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Fatwa CenterA Muslim woman should not be ashamed of wearing the Hijab
Question
I am a young man who graduated last year and got a scholarship to study in a non-Muslim country. I live in a small town with only 40 Muslims, most of whom know very little about Islam! I would like to marry a girl from my country whom I have already proposed to, and I would like to bring her to live with me in this town where there is not even a single woman who wears the Hijaab. My question is, should I bring my wife to live with me here in such a town, given that she will suffer a lot from people staring at her, or should I delay the marriage until I finish my studies and go back to my country after three or four years?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We advise you to bring your wife to live with you in this country where you are studying as long as this matter is within your ability and you can afford it, especially given that you live in a (non-Muslim) country where temptations and evildoing are widespread. Having your wife with you in this country will help you protect your chastity, lower you gaze from looking at other women, and entirely devote yourself to studying and seeking knowledge, which is your main purpose of traveling to this country. We also advise you to return to your country once you finish your studies; to fear Allaah, the Exalted; to be diligent in your study; and to guard yourself from the widespread falsehood in which the people of this country are blindly wandering.
When your wife comes to live with you in that country, she should adhere to the Islamic Hijab, and you should require her to observe this obligation and to fully comply with all its aspects. Tell her not to give in to pressure or take any offense at wearing it. Instead, she should be proud of adhering to her religion and of observing the Hijab. She should not yield to the state of moral defeatism from which Muslims living in Western countries suffer. Regretfully, some Muslims are ashamed of practicing their religion and of openly manifesting its rites, whereas the disbelievers boldly boast about their disbelief and take pride in their religion and foul practices! We see Western women and those Muslim women who imitate them go out to the streets half-naked in Muslim countries with indifference as to whether people stare or not. Although such women are wrongdoers and should be ashamed of their act, they do not feel ashamed. Then why should the Muslim woman be ashamed of her Hijab, which protects and preserves her honor and dignity? Perhaps, when she proudly adheres to her Hijab, she will be a cause for Allaah to guide those of the town's women who have become weary of the life of depravity and immorality that has caused them to lose their chastity, honor, and dignity. Thus, your wife will be rewarded for every woman who emulates her until the Day of Judgment.
Allaah Knows best.
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