Discovering the Headcover - 3

As expressed at the very beginning of this series of blogs on the headcover, it is necessary to establish clearly what is known and what is unknown in order to reach some conclusions that are going to help with our problems or confusions in this age. Along this line, one essential point is that the benefits of something does not make it an order of God, and conversely, the harms of something does not make it a prohibition of God. Rather, it is a clear and explicit expression from God's book that helps us identify His orders and prohibitions.

Thinking of the headcover, we can reiterate the same criteria. The benefits of headcover, which is not my ultimate aim here, do not make it an order of God. On the other hand, if headcover is a clear order of God, the harms due to wearing it, if any, is not a reason for not wearing it. You try your best to do the act despite the harms on the way. 

This is similar to waging a war. High probability of winning a war does not justify it, and harms due to an incumbent war does not justify escaping it. That is why we must be sure about what is clearly order of God and what is open for change over time and place, when it comes to the headcovering, and covering in general.

In the Islamic jurisdiction, there is a methodology for deciding if something is an order of God or if it is a recommendation. As such, when you see the cases where God orders something in His book, you observe one or a combination of the following:

1. God uses an authoritative language with explicit words. 
2. The order is either repeated or paraphrased at other places
3. The addressee of the words is directly the believers
4. Certain steps or details of the act are disclosed

Let's see some examples:

Regarding pilgrimage to Mecca, "Pilgrimage thereto is a duty people owe to Allah," (3/97). 

Regarding the five daily prayers, "Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times." (4/103). 

Regarding the ablution before the prescribed prayers, "O you who believe! When you rise up for prayer, wash you faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and ..." (5/6). 

For other cases such as voluntary night worship, contemplation, acquiring knowledge, you see an orientation, but the relevant verses do not satisfy the above conditions to become an order of God: 

"And those who spend the night to their Lord prostrating and standing" (25/64),

"Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to people that they may reflect." (59/21), 

"It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah." (35/28).

However, that they are not orders of God does not mean that people disregard them completely. It just means that God wants you to do it, but the depth and manners of doing it may change from person to person and from time to time. So, you are expected by God to assess your conditions and strive to do these acts as much as you can. Totally abandoning and never minding those acts, on the other hand, is a clear disrespect to God, because you see that He is orienting you that way.

Now let's project these findings to the case of headcover. First, let's look at the two verses on the issue:

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 vigour, 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. (24/31)

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (33/59)

One, the direct addressee of these verses is not the women but the prophet, himself. It is his duty to tell his wives, his daughters and the believing women to observe these. Second, we don't see an expression stating that this act is an obligation towards God. Third, if you look at the context of these verses (i.e. the verses before and after) and also consider the history-long discussions on how to observe this "order of God", you don't close in on a clear manners of doing the act. Then, headcover as an order of God is not really a straightforward conclusion. 

On top of this, take this verse, where the Owner of the Universe tells us where to stop our scrutiny on such controversial matters:

O you who believe! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them while the Quran is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allah has forgiven that, and Allah is Oft­Forgiving, Most Forbearing. (5/101)

So, the overall conclusion from the above discussion is that one cannot claim the headcover to be an order of God, at least not at a primary level, but that there clearly are some directions in this regard pointed at by our Creator.

But wait a minute! We arrived at the above conclusion based on a methodology developed by the Islamic scholars and not by a God-given measuring stick. How can we be sure of the accuracy of our conclusion and the reliability of the method thereof? Plus, there is also the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his family and his companions. Had it not been the order of God, would they stick to the headcover, and covering in general, as strongly as they did?