So I have seen many Pakistani women covering their heads frantically just for Adhaan. The ones who forget to cover will be reprimanded for being disrespectful. My question is, is this dupattafying just a cultural thing or is it sunnah/mandatory? I don’t think I have seen anyone else do it other than desis. So I’m confused.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
Desi womens cover their head too when someone elder enters the house etc-----its a sign of respect or something...
alternatively, it could be to restore the state of dress to islamic...i.e. covering head besides rest of the body....
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
I know it’s done out of respect, but is there an Islamic backing to it? Why get reprimanded if you forget to 
? I mean why not just wear hijab then outside as well…
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
thats desi islam for you 
similar example is womens in sleeveless wearing hijab on their heads…etc
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covering head at time of azaan is a perfect example of cultural norms taking precedence over religious duties/obligation!..great going by today’s Muslims! 
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^thought so!
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I think it is a nice practice … The Name of Allah (SWT) and the Name of RasoolAllah (SAW) is supposed to generate awe and respect in us … Islamic backing? It is just good sense … Army officers are at ease when they talk to each and when the captain, major or general comes in to their quarters … they get in to attention … this is a change of state … it is out of respect and formality.
The alternative is to be indifferent to it … and that for me is more harmful … because indifference to adzhan will lead to ignoring and missing the prayer time more often than being attentive and changing ones condition.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
Could you explain what you mean by this?
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
^Because it's a cultural practice rather than a religious obligation..
A bit like covering our hair in front of elders..
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
So I have seen many Pakistani women covering their heads frantically just for Adhaan. The ones who forget to cover will be reprimanded for being disrespectful. My question is, is this dupattafying just a cultural thing or is it sunnah/mandatory? I don't think I have seen anyone else do it other than desis. So I'm confused.
It's an act of adab or respect and not a fardh, to my knowledge. But annoyingly many Desis have given fardh status to adab practices that are not mandatory. And no, I don't think that failure to cover your hair will lead you to disregard namaz. What really irks me is the girls/women who will rush to draw their dupatta over their heads as soon as they hear the masjid's speakers crackle....and the one without a dupatta will pick up the remaining trail of another woman's dupatta and drape it over her head. And they will "haaaaaaw haaaaaaayyyyyye" any female who doesn't cover her head during azaan........but after the azaan is over....none of them offer the namaz (even if they can). There's no haaaw haaayeing at failure to fulfill the farz, but there will be for not doing a voluntary act of adab for which there is no gunnah. You could have used that time that you sat in silence with a dupatta draped over your head to go to the bathroom and perform your wuzu. Doing wuzu (if you don't already have it) is better than sitting there in silence with your head covered trying too look all cute, demure and naik. The way I see it, agar itni hi izzat hai azaan ki....to jaa kar namaz bhi parho (if you are able to). So the adherence of a voluntary adab act does not always translate to fulfilling the more valued fardh act......just as not fulfilling the former doesn't necessarily mean that one will disregard the namaz. More power to those who can do both and that, too, on time and with concentration.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
But isn't hijab fard? They wouldn't have to rush to cover their heads if they were (properly) wearing hijab.
I included "properly" because our see-through dupattas & the end of someone else's dupatta, like RV explained, don't exactly qualify as having out heads correctly covered.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
^Lack of consistency with a practice or warped prioritizing.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
But isn't hijab fard? They wouldn't have to rush to cover their heads if they were (properly) wearing hijab.
I included "properly" because our see-through dupattas & the end of someone else's dupatta, like RV explained, don't exactly qualify as having out heads correctly covered.
The covering of the head is not included in hijab when in front of mahram or in the home, but it is included for prayer even when in complete private and no one is around. This is why the women traditionally put on their head coverings upon hearing Adhzan - presumably to assume the posture for prayer or out of adab increasing their attentiveness.
The reason why it has become a benign act is because it became a cultural practice without meaning ... and as Redvelvet has mentioned many women just do the adjusting without following up with prayer and get right back to what they were doing ...
However, I would be hesitant to lay a benign act to rest ... and simply stop doing it ... No, I would rather encourage people to continue but then to follow up on why they do it and reflect on it until the penny drops and they start to pray too.
Also, from a hadith stand point ... there is a sign of the Day of Judgment that Calamity will not strike the Earth until the last person is saying "Allah Allah" - he is asked what that means and he will be unable to answer and say merely that he is emulating what his forefather did and he was a child and he saw he him do it ... In other words the Destruction from happening will be prevented from a mere benign act ... An act that carries much spiritual weight but no practical weight or meaning.
I used to believe that people who placed greater emphasis on good acts over mandatory acts should be chastised and corrected ... I have grown to see that my approach could have been quite harmful ... Because it is possible that through a "bonus" act the "mandatory" acts are being observed ...
It is not necessary to pray in Jammat merely prayer is fardh, but if we create a habit of praying in jammat it encourages us to pray ... It is not necessary to remain in wudu, but we are protected if we stay in wudu and it is easier to pray if we don't have to do wudu and then pray taking more time up and so on ... This is why I also like it when people go to gatherings - because when people speak about Allah (SWT) they become inclined to Him and an environment is created where the observing of the mandatory elements become easier and of higher reward.
Some people believe that we should abandon the small things and focus on the big ticket items, if we are not doing the big ticket items ... I have seen more people fail that way ... Rather we should grow our adherence to our obligations THROUGH the small good deeds that we are already finding easy to do out of cultural norms or habit.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
made up and annoying
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That defines the “khusra” perfectly - but what has it gotta do with this thread?
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I understand that doing the small things can possibly lead to doing the bigger, and mandatory things. But what I have noticed in our culture is that people start doing some voluntary adab and give it that fardh status and start pooh-poohing those that don't ....resulting in this mass confusion in what is a part of Islam and what isn't. In a way I feel that we actually burden ourselves by adding new rules and placing pressure on others to follow and this makes it hard for us to let things "go"... it can make us petty too.
I understand the importance of showing adab, but there is also a mercy in that some things are not required because it facilitates a comfortable connection with Allah. If there are no ghair mahrams around and I have my wuzu but no dupatta....and I read the Quran...I can appreciate that my religion has made it easy for me to connect to Allah quickly, that Allah has made it easy for me to connect with Him without being made to feel guilty that I don't have a dupatta. It makes me appreciate that the dupatta is one less thing that I have to worry about ...that I don't have to rush to find a scarf..or if for some reason I don't want to wear the scarf I have.....that it won't hinder my connection with Allah. Or that if I see a friend/relative reciting without dupatta ....I don't need to interrupt her recitation and make her go get a scarf....that it's OKAAY for me to leave her in peace and let her recite seeing she's into it. This non-meddling is also a sign of adab......how come this is not acknowledged? We tend to meddle a lot.
We want to appreciate the adab aspect of it.....but we don't see there is a mercy in the way things already are in the deen without having to make additions and then make them mandatory on top of it. There's a darker side to this "adab".....in that if it comes with pressure and shaming/guilting (usually due to ignorance)....it doesn't make religion easy, it can make it burdensome. And before some people get on my case....no, I'm not advocating being reckless with your apparel or person or manners during ibadat. Nor am I suggesting that one should never wear dupatta. But i appreciate the existing ease and mercy in religion that we folks....(even with good intentions) ....end up diminishing if not for ourselves then for others (largely due to our attitude/approach).
In encouraging an adab, we also need to adopt a tone and approach of adab.
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Yes sister Redvelvet ... adab is important and the "tone of approach" you mention is called suluk ... The general rule of these is to be strict on oneself and lenient on others ... So when discussing the matter I have no problem in saying it as it is ... however, in practice I agree we cannot be zealous with adab or zealous with shari'ah towards others ... we can be direct with others only if we are in a position of authority over them.
I do agree that people often fail in adab and/or suluk even when they themselves are claiming to be focusing on adab and suluk ...
Just as I said earlier that I would not tell someone to stop doing a good act, when they are not adopting the more important act - but rather encourage them to build on what it already easy for them - likewise I would not tell someone off for doing something good when not observing good conditions for it ... but again encourage them to fill the gap slowly a subtle self-improvement ethos.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
if one doesn't cover then one is indifferent towards Adhaan!?!?
You could be showing respect towards Adhaan by making dua during Adhaan quietly, or not talking, making wudu etc. I don't see that just covering the head shows respect when women carry on talking after covering during Adhaan. I see it is a nice gesture to cover etc, but if you don't that doesn't mean you care any less for Adhaan.
If it is just out if custom then I don't see the need to make someone feel extremely bad about not doing it. If someone wants to that is great, but if someone forgets to then don't view them negatively.
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
I don't get your last paragraph. Do you mean if one doesn't cover then one is indifferent? You could be showing respect towards Adhaan by making dua during Adhaan quietly, or not talking etc. I don't see that just covering the head shows respect when women carry on talking after covering during Adhaan. I see it is a nice gesture to cover etc, but if you don't that does mean you care any less for Adhaan.
I meant that it is not an either or scenario ... The covering of the head is an act of respect only if it is meant to be an act of respect - if they are covering the head without any intent then it is a benign (hollow) act ... Likewise, purposely not covering the head and reciting the phrases as per fiqh can be acts void of "humility" and are equally as troublesome but I won't make a big deal of either ... in practice - except when discussing the topic as we are now ...
Re: Covering your head just for Adhaan ?
Lol I actually changed my post since I kind of understood what you were trying to say