What Should I Do About My Pictures Without Hijab on Social Media I Can’t Get Deleted?

Answered by Shaykh Farid Dingle

Question

(1) One should take down any photos not wearing a hijab. How should I go about this in the case of my non-muslim mother who has photos of me not wearing the hijab on her social media and will most likely not comply with taking them down?

(2) Not many women seem to bother about showing the shape of their shoulders which most clothes do. Would this be considered acceptable?

Answer

Dear questioner, thank you for your question.

Pictures without Hijab

The Prophet of Allah said, “None is more jealous than Allah, and for that, He has forbidden indecencies.” [Muslim] It is of Allah’s jealousy for his slaves that he has forbidden that which is wrong, and has commanded believing men and women to cover that which must be covered in public.

You should calmly explain to your mother that you really don’t want these pictures up, that you find them religiously and personally embarrassing, and that she should respect your rights and remove them.

If she doesn’t, then I would take steps with Facebook, etc. For example, see this.

A Proper Hijab

A proper hijab means that the main shape of the woman’s body is not shown. One does not have to go to ridiculous measures to hide things like height, width of shoulders or the like of which cannot normally be concealed by a good-sized hijab and loose clothes.

For more detail, please see this.

I pray this helps,

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Farid Dingle

Shaykh Farid Dingle grew up in a convert family in Herefordshire, UK. In 2007, he moved to Jordan to pursue traditional studies. Shaykh Farid continues to live in Amman, Jordan with his wife and kids. In addition to continuing his studies he teaches Arabic and several of the Islamic sciences.

Shaykh Farid began his journey in sacred knowledge with intensives in the UK and Jordan (2004) in Shafi’i fiqh and Arabic. After years of studying Arabic grammar, Shafi’i fiqh, hadith, legal methodology (usul al-fiqh) and tafsir, Sh. Farid began specializing in Arabic language and literature. Sh. Farid studied Pre-Islamic poetry, Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, and Andalusian literature. He holds a BA in Arabic Language and Literature and continues exploring the language of the Islamic tradition.

In addition to his interest in the Arabic language Shaykh Farid actively researches matters related to jurisprudence (fiqh) which he studied with Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, and continues with Shaykh Amjad Rasheed.