Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
- Parents should help their daughters and sons to practice Islam and apply its teachings.
- It is not acceptable for parents, or anyone else, to object to girls’ right to wear hijab in public.
- You should approach your parents kindly and wisely to convince them that by obeying Allah you will gain His blessings and countless favors.
- You may seek the help of good family members or a local imam.
Answering your question, Dr. Wael Shehab, PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University and currently the Imam of the Downtown Toronto Masjid in Canada, states:
Sister, you need to know, first of all, that hijab is meant to preserve Muslim woman’s identity, honor, and faith.
Muslim women wear hijab—which is more than just a head cover—because God ordered them to do so in the Quran, and because Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also ordered it.
The Quran says:
{Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know naught of women’s nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that you may succeed.} (An-Nur 24: 30-31)
As for your parents’ request to take off hijab in the presence of non-mahram boys, it is not a correct opinion.
A happy marriage is a blessing from Allah that people should seek by obeying His orders and pleasing Him Most High.
You should approach your parents kindly and wisely to convince them that by obeying Allah you will gain His blessings and countless favors. You may seek the help of good family members or a local imam.
It is not allowed, therefore, for you to take hijab off in public gatherings. Your parents should be more understanding and help you be a practicing Muslimah.
May Allah accept your and our good deeds!
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.