101 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ISLAM

In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

1.Islam" means "peace through the submission to God".

2."Muslim" means "anyone or anything that submits itself to the will
of God".

3.Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life:
moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual, etc.

4.Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people
and all creation. Just because people refer to God using different
terms does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people refer to
God as "Dios" and French people refer to God as "Dieu", yet they are all
the same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians refer
to God as "Allah". And the word Allah in Arabic appears on the walls of
many Arab churches.

5.he Islamic concept of God is that He is loving, merciful, and
compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift in
punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet Muhammad, "My mercy
prevails over my wrath." Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope,
protecting one from both complacency and despair.

6.Muslims do not believe in the concept of "vicarious atonement"
but rather believe in the law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches
that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. On the Day
of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be resurrected and
will have to answer to God for their every word, thought, and deed.
Consequently, a practicing Muslim is always striving to be righteous

7.The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.

8. Zaid RadiAllahu Anhu is the only Sahabi whose name is mentioned in the
Quran (Surah Ahzaab)

9. Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).

10. Abu Bakr (RA) received the title 'As-Siddeeq' on readily saying that he accepted Rasulullah (SAW)'s Night Journey (Mairaaj) to the Heavens when the Kuffar asked for his opinion.

11. Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) walked all the way from Makkah to Madeenah, at the time of Hijrah, while hiding from the pursuing Quraish.

12. Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (RA) was blessed by Allah to be the first host of Rasulullah (SAW) in Madeenah.

13. Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) 'Shaheed bin Shaheed' meaning 'Martyr son of Martyr'.

14. Uthman bin Affan (RA) did not fight in the battle of Badr as he stayed home to take care of his sick wife Ruqayyah (RA), daughter of Rasulullah (SAW). She died shortly before Madeenah received the news of Victory for the Muslims in the battlefield.

15. All of Rasulullah (SAW)'s children died before him except for his daughter, Fatimah (RA).

16. Amr bin Thabit (RA) became a muslim during the battle of Uhud, and died as a martyr in the same battle. When asked about him, Rasulullah (SAW) said that he was from the People of Paradise, even though he had not prayed a single salaah.

17. Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.
18. The cause of Abu Lahab's death was the wife of his brother Abbas (RA), Umul-Fadl (RA). on hearing about the defeat of non-muslims at Badr, he started abusing a muslim servant, so she took a log and hit him, which caused his skull to crack. He died a few days later because of it.

19. Ameer ul Mumineen Uthman RA. had given the duty of collecting and compiling the first holy Quran to Zaid Ibn Thaabit RA., who fulfilled it by the help of other companions and off course the help of Allah. Zaid RA. once said that "By Allah, if they had asked me to move a whole mountain from its place, it would have been easier than the task of compiling the Quran which they ordered me to fulfill".

20. Abdullah Ibn Masood RA. was the first Muslim to read the Quran publicly near the Kaaba in Makkah, after the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Waa Sallam.

21. Bilaal RA./was an African. His name was Bilal ibn Rabah, or Bilal the Abyssinian... was the first Muezzin chosen by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

22. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam had four daughters ZAINAB, RUQQAYYAH, UMM KULTHOOM AND FATIMA RadiAllahu Taala Anhun and three sons QASIM, TAYYAB OR TAHIR, AND IBRAHIM, but all the sons died in their infancy.

23. Did you know that the original name of the holy city of Madinah was "YATHRIB"

24. Rasool Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallams' father's name was ABDULLAH and his mother's name was AAMINAH.

25. Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.

26. The first Hafiz of Quran was Uthman bin Affan (RA, offcourse after RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

27. Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say "TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE"

28. Did you know that Rasoolallah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam performed only one Hajj in his lifetime.

29. Usamah Bin Zaid(RA) was the son of Zaid Bin Harith(RA)and his wife Barakah(RA)(known also by the name of Umm Ayman(RA))

30. If all Quraans in the world today were destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain, because millions of Muslims, called Huffaz have memorized the text of the Quraan letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the five daily prayers.

31. The Islamic calender is based on the phases of the moon, with it being approximately 11 days shorter than the 365 days of the year in the Georgian calender. Hence, the dates of our festivals (Eid -ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha) move through the year.

32. Adam Alayhis salam was approximately 30 Ziraa tall. Ziraa is a measurement and one Ziraa is approximately half a metre.

33. The Majority of muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with approximately 184 million muslims

34. The splitting of the Moon was was one of the greatest miracle of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam. When Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) was 52 years old, the leaders of the disbelievers of the Quraish tribe came to him and said, "If you are a Prophet, then split the moon into two parts." Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) dearly wanted the people to convert to Islam, especially his close friends and relatives. He prayed, raising up his hands, and the moon split into two equal halves. Each part of the moon was seen above different mountains. The disbelievers said, "Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has performed magic." They did not accept Islam.

35. The Ummah of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), are more than that of all the Ummahs of all the other Ambiya put together.

36. It is obligatory on every Muslim to love Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam). The sign of love for him is to adapt his way of life and always remember him.

37. According to the Qur'an, the Kaaba was first built by the Ibrahim Alaihi Salaam and and his son Ismail Alaihi Salaam.

38. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..

39. Prominent Kuffar like Abu Jahl would secretly listen to the verses of the Holy Quran because they were fascinated by it.

40.According to Islamic governments there are over 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today. The Muslim population of Russia alone is over 50 million. In other words, at least one out of every six persons in the world is Muslim, which is one of the reasons why

41.the name “Muhammad” is the most common name in the world...

42.At least one of Prophet Muhammad’s wives was African. Her name was Maria the Copt. Two of the Prophet’s wives were Jewish...their names were Raihanah and Safiyah...

43.Albania is the only European country whose population is over 90% Muslim. It is on the Adriatic Sea, and borders Greece and Yugoslavia...

44.Former pop star Cat Stevens is an Islamic scholar currently living in England. His Muslim name is Yusuf Islam.
and loads of people ther are lots of popular people who converted too!

45.To find the Gregorian equivalent to any Muslim calendar date (i.e., 1 Muharram of any year), multiply 970,224 by the Muslim year, point off six decimals, and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the Gregorian year and the decimal multiplied by 365.24 will be the first day of the Muslim year.

46.The Majority of Muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with 184 million muslims. There are more muslims in India than the combined population of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.

47.The following English words are borrowed from Arabic: Algebra, Zero, Cotton, Sofa, Rice, Candy, Safron, Balcony. And even 'alchohol' derives from Arabic : al-kuhl meaning powder. These are just a few mentioned here.

48.The first treatise on smallpox and measles was written by Abu Bakr alrazi (c.864-925,known to Europe as Rhazes). (Due to this) Inoculation agianst smallpox became a common practise in muslim lands. Despite this , Scientific text book credit the invention of a smallpox vaccine to Edward Jenner.(1749-1823).

49.Early Oxbridge students studied books written by muslims on mathematics, medicine, chemistry, optics and astronomy.

50.Adelard of Bath (a city in the UK) was a leading scholar of the middle ages. what made him famous was translating the word of muslim scientists from Arabic to Latin!

51.The 1860 city records of Cardiff (UK) show a masjid in operation in a converted building at 2 Glynrhondda St. Yemani sea men on their trips between Aden (in Yemen) and Cardiff founded this masjid.

52.The first purpose built masjid is claimed to be in Woking (South of England) with money provided by the ruler of Bhopal, in India (the Shah Jehan masjid was built in 1889).

53.The grand doors of our prophets (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Medina weigh 2 and half tonnes each! Enormous quantities of "sag wood" was gathered from all over the world and shipped to the united kingdom to be dryed in computerised furnaces (the traditional drying process would have taken many years!). Even then , it took 5 months to dry the wood! the wood was then shipped to Barcelona (Spain), Where the main body of the doors where made. And finally the French even paid their little part, as the brass ornamentation was carried out in the city of Roi (France). Next time you visit the holy masjid, keep this entirely in mind!

54.# It was only in 1932 the Kiswah (cloth of the Ka'bah) was wholly made by Saudis (citizens of Saudi Arabia).

55.The roof top of our Prophet's (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Madina is designed to be strong enough to carry addtional floors in the future.

56.Some verses in the Koran refer to man being equal to woman. Mathematically, the number of times the word "man" appears in the Koran is 24. The number of times the word "woman" appears in the Koran is also 24.

57. The Holy Quran has 30 parts

58.The Holy Quran has 114 surahs

59.Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem is repeated 114 times in the Quran.

60.All except for Surat “Al Tawbah” start with Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem.and Surat “Al Namel, No. 27” has Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem in its body

61.Al-Baqarah is the longest surah in the Quran while Al-Kawthar is the shortest surah in the Quran

62.Milk is the best drink mentioned in the Quran while, Honey is the best food thing mentioned in the Quran

63.The best month is Ramadan while,The best night is the Night of Power in Ramadan (Laylat al Qadr)

64.-----------------------

65.Quran was revealed over 23 years: 13 in Mecca and 10 in Madina!

66.Surat Al-Dahr was revealed in respect to Ahlul Bayt (P)

67.Surat Al Nissa speaks about laws of marriage

68.Whoever reads one letter of the Quran gets 10 Rewards.Surat Al-Ikhlas is considered 1/3 of the Quran

69.Reading 1 verse in Ramadan is equal to reading the entire Quran in other months

70.Ramadan is the Spring of the Holy Quran

71.The Quran will intercede for people who recited it on Judgment Day

72.The Quran will complain of people who didn’t recite it on Judgment Day

73.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam.
She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.

74.Two of the Ummahatul Mu'mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam' wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.

75.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)

76.Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).

77.Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) 'Shaheed bin Shaheed' meaning 'Martyr son of Martyr'.

78.Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.

79.Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.

80.Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say "TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE"
81.Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..

82.The Zam Zam well came into existance at the time of prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (alayhum salam). It then "dissapeared" for nearly 26 centuries (2600 years) due to the certain events and was rediscovered and dug by the grandfather of our beloved prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). The location of the well was revealed to him in a dream.

83.The black stone (as it is known), Cannot really be described in full, because the parts we touch with our hands and "Kiss" , are eight small pieces, the biggest of which is the size of a date.

84.Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'us: "The Prophet (saw) recited Surah An Najm (No. 53) at Makkah and prostrated while reciting it and those who were with him did the same except an old man who took a handful of small stones or earth and lifted it to his forehead and said, This is sufficient for me. Later on, I saw him killed as a disbeliever." [Hadeeth 569, al Tajrid al Sarih, Sahih Bukhari]

85. and it's the FASTEST growing religeon according to many sources...it is projected that Islam will be the #1 religeon by the year 2030. INSHALLAH

86. Did you know that the Prophet (PBuH) went up to the sky..

87.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam. She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.

88.The 10 Sahabah who were promised Paradise during their lifetime were Abubakr Siddique, Umar bin Khattab, Uthman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Talib, Talha Bin Ubaidullah, Saeed Bin Zaid, Abu Ubaidah Bin Jarrah, Zubair bin Awwam, Saad Bin Abi Waqqas, and Abdur Rahman Bin Auf RadiAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen.

89..Did you know that Imam Bokhari Rahmatullah Alaih compiled his collection of 7,275 Ahadith by selection from 600,000. Before writing each Hadith he would make 2 Rakaat nafl Salaat.

90.Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu Built the First Masjid at the request of RasoolAllah Alaihi Wa Sallam. It was the Masjid in Quba.

91.Prior to 2001 most reports seem to have the number roughly around 25,000 American converts per year

92.Two of the Ummahatul Mu’mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam’ wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.

93.The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions. The original
Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.(**obviously**)

94.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)

94.Islam is not "spread by the sword". It is spread by the word
(Islamic teachings) and the example of its followers. Islam teaches that
there is no compulsion in religion (the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99).

95.Abdullah Ibn Zubair (RA) was the first baby boy to be born after Hijrah. His Father was Zubair (RA) and his mother was Asma (RA). His aunt (mother's sister) was none other than Ummul Mu'mineen Aaiysha (RA) and his grand father was Abu Bakr Siddique (RA)

96.Muslim women wear the head covering (hijab) in fulfillment of
God's decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it serves to
identify one as attempting to follow God in daily life and, therefore,
protects women from unwanted advances from men. Righteous women
throughout history have worn this type of modest dress. Prominent examples are
traditional Catholic Nuns, Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of
Jesus.

97.Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty.

98.Hindus believe that inside the Kabba, ther is 1 of their Gods:asta ig:called shiva lingam ( lol lol lol) and if you look up what lingam means ,you will be shocked!!!!

99.English translations of the Quran head the American best-seller list...

100. The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.

101.Islam is not a "race", it is a religion.

Hijab

Introduction

Hijab is an Arabic word meaning barrier or partition.

In Islam, however, it has a broader meaning. It is the principle of modesty and includes behaviour as well as dress for both males and females.

The most visible form of hijab is the head covering that many Muslim women wear. Hijab however goes beyond the head scarf. In one popular school of Islamic thought, hijab refers to the complete covering of everything except the hands, face and feet in long, loose and non see-through garments. A woman who wears hijab is called Muhaajaba.

Muslim women are required to observe the hijab in front of any man they could theoretically marry. This means that hijab is not obligatory in front of the father, brothers, grandfathers, uncles or young children.

Hijab does not need to be worn in front of other Muslim women, but there is debate about what can be revealed to non-Muslim women.

Modesty rules are open to a wide range of interpretations. Some Muslim women wear full-body garments that only expose their eyes. Some cover every part of the body except their face and hands. Some believe only their hair or their cleavage is compulsory to hide, and others do not observe any special dress rules.

In the English speaking world, use of the word hijab has become limited to mean the covering on the head of Muslim woman. However, this is more accurately called a khimaar. The khimaar is a convenient solution comprising usually one, but sometimes two pieces of cloth, enabling Muslim women to cover their hair, ears and neck while outside the home.

Hijab, in the sense of veiling, can also be achieved by hanging a curtain or placing a screen between women and men to allow them to speak to each other without changing dress. This was more common in the early days of Islam, for the wives of the Prophet Muhammad.

 Hijab in scripture

What the Qur'an says about the veil and modesty

The Qur'an makes a few references to Muslim clothing, but prefers to point out more general principles of modest dress.

Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.

24:30

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, [a list of relatives], [household servants], or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.

24:31

Both men and women are commanded to lower their gaze and "guard their modesty".

The most basic interpretation of "guard their modesty" is to cover the private parts, which includes the chest in women ("draw their veils over their bosoms"). However, many scholars interpret this injunction in a more detailed way and use Hadith (recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) to support their views.

Zeenah (ornaments) is another word with numerous meanings. It has been interpreted to mean body parts, beauty, fine clothes or literal ornaments like jewellery. (The same word is used in chapter 7:31 - "O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer...")

The jewellery interpretation is supported by the instruction to women not to stamp their feet to draw attention to themselves. It used to be the practice among Arabian women to wear ankle chains to attract men.

The word translated here as veils is khumur, plural of khimaar. According to scholars, the word khimaar has no other meaning than a type of cloth which covers the head. Muslim scholars point out that men's turbans are sometimes called khumur as well.

Women during the time of Muhammad did wear the khimaar, but would wear it tied behind so their neck and upper chest were visible. This verse is therefore an order that the khimaar now be drawn over the chest, so that the neck and chest were not bare.

According to most scholars, the khimaar is obligatory for Muslim women.

The phrase "what must ordinarily appear thereof" has been interpreted in many different ways. Among Muslims who take the word zeenah (ornaments) to refer to body parts, a popular interpretation of this phrase is that women should only show the body parts that are necessary for day-to-day tasks. This is usually taken to be the face and the hands.

Some scholars recommend hiding everything but the eyes. The style of burqa worn by Afghan women even hides the eyes. Muslims who oppose full concealment say that if Allah wanted women to hide their entire bodies, there would have been no need to tell male Muslims to lower their gaze.

But "what must ordinarily appear thereof" could be understood as meaning the parts of the body that are shown when wearing normal (modest) dress, with the definition of normal dress deliberately left up to the believers' particular time and culture. This could explain why the Qur'an is not more specific: if God had wanted to, he could have listed the acceptable body parts in as much detail as the list of exceptions to the rule.

Some scholars interpret "what must ordinarily appear thereof" to mean that if a woman exposes part of her body by accident, she will be forgiven. All agree that women will not be punished for breaking the rules if some emergency forces them to do so.

Cast their outer garments over their persons

O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.

33:59

This verse is directed to all Muslim women. An alternative translation is "they should lengthen their garments".

The word translated here as "outer garments" is jalabib, the plural of jilbab. But it does not necessarily refer to the present day garment known as jilbab. Translators usually represent the word jalabib with general terms like cloaks or outer garments.

The two most common scholarly interpretations of jilbab are a travelling coat or cloak and a sheet-like full body garment similar to the modern jilbab. Some insist that the Qur'anic meaning of jilbab is identical to the present day garment. Others maintain that today's garment was developed as late as 1970 by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

The verse also indicates that the purpose of dressing this way is that women are recognised as Muslims and not harassed. It was not very safe for women to go out during this time when they could be mistaken for prostitutes or assaulted.

Elderly women

The rules are relaxed for elderly women:

Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage - there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments, provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest: and Allah is One Who sees and knows all things.

24:60

General rules

The Qur'an gives these general rules, which may help in understanding how to interpret dress and other rules in modern times.

O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness,- that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition!

7:26

So clothing does not have to be drab: it is all right for both sexes to use clothing to enhance beauty as well as to cover nakedness. The most important thing is to be modest and righteous.

 History

 The Prophet's family
 Muslims in their first century at first were relaxed about female dress. When the son of a prominent companion of the Prophet asked his wife Aisha bint Talha to veil her face, she answered, "Since the Almighty hath put on me the stamp of beauty, it is my wish that the public should view the beauty and thereby recognized His grace unto them. On no account, therefore, will I veil myself."

Women in the Muslim World, ed. Lynn Reese, 1998

As Islam reached other lands, regional practices, including the covering of the faces of women, were adopted by the early Muslims. Yet it was only in the second Islamic century that the face veil became common, first used among the powerful and rich as a status symbol.
 
 A screening curtain
 When the Qur'an first mentioned the concept of hijab, it was not as a veil or headscarf. Hijab was used in the context of a barrier or screen as in this Qur'anic verse:

(...) And when ye ask (the Prophet's wives) for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs.

33:53

Taken in historical context, this verse seems to have been primarily intended to give the Prophet's wives some protection against nuisance visitors and people who were looking for gossip about them.

Gossip and slander were a great concern at the time the verses relating to hijab were revealed. One set of verses (24:1 onwards) came immediately after the Prophet's wife Aisha was accused and acquitted of adultery.
 
 Husband and wife
 There is no restriction on what a husband and wife may show to each other in private. The Qur'an encourages married couples to enjoy each other's bodies.

 Individuals in private
Islam highly values modesty, so even when alone, men and women are recommended never to be completely naked and to cover from the navel to the knee. Exceptions do apply where necessary, for example taking a shower or going to the bathroom. 

Hijab and prayer 
 Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a veil.

Abu Dawud, Book 2, Number 0641

It is well accepted by most scholars that while praying, women must cover everything except the hands and face. It is forbidden to cover the face while praying.

Men must cover from the navel to the knee.

Veiling while on Hajj
There is an Islamic tradition that women - and men - should not veil their faces while on the Hajj pilgrimage. Some hadith are used to support this view:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say that a man in ihram should not veil anything above his chin.

Malik's Muwatta, Book 20, Number 20.5.13b

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say that a woman in ihram should wear neither a veil nor gloves.

Malik's Muwatta, Book 20, Number 20.5.15

(Ihram is the state of dress and ritual purity adopted for the Hajj.)

Some Muslims dispute this and cite hadith in which the Prophet's wives pulled their head coverings over their faces in the presence of unrelated men while on Hajj.

A dress code for Hajj 
  Narrated Ibn 'Umar: A person asked Allah's Apostle, "What should a Muhrim (pilgrim on Hajj) wear?" He replied, "He should not wear shirts, trousers, a burnus (a hooded cloak), or clothes which are stained with saffron or Wars (a kind of perfume). Whoever does not find a sandal to wear can wear Khuffs, but these should be cut short so as not to cover the ankles.

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 8, Number 362

 Revelation of the verses of veiling
 
 According to this hadith, one man (Umar ibn al-Khattab, later the second caliph) was able to bring about the commandment for the Prophet's wives to veil their faces.

Narrated 'Aisha: The wives of the Prophet used to go to Al-Manasi, a vast open place (near Baqia at Medina) to answer the call of nature at night. 'Umar used to say to the Prophet "Let your wives be veiled," but Allah's Apostle did not do so. One night Sauda bint Zam'a the wife of the Prophet went out at 'Isha' time and she was a tall lady. 'Umar addressed her and said, "I have recognized you, O Sauda." He said so, as he desired eagerly that the verses of Al-Hijab (the observing of veils by the Muslim women) may be revealed. So Allah revealed the verses of "Al-Hijab".

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 4, Number 148

 Men who veil
 Men who wear the face veil

 While the issue of Muslim women and the veil attracts a lot of publicity, it is often forgotten that there is also a tradition of men covering their faces.

There is enough evidence that the Prophet himself covered his face ... when warriors were on horses and camels they covered their faces ... so we were missing a half of the story here when we focused too much on women, and by doing so we may have misunderstood even the meaning of women veiling.

Fadwa El Guindi, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of Qatar

The veil-cum-turban of the Tuareg tribes of North Africa is a sign of maturity. When a boy becomes a man, the cloth is wound around his face and head until only his eyes are visible. Its significance is both religious and cultural.

Sufi mystics in Cairo continue a long tradition of veiling when they go into retreat, to isolate themselves from the world. And in the ancient religion of Jainism, both men and women cover their faces when entering their temple's inner sanctum.

In this audio programme, Navid Akhtar meets the singer Abdullah Ag Alhousseyni from the Tuareg band Tinariwen, talks to men of different faiths about what the veil means to them, and asks whether their stories change the way we perceive women who are veiled.

Angels in ISLAM

Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam. The Arabic word for angel (malak) means "messenger", like its counterparts in Hebrew (malakh) and Greek (angelos). According to the Qur'an, angels do not possess free will, and worship God in total obedience.[34] Angels' duties include communicating revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death. They are also thought to intercede on man's behalf. The Qur'an describes angels as "messengers with wings—two, or three, or four (pairs): He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases..."