Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

hello, i am not a muslim, but inshallah i will be soon because i have the intention to convert to Islam. i need to ask a question about wearing a hijaab, i want to wear one once i convert, but i live with my mum and her boyfriend who has lived with us for about 4-5 years. am i allowed to take the hijaab off infront of him, i only ask because my mum isnt exactly confident in the idea of me converting, and she said she doesnt want to see me wearing it in the house. will i be sinned for not wearing it infront of him, am i also allowed to not wear it infront of my 22year old brother, and my uncle?

please try to answer my question as soon as possible because i am really worried about it

thanks and take care

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Convert to wear Hijab

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: hello, i am not a muslim, but inshallah i will be soon because i have the intention to convert to Islam.

Beloved Sister, may the Lord Most Gracious bless your decision to revert to the approved way of life called ‘Al-Islam’, and give you the wisdom, courage, patience, and the steadfastness to remain on His Path until your return back to the Lord Who Created. Ameen.

Allah is our witness sister, of all the innumerable favors the Lord Most Bountiful bestows upon His slaves, the single biggest favor He bestows is to guide one to the Truth of Islam; for without this guidance to the Truth one can bring only ruin upon himself not only in this world, but also in the eternal life of the Hereafter.

Praise and Glory be to Allah Subhanah, The Most High, The Most Exalted Alone and sincere felicitations and congratulations to you from us, your humble brothers and sisters in Islam.

Your Question: i want to wear one once i convert, but i live with my mum and her boyfriend who has lived with us for about 4-5 years. am i allowed to take the hijaab off infront of him,

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor verse 31:

31 And (O Prophet) say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, the slaves whom their right hands possess, , 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 Allah, that ye may attain bliss.

Beloved Sister in Islam, The Lord Most High has Commanded the believing woman to observe the ‘hijaab’ when in the presence of all non-mehram men. Your mother’s boyfriend has obviously no legal mehram relationship with you, and thus it is absolutely imperative that you observe the hijaab when in his presence just as you would honor the Command of hijaab when in the presence of other non-mehram adult males.

Your Question: will i be sinned for not wearing it infront of him

If a sister who has professed belief in Allah and the Last Day intentionally and knowingly transgresses or chooses to break a clear Command of their Lord, it would obviously be a sin in the Sight of the Lord; one for which they will be held severely accountable in the Presence of the Lord Most High on that Inevitable Day of Judgment.

Your Question: am i also allowed to not wear it infront of my 22year old brother, and my uncle?
Your biological brothers, your paternal or maternal uncles, etc. are considered your mehram blood relatives in the Sight of Allah, or relations with whom it is absolutely impermissible and unlawful to marry in Islam; thus the believing woman does not have to observe or honor the hijaab when in the presence of such close blood relatives.

Dear and Beloved Sister, if you have any further queries or require any clarification on any matter in Islam, we would consider it a privilege and an honor to assist you in light of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan