The Hijab as Da'wah
Most Muslims are familiar with the various reasons that Allah has required women to wear hijab: The hijab reflects modesty, purity and respect; it lessens temptation so that more serious sins will be avoided; it protects women from the harm and molestation of evil men; a woman who wears hijab will be evaluated for her intelligence and skills rather than her appearance.
One important aspect that is often overlooked, however, is that the hijab is a symbol of Muslim identity. A woman who covers her head is making a statement that she is a member of the Muslim community and that she follows a particular code of moral conduct.
Allah says: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them. That is more suitable that they will be known (as Muslims and chaste believing women) and not be abused." [Qur'an, 33:59]
Women In Da'wah
From the very beginning, women have played vital roles in the propagation of the fundamental truths of Islamic da'wah. From the sacrifices of Sumayyah, to the collected Ahadeeth of Aisha, women have been instrumental in the flourishing and spreading of this deen. Unfortunately during these times, the Islamic revival suffers from weaknesses in its properly qualified personnel, which limits its spreading and restricts the da'wah work to an elitist group of activists, with finite and limited efforts of da'wah and tarbiyah being focused on women.
Da'wah amongst women deserves, and should get, far more attention than it does. So far, except in a few instances, women have been distanced from the field of da'wah work. If we look at the reality, and the situation of Islamic da'wah work, and the position of women in it today, we can easily find the following problems:
1- Deficiency in da'wah capabilities among and by women.
2- The ill use of existing limited-resources in combination with a lack of personal initiative on the part of women.
3- A neglect or omission of women's issues in the planning of Islamic da'wah.
4- Absence of strong tarbiyah and the lack of fundamental Islamic knowledge in the da'iyat (female callers) in the field of da'wah. Only a few of the wives and daughters of dou'at (male callers) have any worthwhile Islamic knowledge.