bad for you, it is haram because of health reasons. Well, if you drink it in moderation it doesn't have these adverse health effects — thus I can drink." No. This is why, when we open these discussions and there is a back-and-forth with rationalizations, these rationalizations are sometimes limited because they are based on our own understanding — if they are not clearly stated in the Shari'ah. And this is why the right answer, the best answer, is: you don't drink alcohol because Allah told you not to. Done. You pray five times a day the way the Prophet did, because Allah told you to do so. Done. You wear hijab — not the one you want; "it's okay, I am just going to cover my head" — no. You do it the way the Prophet told you to do so. Done. This is what it means to be a Muslim.

Our Shortcomings vs. the Definition of Islam

Now, does that mean that we are all going to be perfect Muslims? Absolutely not. And I am not here to judge people and say "you are not worshiping Allah correctly" and point fingers. No — we all have our shortcomings. But let's not confuse our shortcomings with what correct Islam is.

If you are struggling with the prayer, that's fine. May Allah make it easier for you. May Allah give you tawfiq for repentance. Don't change the meaning of prayer. Don't change the meaning of hijab. Don't change the meaning of Hajj and Umrah and fasting. When we rationalize fasting and say it is for health purposes only — "we fast Ramadan because it cleanses our stomach" — these are all again very good things and you can say them. But the bottom line is: we fast Ramadan because it's in the Quran and Allah told us to do so.

Because sometimes you will come across acts of worship that you don't fully understand the wisdom behind. Does that mean we're not going to do them? Allah is Al-Hakim — the Most Wise. Every act of worship that He tells us to do is good for us. Everything Allah tells us to stay away from is harmful to us — whether we, with our limited understanding as human beings, comprehend it or not. And this is extremely important, O brothers in Allah.

The Quranic Verdict: The Believer Has No Choice

Allah says in the Quran:

It is not befitting for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have made a decision on a matter, to have any choice in that matter. You have no choice in the matter — not a real choice — if you want to be a believer and you want to go to Jannah.

Du'a and Closing

I ask Allah to make us among those who follow Allah's commandments. I ask Allah to make us among those who repent from their mistakes. I ask Allah to make us among those who have the tawfiq to follow the laws that Allah has set for us and to forgive our sins.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ