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| Image by Konevi from Pixabay |
In Islamic literature, there are a number of perspectives on seeing the message of the Prophet Muhammad and the descent of the Holy Qur'an. One of them is looking at the division of time or period. The Prophet's preaching for 23 years was divided into 13 years in Mecca, and 10 years in Medina. This period was marked by an event that inspired the Muslims of all time: hijrah.
Hijrah is a marker of a new chapter in the spread of Islam in the world. This event was used as a preliminary calculation of the Islamic calendar which is still used today. By many people, the event of hijrah is understood as the transition of Islamic da'wah from difficult circumstances to better conditions.
Nowadays, hijrah is becoming a tagline for various groups to describe a situation of one's individual transition. For example, when there is an artist who initially was not veiled, then after being veiled labeled as 'already migrated'. Likewise, many public figures who initially had not yet participated in Islamic studies, after participating in the study and changed their appearance to bearded and in trousers, were immediately labeled migrants. However, is the meaning of hijrah narrow?
The hijrah which is widely heralded in the media is the hijrah in the symbolic realm. Only the religious symbol is changed, not the essence. For example, related to the hijab. For scholars who require veiling, the guidance is to cover genitalia. The word 'genitalia' itself is usually interpreted as 'jewelry'. What are the jewelry for women?
Of course this discussion is very long. But I want to give a new perspective regarding the teachings of simplicity in Islam. Why simple? So as not arrogance arises. In addition, Islam always emphasizes its adherents to be egalitarian with anyone. Showing wealth but miserly in daily life are the qualities of ignorance that was 'fought' by the Prophet during his lifetime. Instead of being a simple people, there are now many hijab variants whose prices can be made on an official umrah list.
Regarding pants above the ankles, we can see the conversation of the Prophet with Umar ibn Khattab's best friend. When the Prophet forbade his people to pay, Umar's friend asked him if he sinned when wearing the prohibited clothes. The Prophet answered no because he knew that his friend did not mean to be arrogant. In this case, the essence is avoiding arrogance. If at this time there are many Muslims who follow the Prophet's dawuh, of course it does not matter if it is intended to be arrogant. But when mentioning such clothes is sunnah by discrediting other models, of course this is not in accordance with the intentions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Similarly, the hijab or hijab. Some time ago the case of artist Rina Nose who initially was not veiled, then 'emigrated', then not veiling anymore made me quite sad. It's not only about the artist who chooses not to wear a headscarf anymore, furthermore the attitudes of those who rebuke him excessively.
If the purpose of religion is to make a person's morals better, then where are the morals of those who blaspheme them hatefully? Though the Prophet was sent primarily to fix morals. "Indeed, I (Muhammad) was sent to teach noble morals."
In a forum, I once got a question like this. "Why do most of us criticize brothers who have veiled, but instead remain silent with people who are still not veiled?" The question is interesting, especially after a lot of veiled ban cases at UIN Yogyakarta. For me, whether I want to wear the hijab or not, it is my choice. Suggesting people to wear hijab is certainly a noble work. Especially if the intention is to maintain the honor of women.
The problem is when the hijab is made as a symbolic commodity without any effort to internalize the values of honor in the women themselves. In fact, wearing a headscarf actually makes someone look down on others. Is it enough to call himself a hijrah for the better for wearing a hijab? This impetus for the better is done so that the word 'hijrah' does not experience superficiality of meaning.