- EN (English)
| Fatwa ID: | 77097 |
| Title: | Sunnah, Sunnah, hadith, hijab: Questions from a new Muslim |
| Category: | Women |
| Scholar: | Dr. Main Khalid Al-Qudah |
| Date: | 12/12/2008 |
Assalaam alaikum wa rahmatAllah wa barakatuh,
I received the following question from my friend who is American and a new Muslim, and so I am sending it to you to get the answer for her. Please give proofs about hijab from Quran and hadith and explain it as much as you can since she is new in Islam, besides answering the other question about the validity of the Sunnah and hadith. Also, please respond in English since she cannot read Arabic yet. Jazakum Allah khair. Here is her question, as I received it via email:
Sisters I have a question!!!! Upon reading some bulletins that are being posted from Muslims all over the world, I have run across a few where some Muslims ONLY follow what is stated in Quran. Ergo, they believe that the Sunnah and the Hadith are "man-made" books and do not follow them. They state that these books were made over 250 years AFTER our Prophet passed on. Is this true? If not, when exactly were the actions actually recorded? I would LOVE to have my facts straight to respond to them. Also, they say that NOWHERE in Quran does it specifically say that women must wear Hijab. They do in fact have to dress modestly, and cover, but it is not specifically in Quran that a veil must be worn over their heads. Please send me facts in Quran stating so that I may respond. Jazak Allah khair to all who respond for helping me seek knowledge.
1 - The authority of the Sunnah is pointed out in the Quran itself. Many verses in the Quran show the significance and the obligation of following the Prophet (saaws), such as the Saying of Allah (swt) which means: {O you who believe, obey Allah and obey His messenger}.
2 - The Quran did not explain the exact way to perform our daily prayer; we know this through the Sunnah of the Prophet (saaws). The same is true about paying Zakah and performing Hajj. The detailed application of these obligations is not mentioned in the Quran. Without referring to the Sunnah, we would not know how to perform these rituals.
3 - It was authentically narrated that many of the actions and sayings of the Prophet (saaws) were documented during his lifetime, though the first official attempt to systematically document the Sunnah was at the end of the first century.
4 - A suggested additional source on this topic is:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4029690/An-Introduction-to-the-Science-of-Hadith-Dr-Suhaib-Hassan
5 - As for the hijab issue, there are more than 50 fatawa on our website that answer this question. Please refer to the following link:
