If you don't wear hijab in public, you shouldn't wear it while praying

I wrote previously about how I think that wearing hijab might not be necessary during prayer and that it might have a negative impact on our perception of God. Here I would like to stress that this negative impact is even worse for women who don't wear hijab in front of men.

I think it is a great contradiction for women who don't wear hijab in front of men to wear it while praying, because it signifies that God is more aroused or more offended by their hair and bodies than men.

There is no ayah and no strong hadith about how to dress while praying, yet there are two ayahs in the Quran that talk about dressing modestly in front of men (even though the interpretations of modesty may differ.)

So why put more emphasis on hijab during prayer than hijab in front of men?

The opposite makes more sense to me. But if you're not going to wear hijab in front of men then why wear it in front of God and why assume that it is only during prayer that He can see you?

I wouldn't wear it at all in either situation.

This promotes the perception of God as anthropomorphic—having human characteristics. Wearing hijab exclusively during prayer degrades God's image to human characteristics of the most degradable kind—the sexual aspect.

This contradicts what Islamic prayer is supposed to promote with the repetition of "Allahu Akbar" up to 24 times during each prayer. This is meant to expand our perception of God higher and higher.

This practice also assumes that God, like men, only has two eyes that can't see through clothes, someone we only meet occasionally and who we can elude if we do a good job covering our bodies.

How long is God's beard?

How does the requirement of Muslims to wear hijab during prayer affect our perception of God?

God created the Universe, and that is why some Sufis and other religions equate God with the Universe. Yet orthodox Muslims consider this to be blasphemy, because, to them, God is greater than the universe. If so, why don't you treat Him as if He is greater than the universe? I know the universe is not offended by my ankles or my hair, so why should God be?

I can't imagine anything greater than the universe. All I know is my experience. When I am thinking of God as the universe, life and existence, I am not self-conscious about my body. So why do I feel self-conscious about my body when I am praying even though God is supposed to be greater than the universe?

Teaching women to be self-conscious about their bodies during prayer depicts God as not only a man, but a man with a long beard and a frown.

The longer a man's beard is, the more he is likely to be offended by a woman's hair, and the more we women need to cover up in front of him. Men who don't have beards are less likely to be offended by our hair. We are comfortable in their presence and they are comfortable with ours. Religious men who have a short beard are easier to be with. They will not be offended if they see parts of our hair coming out of our scarves. As for the men with the long beards, we have to cover up really well in front of them. They are also fearful to be with. They will react with a vengeance if they see something they don't like. Those are the men whom we imagine to be like God, based on how we are told to act when we are praying.

Based on that, how long do we think God's beard is?

I know what some readers would say: "astaghfer Ullahal Azeem; this is blasphemy!" Yes, it is blasphemy to consider God as a man in our words, so why do we treat Him as a man in our actions?

It seems that some of us have the perception of God as having a mentality that is slightly greater than the clerics who issue fatwas for us—quite unlike the Universe which is awe inspiring when we contemplate it.

Why is this a big deal?

It's not just an issue of putting on a headscarf and it's not just a ritual.

I think this issue is important because it has a profound impact on our belief system "Aqidah."

I think we should be mindful and aware of any acts that promote the concept of an anthropomorphic god; one with human characteristics.

I also think we should promote acts that expand our perception of God to a higher level. God is supposed to be "Greater" than the universe, since He created it. We shouldn't be thinking of Him as if He is one of us.