Is it regarded as violation of men’s rights when women go out without covering their heads?

- I usually walk by bending my head on the street; when I raise my head and see a woman who has not covered her head or who is wearing indecent clothes, I turn my face away but it comes to my mind.
- I experience this difficulty on the way every day. Are the women who make me suffer like that regarded to have violated my rights?
 

Dear Brother / Sister,

All kinds of harms done to people are regarded as violation of others’ rights. Sins are evaluated in two categories. One is personal sins and the other is the sins that also harm the community along with harming oneself. Personal sins are between a slave and his Lord. However, there are some sins that are not personal and that harm the community – like going out without covering her head (for a woman) – ; they increase the responsibility of that person.

Allah promises that He will forgive all sins except shirk (polytheism) and violation of others’ rights. A person who causes others to commit sins is regarded to have committed sins in accordance with the rule "The one who causes something is like the one who does it."

Some hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh) about sins are as follows:

"There are three kinds of oppression. There is one oppression that Allah will not forgive.  There is one oppression that Allah will forgive. There is one oppression that Allah will definitely call a person to account for it: The oppression that Allah will not forgive is shirk. For, He states the following in the Quran: " false worship (shirk) is indeed the highest wrong-doing (oppression)." (Luqman, 31/13). The oppression that Allah will forgive is people’s oppression to their own souls. They are the mistakes they make related to the issues between them and their Lord. The oppression that Allah will definitely call a person to account for it is the wrongdoing between slaves. Allah will call them to account for them and punish them for their wrongdoings."

"Allah will say: 'O my slave! You did not worship me but you hoped from Me. I have forgiven what you did. O my slave! Even if you come to Me with sins that will fill the world, I will forgive you if you have not committed shirk.'"

"Every misfortune whether big or small that hits a slave is because of his sins. Besides, there are many sins that Allah forgives."

"No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that."

"If people see an evil deed and do not change it, Allah will send them a general penalty soon."

"O Allah! Do not destroy us because of the sins committed by others! Avoid the following seven great destructive sins: To join others in worship along with Allah; to practice sorcery, to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for just cause, to receive interest (riba), to eat up an orphan’s wealth; to escape from jihad, and to accuse chaste women of fornication."

"Call yourself to account before you are called to account. If you knew what would happen to you, you would laugh less and cry more. If a bad deed that you commit distresses you, you are a believer. O my Lord who turns hearts! Make my heart stable in your religion."

References:
Ibn Kathir, I, 508, 528: Bukhari, Libas, 24, Tibb, l, Sawm, 1-15, Ahkam, 9, Buyu', 2, 3; Muslim, Birr, 45 ff. Iman,143,144,145,153,154, Muqaddima, 5; Abu Dawud Buyu, 82; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 44; Daawat, 90, 99; Ibn Majah, Ahkam, 2; Malik, Muwatta, Hudud, 2; Ahmad b. Hanbal, II, 164, 248; V, 154, 190, 194).

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