What Does the Qur’an Say About Hijab?
Q: “What does the Qur’an say about the Hijab for women?
A: This is another most abused matter concerning the dress code for women. Please pay attention; it is very simple. The word “Hijab” appears (8) times in the Qur’an (7:46, 33:53, 38:32, 41:5, 42:51, 17:45, 19:17, 83:15). None concern either women’s dress code or the veil over the human body.
7:46 “And in between them (Paradise and Hell) is a hijab (veil), and on the purgatory there are men, knowing everyone by his face, will call out to the companions of the Garden, ‘peace on you’, they do not enter therein, and yet they wish they could.”
17:45 “And when you do recite the Qur’an, We Put between you and between those who do not believe in the hereafter, an invisible hijab (veil).”
19:17 “Then she placed a hijab (screen) from them, so We Sent to her Our Spirit, who appeared to her as an accomplished man.”
33:53 “O you who believe, do not enter the Prophet’s house without permission …. And when you ask (his ladies) for anything you want, ask them from behind a hijab (curtain)…”
38:32 “And he said, ‘I have endeared the love of good (things) from glorifying my Lord, until (the sun) was hidden in the hijab (veil of Night).’”
41:5 “And they said, ‘Our hearts being veiled from that to which you invite us, and in our ears a deafness, and between us and you is a hijab (screen), thus you do (as you wish) and we do (as we want).’”
42:51 “It is not possible for Man that All’h Speaks to him, except by Revelation or from behind a hijab or by sending a messenger (angel) to reveal, by His Permission, what He Wishes (to be revealed), for He Is High above, Wise.”
83:15 “Never! In fact from their Lord, that Day, they shall be screened (Hijab).”
The word “Hijab,” as you can verify by verses above, means “barrier, curtain, separation and veil of darkness of the night.”
In no way does this word have any relation with women’s dress code in the Qur’an. This is absolute and most certain, but humans invent lies and calumny. It is astonishing why, and on what basis, such a word could have been used for women’s clothing, if the commandment is supposed to be from the Qur’an. Most certainly, such a statement cannot be from the Qur’an or we would have found it there.
There is, however, a very important aspect to take into consideration concerning the Commandments of the Qur’an in general. As the Qur’an is for different eras/generations, the Commandments and their times can easily be identified by the way they are Addressed to. Whenever it is Addressed as: “O Muhammad” or “O Prophet,” concerns only Muhammad and his time. Likewise, when the wives of Muhammad are Addressed:
(33:28-34 “O Prophet tell your wives …” /
“O women of the Prophet.”)
The verse below is an example.
33:59 “O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and women’ believers to lower their jellabah over them, this way is more probable that they should be recognized (as righteous women), thus avoiding being molested, and All’h Is Forgiver, Merciful.”
Such a verse is typically a specified verse; it belongs only to a certain time, certain people (the wives and daughters of the Prophet, and the women believers of his time and surroundings) and their customary garments mentioned. The word used here is: “jalabib” / “jellabah,” or a well-known specific type of long Arabic overall for women. As specified, the customary fashion for women’s wear was, and still is, the jellabah type of dress, at the time.
Then obviously it does not concern us people, followers of the Qur’an today, and from all over the world, whose type of dress is not jellabah … nevertheless, such verses concern us symbolically.
The Admonitions of the Lord to us men and women of today, for keeping a good and clean society, are as follows in the dress (clothes) code below.
7:26 “O children of Adam, in fact We Sent down garments for you to cover your private parts as well as for luxury, but the garment of righteousness is best, such being of the Signs of All’h that they may be reminded”
(For full details, please refer to dress code in Al-FurQan Chapter 18.)
Just to make sure that the word “garment” used in the verse above is used for dressing and clothing, we refer to these verses: (18:31, 44:53 “And they will wear green garments of fine silk.”)
Below are some admonitions for good behavior, a civilized manner against violating the rights of one another, the limit concerning the dress-wear, behavior for man and woman to avoid provocation and maintenance of purity (hygiene) in sex, against general pollution. Admonitions for every generation and era: (24:27-34).
24:27 “O you who believed, do not enter the houses other than your own until you have asked permission, and saluted their inhabitants.”
:28 “If you find no one in them, do not enter them until permission is given to you, and if you are asked to go back, go back.”
:30 “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts, that will make for greater purity for them, in fact All’h Is Acquainted with all that they do.”
:31 “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not display their ornament except what is to appear of them and to strike their covering over their bosoms and not display their (hidden/intimate) ornament except to their husbands or their fathers, their father in law, their sons … and that they should not strike their feet (legs/thighs) in order to show their hidden ornaments, and turn to All’h all together, O you believers, that you may succeed.”
The dress code for women in the Qur’an, as you notice above is Explained very clearly and simply, to conform to different periods and eras of time.
In our Time the fashion is to wear transparent coverings that reveal the bosoms and underwear (the hidden ornaments) or to shorten skirts, showing the panties and girdles underneath. The verse above, fully conformed to our time, concerns us, symbolically. Believing women should not show their bosoms and should not shorten their skirts up to the level of showing their underwear, so as to be known and avoid molestation. The important admonition is to prevent provocation.
If you enter a country that their religion and custom is to wear a veil over their head and body, moreover, they have made it a law, then we should follow their rules, of course, and avoid any kind of provocation. As God Says, we must use our brain.