Questions for this thread should be asked here- https://www.nairaland.com/1242169/ask-questions-islam-muslims-here

1. What is Islam

In simple terms, Islam is the total submission of ones self to the will of the one true God. An unconditional surrender and it is "aslama" in arabic meaning surrendered. It is generated from the root word Sa la ma which is also the root word for peace. Islam doesnt literally mean peace as some people claim but it means through surredering ones self to his lord , thereby being at peace with his creator which will translate to peace with the people as well. "The fear of God is the begining of wisdom" as they say.


This answer as provided by Lagosboy- https://www.nairaland.com/359506/curious-islamfacts-islam#5024878

2. Who is Muhammad (S.A.W)

Lagosboy continues

Muhammad is not a god neither is he a demi god rather he is a prophet and a messenger of God to the mankind. He is the last messenger of God to mankind. In Islam there is a difference between a prophet and a messenger. A messenger is a prophet that was sent with a specific message (i.e book). All messengers are prophets but not all prophets are messengers. There were prophets and messengers before Muhammad (PBUH) and the five greatest of such messengers are Noah, Abraham,Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of God be on them all). In Islam we consider all of these noble men to be Muslims and followers of Islam as defined above. We believe in them all and do not distinguish in their message as they came to complement each others work and Muhammad was just the seal on prophethood.

Your next questions on his death and so on.
He lived for 63 years and he died due to illness. A Jewish woman poisoned him years earlier when he and some his companions were invited to dinner. The woman wanted to test if he was a prophet or not by poisoning their food. The other companions died following the meal but nothing happened to the prophet of Islam which was a miracle from God and he passed the test. It was years after on his death bed he said he felt like the poison of the years before was now affecting him and this was Allah's way of elevating him to highest ranks of the martrys as he always wished for.

Yes he did foresee his death and that was the reason why he gave the wonderful and everlasting farewell speech in his first and last hajj after the rulings of hajj was revealed.

He never resurrected and no human ever and will ever resurrect until the day of resurrection. He did predict lots of signs to precede the day of resurrection some of which have already come to pass and the major signs are yet to happen. He his in his exalted position in the heavens where Allah has put him in. The other prophets are in various exalted positions as well.

3.

From kulyie
For muslim men married to more than one wife,lets say 2 or 3,does he give all of them wedding rings

the reply as provided by PEN MIGHT-

Wedding( otherwise referred to as nikkah) is seen as act of worship. And in matters of worship, the fundamental rule is " Textual evidence must allow such action before u engage in it". In this light, Nikkah must be done in conformity with textual provisions. [b]Wedding rings are not part of Muslim weddings. At best,they are borrowed culture. It is an act of innovation which Islam frowns at. [b]However,Islam does not forbid the use of rings generally. So he doesn't have to offer wedding rings to one or all of his wives.

4.

From Kulyie
number 2 in nikkai weddings why doesn't the Islamic cleric that is there say 'you may kiss the bride',after all they are married

PEN MIGHT continues-

The prophet said "Modesty is part of faith. " Modesty in Islam is valued and that includes prohibition of street kissing and open lewdness in all forms.

5.

Kulyie-

I am always shocked as to why Muslim women are ok with their husbands marrying more than one wife and they dont feel edgy and jealous,is it that they dont love their husbands or what because i can't imagine living under the same woof with several women being intimate with my husband.

Still by PEN MIGHT-

Muslim women are believers. They are not equitable to the women of other faith.Hence,they tend to obey all the injuctions of their creator without questioning the rationality. They love their husbands most but love Allaah,their Creator,the more. They do not allow their whims and caprices to stand between them and their Lord. Allah Says" Whomsoever is safeguarded against the greediness of his own soul is indeed successful".

6

kulyie-

I understand that hijab is compulsory for women but why don't you peeps exclude infants till they reach an age of knowing right from wrong,for adults,fine,but i get to see kids of age 1 to 4 wearing hijab,doesn't it cause heat to kids especially some infants that are still being backed


PEN MIGHT's response-

Yes hijab is obligatory. Allah says" O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and believing women to draw their cloaks(hijab) all over their body...."Q 33 vs 59. This verse addresses women and daughters. Though this verse only makes it Obligatory ONLY on all beleiving females that have attained the age of discernment but , by inference, young girls are to be encouraged to practice according to their capabilities.

It is prefered for them at this stage and not[b] Obligatory until they reach age of bossom[/b]. About the so called inconvenience associated with it, that is not to undermine its importance. Many righteous things in life are accompanied by some form of hardship. But the hardship of this life is incomparable to the torment of hell.

7.

kulyie-

In mosques why do women sit in a separate place while men sit in a separate place,cant they sit together especially married couples,what is the reason for the obvious separation?

PEN MIGHT-

Muslim men are commanded to pray in the mosque while the best place for the women are the innermost part of their dwelling. Women should not be prohibited from attending congregational prayers in the mosque. When they do so,they are meant to observe proper dressings, not wearing perfumes or other things that violate the intrinsic values of her modesty.

The prophet said "The best row for the men (in the mosque) is the frontal row,while the best row for the women(in the mosque) is the last rows. So with this, the intermingling of opposite sex is reduced to the barest minimum. With this, the architecture of mosque dated to the prophet's time has always provided for a screen between the men and women.

Allah says " ...and when you talk to his wife for anything,ask them from behind a screen,that is purer for your hearts and their hearts.." Q 33 vs 53

8.

Kulyie-

Also on the grounds of domestic violence or adultery,is it allowed for a Muslim woman to pack out of her husband's house and divorcing him for her safety,then how do the muslims punish a man that is found guilty of always beating his wife.

PEN MIGHT responds-

Islam honours womanhood;it gives them right,protect them and put high premium on their marital interest. Allah command us to show us kindness to women. The prophet said -" The best of you is the best to their wives and I am the best amongst u".

Marital discord is unavoidable but Islam legislates on how both parties should attend to such issues without transgressing the bounds. In case of domestic violence,The Law Giver is clear on that when he says- " Men are the protectors and maintainers of women...If you fear a discord between the man and his wife,appoint two arbitrators,one from his family and the other from her's; if they both desire peace,Allah will cause their reconciliation.Indeed Allah is Ever-All knower, Well acquainted with everything." Q 4 vs 34-35. SO THE FIRST STEP IS AIMED AT RECONCILIATION. Allah says " And if a woman fears cruelty or desertion on her husband's part,there is no sin on both of them if they make terms of peace between themselves;and making peace is better..." Q 4 vs 128.

However, a woman can seek divorce (khul') from the Islamic Law court on account of a failed reconciliation. The Hakim/Qadi (i.e Judge or ruler) will asses the case and either enforce some certain rights or dissolve the Marriage. Allah knows best.

9.

From Kulyie

furthermore is it ok for a man or woman to have tattoos on his body?


PEn MIGHT's response-

Tattooing is prohibited by consensus in Islam. It is a form of unlawful changing of what Allaah has created and made perfect by His wisdom. It falls under the same heading with all sorts of 'fakery' we find in our society today. It is prohibited just like making artificial gaps in teeth, wearing wigs,cosmetic surgery, skin bleaching etc.

Ibn Umar relates that the Holy Prophet cursed the maker and wearer of wigs and the tattooer and the one who is tatooed(Bukhari and Muslim). Allah condemned such as the ploys of the devil.

He says- " They invoke beside Him none but lifeless objects;and they invoke none but Satan,the rebellious one,whom Allah cast away.He said to Allah: I will surely take a fixed portion from your servants,and will lead them astray,and will exit in them vain desires,and will incite them to slit off the ears of cattles and TO ALTER ALLAH's CREATION". Q 4 vs 118-121

10.

Do you think that Sharia law is an adequate legal system in this modern world?


tbaba 1234's Response-( https://www.nairaland.com/802617/questions-muslims-those-want-know#9551032



Yes I do. The sharia law encompasses all aspects of law: family law, criminal law, an economic system, civil law: It is all encompassing. A lot of the negative impressions of the sharia is based on a lack of information on the legal processes of the sharia.

11.

How old was Aisha(one of the Prophet's wives) when she was married? And is this something to be emulated?

tbaba1234 continues-

There is no short answer to this so i will give a long one if you don't mind,

The age of A’ishah, daughter of Abu Bakr, when she married the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is something that has only recently become controversial. The traditional account is that the marriage was consummated when she was nine years old, which naturally appears strange, if not uncomfortable, to many in a modern, western context. Hence, some recent Muslims (of varying levels of intellectuality, motivations and scholarly qualifications) have re-visited the sources. They have discovered some evidence in the classical historical texts, and reinterpreted the traditionally adduced narrations, to suggest that A’ishah may actually have been older (with various ages suggested). My aim is not to analyze the arguments for and against a young marriage age for A’ishah, but rather to contextualize the entire discussion with a bird’s-eye view that remains intact regardless of which view (if either) an individual chooses to commit to.

The first (and most) important point to note is, as indicated above, is that the controversy is a relatively recent one. The Prophet’s own contemporaries took no issue with the Prophet’s marriage to A’ishah; it was not problematic in their eyes. This includes both his disbeliever antagonists and his believing followers. Certainly, his antagonists were ever eager to discredit him, and the Qur’an itself records details of this. They accused him of being a sorcerer, a madman or a soothsayer. Yet they did not attempt to discredit him on the basis of his marrying a girl too young for him. Neither in the Qur’an nor in any historical source is there any mention of such an objection having been raised, despite the fact that these sources do mention numerous other strategies used by the Prophet’s opponents.

So, if the Prophet’s contemporaries did not object to A’ishah’s age of marriage, then we conclude with certainty that her age was within the norm. Logically, this in turn implies one of two things: either it was acceptable, in 7th century Arab culture, for older men to marry younger girls (even as young as 9), or the reason for their non-objection was that A’ishah was in fact older. Once again, my aim here is not to prove one or the other, but to put the whole issue in perspective. The age of A’ishah is not a central tenet of Muslim faith, nor should it eclipse the core message and teachings of Islam. Muslims contemplating the issue of A’ishah’s age might find it beneficial to recall that; ‘Part of the excellence of a person’s Islam is his/her leaving aside what does not pertain to him/her.’

Non-Muslims would serve themselves better by contemplating the Prophet’s teachings of monotheism and righteousness, and the Book he presented as God’s revelation, rather than dwelling on what is, at most, a socio-culturally historical oddity.

Hence, without necessarily putting the two possibilities (regarding A’ishah’s age) on equal footing, and without stifling those who wish to delve deeper into the scholarly (and sometimes non-scholarly) arguments on either side, it is sufficient for the Muslim to defer the issue to God, saying, “I believe whichever of the two is the truth before God.” There are many more useful and pressing issues for us to occupy ourselves with.

The Catholic Encyclopedia observes about the Virgin Mary (peace be upon her) that, “it is possible that Mary gave birth to her Son when she was about thirteen or fourteen years of age.”In Shakespeare’s classic play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet was only thirteen, yet her mother tells her that “ladies of esteem” younger than her are already mothers.According to the “Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society,” both Christian Canon law and European civil law considered seven years as the age of consent, but judges in medieval England would approve marriages based on mutual consent at ages even lower than 7. As recently as the nineteenth century, ages of consent of 13 to 14 were common in Western countries. Now, we are responsible for acting in accordance with our conscience, and our own societal norms may well factor into this, but it may be a bit presumptuous to pass judgment on people of the past and future, and those of other cultures. People in the future may well look on some of our mores as bizarre.

The bottom line is: God knows best about all the details of things. And, it remains well-established that Islam’s central message is one of monotheism, decency and morality. It is to this that our energies can be more profitably devoted.

It was probably acceptable in a different socio-cultural environment, not now,

12.

Do you think people should be free to criticize Prophet Muhammad(S.A.W) and Islam?

tbaba1234 -



As long as criticism is structured and not aimed at insulting him or Islam. If you present your arguments in a coherent form without throwing abuses, it is ok.

13.

From deSika-

Is it wrong to represent Islam with the moon and star?



>The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years.
The city of Byzantium (later known as Constantinople and Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon as its symbol. According to some reports, they chose it in honor of the goddess Diana. Others indicate that it dates back to a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of a lunar month. In any event, the crescent moon was featured on the city's flag even before the birth of Christ.

The early Muslim community did not really have a symbol. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Islamic armies and caravans flew simple solid-colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. In later generations, the Muslim leaders continued to use a simple black, white, or green flag with no markings, writing, or symbolism on it.

It wasn't until the Ottoman Empire that the crescent moon and star became affiliated with the Muslim world. When the Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, they adopted the city's existing flag and symbol. Legend holds that the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman, had a dream in which the crescent moon stretched from one end of the earth to the other. Taking this as a good omen, he chose to keep the crescent and make it the symbol of his dynasty. There is speculation that the five points on the star represent the five pillars of Islam, but this is pure conjecture.

For hundreds of years, the Ottoman Empire ruled over the Muslim world. After centuries of battle with Christian Europe, it is understandable how the symbols of this empire became linked in people's minds with the faith of Islam as a whole.
Based on this history, many Muslims reject using the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam. The faith of Islam has historically had no symbol, and many refuse to accept what is essentially an ancient pagan icon. It is certainly not in uniform use among Muslims.

14.

deSika-

Is it wrong thing in Islam to build a mosque on the site where other people had their own holy building?

is it wrong thing in islam to build a mosque on the site where other peolpe had their own holy building
>The entire earth as been made a place of worship. The few exceptions you will find are places where the Prophet forbade prayers like graveyards,camel pens,dung houses and rest rooms.

There are historical evidences during the life of the prophet and pious predecessors when synagogues are turned to masjid(mosque).

The conversions of non-muslim places of worship into mosque primarily occurred during the prophet's time and continued during the eras of the caliphate rules. As a result,numerous hindu temples,churches,synagogues, parthenons, zoroastian temples were converted to mosques.

As a student of Architecture I learnt about the Hagia Sophia -a synagogue turned mosque(then later museum) in today's turkey.

I also know about Taj Mahal( one of the seven wonders of the world). It was a mosque built by an India Muslim emperor. However, this mosque was built on mausoleum(a tomb of his dear wife) and Muslims cannot pray in such.

The prophet(peace on him) said " Do not sit on graves and do not pray on them".

Allah knows best.
.............

deols adds,

the places of worship would be turned to mosques when the ownership becomes legally of the Muslims.

15.

deSika-

what is your view of the Qur'an. Is it the verbatim true word of Allah and is it complete (contains everything Allah wants us to know and should not be added to)

PEN MIGHT-




The Qur'an can be defined as follows:

The speech of Allah, sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in its precise meaning and precise wording, transmitted to us by numerous persons (tawatur),both verbally and in writing.

Inimitable and unique,protected by Allah from corruption.

Is the Qur'an the verbatim word of Allah?-- YES.

Imam Suyuti explains this with an analogy-

'The revealed speech of Allah is of two kinds: As to the first kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Tell the Prophet to whom I sent you that Allah tells him to do this and this, and He ordered him something. So Gabriel understood what His Lord had told him. Then he descended with this to the Prophet and told him what His Lord had told him, but the expression is not this (same) expression, just as a king says to someone upon whom he relies: Tell so-and-so: The king says to you: strive in his service and gather your army for fighting ... and when the messenger (goes and) says: The king tells you: do not fail in my service, and do not let the army break up, and call for fighting, etc., then he has not lied nor shortened (the message) ...

'And as to the other kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Read to the Prophet this (piece of) writing, and Gabriel descended with it from Allah, without altering it the least, just as (if) the king writes a written (instruction) and hands it over to his trustworthy (servant) and says (to him): Read it to so-and-so. Suyuti said: The Qur'an belongs to the second kind, and the first kind is the sunna(hadith), and from this derives the reporting of the sunna according to the meaning unlike the Qur'an." [Sabuni, tibyan, p.52]

So the Qur'an as we have it today is "as Allah said it in its precise wordings, meaning, and content".

Is the Qur'an Complete.? --- Yes.

The Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad,the Last of them. To him the Qur'an was revealed, he ordered it's writing, preservation and transmission.

The First Revelation

"'Read in the name of your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is most bountiful. (He who taught) the use of the pen taught man which he knew not.''- Q 96 vs 1-3.

The Last Revelation

Many Muslim scholars agree that the last revelation was Sura 2, verse 281:

'And fear the day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly.'

Some also say that it was 2:282 or 2:278.

It has also been suggested that all three verses were revealed on one occasion. The Prophet(peace on him) died nine nights after the last revelation.

Others hold that Sura 5:4 was the last to be revealed:

'This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.


In summary,the Qur'an is complete, free from crookedness,free from imitation and divinely protected by Allah till the Day of Resurrection.

16.

From Fellis -

Salam. Please I am aware that in paradise, Muslim men get to have houris along with the wives they had on earth.
I am a jealous female and I don't think I will be able to cope with the fact that I have to share my husband with other women for all eternity. Many women I know also dislike the idea of sharing their husband with other females and besides, what time will he have for me when he is surrounded by many houris?
I just need to understand whether I am supposed to spend eternity in this situation or if something would be done to make it easier for me.
Will I find solace in some other form or am I supposed to put up with all of it and endure without feeling bad? Thanks.
This issue has really bothered me for a long time.

PEN MIGHT -

Wa alaykum salam.Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly, we have to seek paradise. This is not automatic for you and I except we work righteousness .

This is only acheivable when we believe in all matters of faith,seen and unseen, without question the Authority of Allah, The Most High.

" It is not beffiting for a believer,male or female, when Allah and His messenger has legislated an affair, that they have an opposing veiw. Whomsover disobeys Allah and His messenger has indeed gone astray.

When he enters Paradise he will have delights and pleasures such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard and it has not entered the mind of any man. He will have all that he wishes for in the best ways. Everything that he asks for will be granted, and everything that he longs for he will get. He will never find anything to upset or disturb him, because he is in the care of theMost Merciful, as Allaah says (interpretation ofthe meaning):

“Therein you shall have (all) that your inner‑selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask.
An entertainment from (Allaah), the Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[Fussilat 41:31-32]

One of the best things that people long for in the Hereafter is, for men, the women of Paradise, namely al-hoor al-‘iyn, and for women there is an equivalent delight.
By His great wisdom, Allaah has not mentioned what the women will have as the equivalent of al-hoor al-‘iyn for men, and that is due to modesty and shyness. How can He encourage them to seek Paradise by mentioning something that they are too shy and modest to mention or speak about themselves?

So He has simply hinted at it, as in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“Therein you shall have (all) that your inner‑selves desire
[Fussilat 41:31-32]

DESCRIPTION FROM QURAN
“And (there will be) Hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes (as wives for Al-Muttaqoon – the pious).
Like unto preserved pearls”
[al-Waaqi’ah 56:22, 23]

“(In beauty) they are like rubies and coral”
[al-Rahmaan 55:58]

“Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation.
36. And made them virgins.
37. Loving (their husbands only), (and) of equal age”
[al-Waaqi’ah 56:35-37]

“Wherein both will be Qaasiraat‑ut‑Tarf [chaste females (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none except their husbands]”
[al-Rahmaan 55:56]
“Hoor (beautiful, fair females) guarded in pavilions”
[al-Rahmaan 55:72]

DESCRIPTION FROM SUNNAH
1 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first group will enter Paradise looking like the moon on the night when it is full, and those who follow them will be like the brightest shining star in the sky. THEIR HEARTS WILL BE AS ONE, AND THERE WILL BE NO HATRED OR JEALOSY AMOUNG THEM. Each man will have two wives from among al-hoor al-‘iyn, the marrow of whose calves can be seen from beneath the bone and flesh.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 3014; Muslim, 2843.

IBN HAJAR's COMMENT ON BELIEVING WOMEN IN PARADISE VIS-A-VIS THE HOOR AL-'IYN

The situation of the believing woman in Paradise will be better than the situation of the hoor al-‘iyn; she will be higher in status and more beautiful. Several ahaadeeth and reports have been narrated concerning that, but none of them can be proven to be sound. But if a righteous woman from among the people of this world enters Paradise, then she will do so as a reward for her righteous deeds and as a honour from Allaah to her for her religious commitment and righteousness. As for the hoori who is one of the delights of Paradise, she has only been created in Paradise for the sake of someone else, and has been made the reward for the believing man for his righteous deeds. There is a great difference between one who enters Paradise as a reward for her righteous deeds and the one who was created as a reward for one who did righteous deeds. The former is a queen and a princess, and the latter, no matter how beautiful she is, is undoubtedly lower in status than a queen, and she is subject to the command of her believing master for whom Allaah created her as a reward.
---------
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the description of the hoor al-‘iyn include the women of this world?
He replied:
It seems to me that the women of this world will be better than the hoor al-‘iyn, even in outward appearance.

CONCLUSION

So Sis fellis, as soon as Allah admit u into His Paradise( ma sha Allaah), u will be cleansed of your Jealosy.

Allaah knows best.

17.
From yunuspeace

Salam Alaykum everybody, I am Yunus n I have a question for us all. (hope am in the right page )
I want to know if its wrong to propose to a muslim sister that you know has already been proposed to by another brother that you have not met before?

Question above will ready help me, if I receive accurate response. The big deal here is that am in love with a muslim sister that I know has been proposed by another brother Ive not met before. Ive tried to avoied her, even not talking to the sister in question here, but everytime I stay away from her, she complains and ask me what the problem is n why am avoiding her. I am only avoiding her because I know she has a guy already and I dnt want to interfere.
please can i get relevant response?
Thankz!!!

Answer-

If a person has proposed marriage to a
woman, it is not permitted for anyone else to
offer a proposal to her, because of the
hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) which states that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “No man should offer a proposal of
marriage over the proposal of his brother until
the first one gives up or gives him
permission.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4746).


There follow quotations from Ibn Hijr’s
commentary which will shed more light on the
matter:
The majority of scholars said: This amounts to
a prohibition… The Shaafi’is and Hanbalis
said: it is prohibited when the woman
proposed to, or her appointed guardian, has
stated that she accepts the offer, but if she
has stated that she rejects this offer, it is not
prohibited.


If the second man does not know
the situation, then he is permitted to propose
marriage, because the basic principle is that
proposing marriage is something permitted…


If the woman has not answered either way, it
is permitted. Al-Tirmidhi reported from al-
Shaafi’i that the meaning of the hadeeth is: if
a man proposes to a woman and she likes him
and accepts, no-one else should propose to
her after that, but if he (the second man) does
not know that she liked and accepted that
proposal, there is nothing wrong with his
proposing to her. The evidence for this is the
story of Faatimah bint Qays, who did not tell
(the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him)) that she had accepted the proposal
of one (of two men who had proposed to her).
If she had told him, he would not have advised
her to marry someone other than the one she
had chosen.


If there is no word of acceptance
or rejection from the woman, some of the
Shaafi’is say that it is definitely permitted…
Al-Shaafi’i said that in the case of a virgin, her
silence indicates her acceptance of a suitor.
The hadeeth was interpretated as meaning
that if the first man to propose gives
permission to the second, it is no longer
prohibited for him to propose. … It was
reported from Ibn al-Qaasim, the companion
of Maalik, that if the first suitor is immoral, a
chaste man is permitted to propose over his
proposal. Ibn al-‘Arabi said that this was
correct… This is applicable if the woman is
chaste, because an immoral man would not be
compatible for her, and his proposal would be
like no proposal at all.


The phrase “until he marries her”* means until
the first suitor has gone ahead and married
her, so that anyone else will realize that there
is no longer any point in proposing; “or gives
up” means that the first suitor decides not to
go ahead, in which case it is permitted for the
second to offer his proposal.


* Please note these words are in another
Rewaaya…

http://islamqa.info/en/ref/2450

18.

From MsDarkSkinwhat is the meaning behind the hijab?
and also why are there so many different variations?

The meaning behind the hijab

Allah says
"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty...And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and adornments 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...(a list of exceptions)"
[Chapter 24, verses 30-31] Also,

"O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons...that they should be known and not molested."
[Chapter 33, verse 59]

In one tradition, the Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying: "...If the woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen but this --- and he pointed to his face and hands."

Why there are varieties?

I think that stems from people trying their own interpretations,and with others trying to be fashionable