Faith is in the heart
Among the most common replies that you hear when you ask our uncovered sisters i.e., without Hijab, about the reason why they do not cover up their modesty is this: "Faith is in the heart." Let us contemplate this dubiosity.
The source of this dubiosity
It is the erroneous translation of some of the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (Blessing and peace be upon him), such as his hadith:
إن الله لا ينظر إلى صُوركم وأموالكم
ولكن ينظر إلى قلوبكم وأعمالكم.
"Allah doesn't look upon your figure or wealth, rather He looks upon your hearts and deeds." Muslim, hadith no. 2564.
Once again, our sisters read only part of this hadith, and understand it accordingly. Consequently, they project their wrong understanding on what they practice! It is true that the place of faith is in the heart, but that is not all. Our sisters forget that the Prophet (Blessing and peace be upon him), said that Allah, the All-High, looks at "deeds" and actions as well as at "hearts). To understand this hadith correctly, we should know the Prophet (bpuh) wanted to underline the importance of sincerity in our deeds. Allah, the All-High, accepts from the good deeds of humans only that which is sincere, pure and committed only with the intention to worship Him.(1)
Another hadith that is misunderstood and misused is the one narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Blessing and peace be upon him) said:
التقوى هاهنا؛ ويشير إلى صدره
"Piety is in here. And he pointed towards his chest." Muslim, hadith no. 2564
The author of Nuzhat-ul-Muttaqeen explains this as such:
"The hadith informs us that Allah, the Exalted, rewards our deeds in accordance with the degree of the purity and integrity with which the heart has intended to perform these deeds. The degree and amount of this reward is also related to the act of caring for the heart, correcting its intentions, and purifying it of what Allah does not like. The better the care, the better the reward, and vise versa." Nuzhat-ul-Mutaqeen, vol. 1, p. 25.
Definition of faith
Restricting faith to the "heart" alone is not enough to commit the believer to Paradise and his/her salvation from Hell. The majority of the reputed scholars of the Sunni Group define faith as: "It is belief in the mind and heart; the speech that the tongue utters; and the acts that conform to its (the faith) pillars." Any other definition will not be in accordance to the Sunni doctrine.
Faith is only complete if the above three conditions are met!
A hypocrite is a person who utters the words of faith with his tongue, and perform the acts of the believers with his limbs without a sincere belief in the heart. The hypocrite used to pray with the Prophet (Blessing and peace be upon him), pay alms (zakah), and participate in Jihad (fighting for the cause of Allah). However their hearts did not believe in the true religion of Allah, the All-High, and that was why Allah has convicted them of hypocrisy; their just reward will then be the deepest pit of Hell.
The Devil (Iblees), represents the type who believe with their hearts, but do not translate this belief into acts and deeds. Iblees believed in the capability of Allah to end life, as well as the capability for resurrection, and Judgement Day. That was the reason why he asked Allah to delay his death until the Doomsday. Yet, he never acted with what such faith requires. Allah, the All-High, describes Iblees as:
(...أَبَى وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الكَافِرِينَ ) سورة البقرة 34:2
(… He refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith.) Qur'an 2:34
Anybody who contemplates the Holy Qur'an, notices that wherever faith is mentioned in any verse of the Holy Qur'an, it is always followed by work and action; these two are never apart. You always read:
(الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ )
(Those who believe and work righteousness). These verse indicate that belief and work are inseparable.
We would like to ask our virtuous sister, who refuses to wear hijab and cover up her modesty and hid behind the flimsy excuse that she has "faith in her heart", the following question:
Let us consider the following situations. You are working as a teacher, and your boss (the Head-Mistress) requested you to perform a specific task: a report of some sort. Then on the next day you do not submit your report, and you say to your boss: I believe completely and I am convinced deep in my heart with what you have requested of me, yet I did not feel like performing it! Imagine yourself in such a situation with another human! Think punishment which your boss is going to inflict on you. NOW extrapolate this and think: you are going to stand in front of Allah, the Almighty, alone without anybody or anything to fend for you except your deeds!
(1
It is a good place to remind our readers that all our action could be transformed into acts of worship, if the believer did them with the intention of worshipping Allah: Eating with the intention to have a strong body capable of worship Allah; performing marital duties with your spouse with the intention of keeping yourself from committing disobedience; work and labour with the intention of earning money to keep you and your family from harm, and from begging, etc. All aspects of our life are acts of worship if preceded by the right intention.
to be continued ensha'Allah