# Will Only The Hijabis Go To Heaven? - Ali Dawah

- Language: en
- Published: 2026-08-26
- Canonical: https://blog.towardseternity.com/en/blog/will-only-the-hijabis-go-to-heaven-ali-dawah
- Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIoyy_hi1o
- Channel: Towards Eternity

This is the cleaned transcript of the source video. The speech is unaltered.

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Some women say that. Why are we restricting women? Men shouldn't look. It's paradise only for the hijabies? If the woman covers her hair, she will be happy. Is it that simple? Does everything depend on hair? There's a famous philosopher, he said: Man is born free, but in chains everywhere. There'll be people who have sinned and there'll be another group of people who have sinned and they'll walk past them and they will look at them and say, why are you happy? You sinned like us. They will say, we sinned, but we repented. Ali Dawah, you have one minute for each question. You ready? Are you ready? Does wearing hijab limit freedom? Is it imprisonment?

No, I think this is very wrong understanding and a lot of the time this idea comes from, yes, non-Muslim men and women. But there's a lot of people under the impression that non-Muslim women, they have a freedom to choose what to wear. And that's a big misconception because there's a famous philosopher, he said. Man is born free, but in chains everywhere. Meaning you are bound to be a slave to something. So to think that the hijab is some kind of oppression, it's false because what we say is both men and women. If we look at it, for example, the things that they do. Do you really believe a woman walks in comfortably wearing this long heels? If you ask her, Are you comfortable?

She's not comfortable, you know? So the thing is here, wearing make up spending two hours in the day to wear makeup or to look a certain way or act a certain way. Are they free? They're not free. These are societal pressures, social media, the beauty industry. You know, there's even a book written called Beauty Sick, because the woman that wrote this claims these young girls are sick. Like a disease like cancer or like a virus, or whatever it may be, they have an illness to look beautiful. In today's time we live, there is multiple monsters telling to do multiple things. So look like this. Oh no. Today we've got a new mascara. Do this. Oh no, your nose is big, do that. Oh no.

Your thighs need botox, do botox. You own... If you either have one master who tells you to do one consistent thing or you have many masters who tell you to do many things, and when you have many masters, you don't know which one to please. With Islam, it's very simple. There's one method you do this throughout time. It hasn't changed the same method of method, and that will bring you happiness. But when you have many masters, many choices. Like Allah said, if there was more than two gods, they would fight each other, let alone fighting each other, I mean they are fighting you. Some woman say that. Why are we restricting woman, men shouldn't look.

The assumption are following that Muslim men or men can't control theirself, so Allah told the woman to cover up. It's not true. As Muslim men, we are told Allah tells us, "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze..." so it doesn't matter. The woman opposite me, she's naked. Half naked hijab, niqab. She wears a motorbike helmet. I don't care. The point is this I have to lower my gaze regardless. It's irrelevant what you wear It's got nothing to do with that. But Allah (swt) has legislated something is a hold the Sharia.

So that man, of course, they lower their gaze, but of course, it is wrong for a woman to, you know, go out looking a certain way is what because the society is a whole, the Sharia came to protect the community as a whole. So that's why the Sharia comes and says that you have to dress up in the appropriate way, not because men are animals, men has to lower their case. So this is a big misconception to think men are animals. Women are the responsibility. No, they both have responsibilities. So I think that's a big misconception. If I don't wear hijab, this is about me. What would be the problem for the society?

For example, if your mom said to you, I'll be more happy if you choose to wear the hijab or said to a son, if you grow a beard, I will be more happy. You would want to make your mom happy because of who she is. Even though what she asked me doesn't make a sense. She might say to you, I want you to go and buy me milk. And you say, okay, mom, let me go to the corner shop. She said, No, I want you to go to somewhere 20 miles away. If that makes her happy, I'm going to do it. But let's suppose showing the hair, there's nothing wrong. The point is this. Who is it coming from, from Allah?

If Allah tells you to do something and you know who he is and he's deserving of worship, it's about obeying him. It might be that your hair is not fitna for no men, no men. When they see you, they have no fitna, no problem. Nobody looks at you twice. But the point is not them. It is the one who's asking you to cover. So we need to see it from that angle because there might be no reasons. You might be very unattractive, woman. Still, she needs to wear the hijab because Allah said so. So don't get it mixed with opposite gender all the time. It's not an issue of opposite gender all the time. Is paradise only for the hijabies? Paradise is for murderers. It's for people who commit zina.

People who drink alcohol. People who gamble. People who do a lot of things. But in what essence, this doesn't mean, oh paradise is for well, let me go. No, what I'm talking about there are people who commit acts which are not correct, but they repent. You know, that's why the Prophet (alaihissalam) told us there'll be people who have sinned and there'll be another group of people who have sinned and they will walk past them and they will look at them and say, Why are you happy you sinned like us? They will say, we sinned but we repented. We're going to a day of judgement. So the thing is, Allah will question you. So your journey or entrance to paradise may be disturbed. How?

You might be someone that prays salah but didn't wear the hijab, so you will be questioned. The point is, does it worth the risk of covering up? And for that to delay your enter into paradise because you're going to be questioned? Allah might forgive you, Allah might say, you know what, you did pray whatever. I forgive you. But the question in that day is not an easy question. I am chilling and somebody's giving me an orange juice and asking me aquestion, No, this is Allah questioning you. So the question is, is it worth Allah asking you, why did you not cover up? It's not worth it. Not a second of Allah asking you. It's not worth it.

So it's better in this life that even though there is no prescribed punishment, for a woman doesn't wear the hijab in an Islamic country, there is no prescribed punishment. Allah doesn't talk about this, but the point is this it is Allah who is telling you to do it, and if you do it, it will be good for you in this life and it would be good for you in the hereafter. So just because we don't see in the hereafter, because what do we think? Oh, you know, some people think this I'll go hellfire. No problem. I'm going to go paradise anyways. We don't know what hellfire is. So for you to think How? Am I going to go paradise? No problem, last destination paradise? OK, no problem.

I can stop by like a transit stop for hellfire. One second of hellfire is not worth anything. So to me, it's if it's going to protect me and I'm not saying that I'll go hellfire. I'm not saying that. I'm saying, even being questioned by Allah, it's not, pleasant. It's better let's be safe than sorry. There are some hijabies around me who are sinners. Isn't it better for me to stay in this position and don't wear hijab? I think as people, we should always look for the best achievements. If I was to measure my life let's say, he's a boxer and he's not professional, he's up here and I'm like, you know, I look at him and his skills are not good. I would want to aim for the highest.

So to this, this is what I would personally say is that don't measure yourself from people who haven't perfected it because they're on a journey. They wear the hijab, but they commit sins. You should aim and say, I'm going to be better than them, I'm going to wear the hijab and not commit the sins they're commiting. So you take it to a next level and say, you know what? They are falling short by wearing hijab and smoking or drinking or whatever it may be. I am going to wear the hijab and I'm not going to do those things. So now you are up here. So what I'm trying to say is don't let that be a reason for it to stop you.

Because if you have a goal of reaching Allah, you want to surpass these people who may be falling back and be a better example. So when they look at you and say, well, she didn't used to wear the hijab, we wear hijab. Yes, and we commit sins, OK, she doesn't do that. Now, before you used to look at them and think; “let me stay here” now you passed them. Now they're looking at you and saying, actually, we want to be like her. You've become a role model. So I would say, follow that journey. So you say that if a hijabi drinks alcohol, for example, and can't stop drinking alcohol, yes, she should stay wearing a hijab?

Yes, and she should carry on praising Allah, she should carry on doing everything because the point here is taking off the hijab you're committing one sin. Now you made another sin. Taking the hijab off, what's the use? What's what kind of logic is this? I make one mistake. Let me add another one. Then I did that, let me add that. This is Shaitan's plot, so it's very simple. No matter what sin you're committing, you try your best to stop it. But you don't let go of other things, yeah? Because Shaitan will make you feel guilty, oh, you're not ashamed of yourself? You know you're wearing a hijab and then you're doing this. No, you pray, I tell people.

Even if they go clubbing, I go when you finish party, go and prayt salah. You want to go back to party. Obviously I'm not going to say, don't. But if you're going to go, you have to pray. There's certain things you have to do. You can't negate one because you do the other. If the woman covers her hair, she will be happy. Is it that simple? Does everything depend on hair? To think that her happiness is based on covering her hair is false. She is happy because she's she'll be obeying Allah, so it's not the hair. So I'm not happy because I, for example, I don't eat pork or I don't drink alcohol. And I don't... No. I'm happy because I know I'm not doing that because I want to please Allah.

So the question is not the hair or the pork or the alcohol or the whatever it may be, it's that you're doing that for whose sake? For Allah's sake. So if you're doing it for Allah's sake, that is what brings you happiness, not the hair. And it's showing the hair, not showing the hair. It doesn't change anything for Allah in that context, you know? The point is, who are you trying to please? Allah. And when you make sacrifices for Allah, like Allah says in the Quran, If you fear me, I will give you a way out from places you can never imagine. So the whole idea behind this is tawhid, to please Allah. Because he's deserving of worship. So it's not the hair.

You might cover your hair and be unhappy in the context where girls are showing their hair, they're showing up, et cetera. But deep inside, if you're doing it for the sake of Allah, Allah will help you to taste the sweetness of iman. Your answers were good, even me as a man considering that I should wear hijab +You want to wear hijab? -So, you don't know the answer. +There is no such question. -You confess that there is no answer. +I confess that there is no such question. +You are going to laugh, because you know you are in a very difficult position now. You know, I'm going to give you some time to relax. -This concept was not ot have fun but... +Yes yes, it’s we had grate fun.

-You changed everything. Thank you for everything Ali Dawah.