mediate family, which usually covers the head and chest.

The term can further refer to any head,

face, or body covering worn by Muslim women that conforms to a certain standard of modesty. Hijab
can also be used to refer to the seclusion of women from men in the public sphere, or it may denote
a metaphysical dimension, for example referring to "the veil which separates man or the world from
God".[5]
Most often, it is worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty and privacy. According to
theEncyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World, modesty in the Quran concerns both men's and
women's "gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia."[6] The Qur'an admonishes Muslim women to dress
modestly.[7]Some Islamic legal systems define this type of modest clothing as covering everything
except the face, elbows, and knees.[5][8] These guidelines are found in texts
of hadith and fiqh developed after the revelation of the Qur'an but, according to some, are derived
from the verses (ayahs) referencing hijab in the Qur'an.[6] Some believe that the Qur'an itself does
not mandate that women wear hijab.[9][10]
In the Qur'an the term hijab refers to a partition or curtain in the literal or metaphorical sense. The
verse where it is used literally is commonly understood to refer to the curtain separating visitors
to Muhammad's house from his wives' lodgings. This had led some to argue that the mandate of the
Qur'an to wear hijab applied to the wives of Muhammad, and not women generally.[11][12]
In recent times, wearing hijab in public has been required by law in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the
Indonesian province ofAceh. Other countries have passed laws banning some or all types of hijab in
public or in certain types of locales. Women in different parts of the world have also experienced
unofficial pressure to wear or not wear hijab in general, or in its certain forms, including physical
attacks.
Contents

1In Islamic scripture

o

1.1Quran

1.2Hadith

2Dress code required by hijab

o

2.1Traditionalist views

2.2Alternative views

3Contemporary practice
o

3.1Burqa and niqab

4History
o

4.1Pre-Islamic veiling practices

4.2During Muhammad's lifetime

4.3Later pre-modern history

4.4Modern history

5Compulsion and pressure

o

5.1Legal enforcement

5.2Legal bans

5.3Unofficial pressure to wear hijab

5.4Unofficial pressure against wearing hijab

6World Hijab Day

7See also

8Notes

9References

10External links

In Islamic scripture[edit]
Quran[edit]

A young Tuareg woman in Maliwearing a hijab.

The Quran instructs both Muslim men and women to dress in a modest way, but there is
disagreement on how these instructions should be interpreted. The verses relating to dress use the
terms khimr (head cover) and jilbb (a dress or cloak) rather than h ijb.[13]
The clearest verse on the requirement of modest dress is surah 24:3031, asking women to draw
their khimr over their bosoms.[14][15]
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 theirkhimr over their breasts and not display their beauty except to their husband,
their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers'
sons, or their sisters' sons, or their (Muslim) women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess,
or male servants free of physical needs, 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.
Quran 24:31
In Surah 33:59 Muhammad is commanded to ask his family members and other Muslim women to
wear outer garments when they go out, so that they are not harassed: [15]
Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a
calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true
believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): That is most
convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed.
Quran 33:5859
The word h ijb in the Quran refers not to women's clothing, but rather a spatial partition or curtain.
[13]

Sometimes its use is literal, as in the verse which refers to the screen that separated

Muhammad's wives from the visitors to his house (33:53), while in other cases the word denotes
separation between deity and mortals (42:51), wrongdoers and righteous (7:46, 41:5), believers and
unbelievers (17:45), and light from darkness (38:32). [13]

Hadith[edit]
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Moroccan girls wearing the hijab.

The Arabic word jilbab is translated as "cloak" in the following passage. Contemporary Salafis insist
that the jilbab (which is worn over the Kimaar and covers from the head to the toe) worn today is the
same garment mentioned in the Qur'an and the hadith; other translators have chosen to use less
specific terms:

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: "I know (about) the Hijab (the order of veiling of women) more than
anybody else. Ubay ibn Ka'b used to ask me about it. Allah's Apostle became the bridegroom
of Zaynab bint Jahsh whom he married at Medina. After the sun had risen high in the sky, the
Prophet invited the people to a meal. Allah's Apostle remained sitting and some people remained
sitting with him after the other guests had left. Then Allah's Apostle got up and went away, and I
too, followed him till he reached the door of 'Aisha's room. Then he thought that the people must
have left the place by then, so he returned and I also returned with him. Behold, the people were
still sitting at their places. So he went back again for the second time, and I went along with him
too. When we reached the door of 'Aisha's room, he returned and I also returned with him to see
that the people had left. Thereupon the Prophet hung a curtain between me and him and the
Verse regarding the order for (veiling of women) Hijab was revealed." Sahih alBukhari, [Link], Sahih Muslim, 8:3334

Narrated Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya, Ummul Mu'minin: "When the verse 'That they
should cast their outer garments over their persons' was revealed, the women of Ansar came out
as if they had crows hanging down over their heads by wearing outer garments." 32:4090. Ab
Dawud classed this hadith as authentic.

Narrated Safiya bint Shaiba: "Aisha used to say: 'When (the Verse): "They should draw their
veils (Khumur) over their necks and bosoms (juyyub)," was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist
sheets at the edges and covered their faces with the cut pieces.'" Sahih alBukhari, [Link], 32:4091.

Dress code required by hijab[edit]

Traditionalist views[edit]

Women wearing tudungs(the Malay term for hijab) inBrunei

Traditionally, Muslims have recognized many different forms of clothing as satisfying the demands
of hijab.[16] Debate focused on how much of the male or female body should be covered. Different
scholars adopted different interpretations of the original texts.
Detailed scholarly attention has focused on prescribing female dress in conformity with hijab. The
four major Sunni schools of thought (Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali) hold that the entire body of
the woman, except her face and hands though a few clerics[who?] say face, hands must be covered
during prayer and in public settings (see Awrah). There are those who allow the feet to be uncovered
as well as the hands and face.[17][18]
It is recommended that women wear clothing that is not form fitting to the body: either modest forms
of western clothing (long shirts and skirts), or the more traditional jilbb, a high-necked, loose robe
that covers the arms and legs. A khimr or shaylah, a scarf or cowl that covers all but the face, is
also worn in many different styles. Some scholars encourage covering the face, while some follow
the opinion that it is only not obligatory to cover the face and the hands but mustahab (Highly
recommended). Other scholars oppose face covering, particularly in the West, where the woman
may draw more attention as a result. These garments are very different in cut from most of the
traditional forms of ijb, and they are worn worldwide by Muslims.

Bahraini women wearing the hijab.

Many Muslim scholars believe that it is a basic requirement of Islamic law that women keep their hair
and bodies covered in the presence of people of the opposite sex other than close family members
(those close enough to be forbidden to marrysee mahram). These include the Iraqi
Shia Marja' (Grand Ayatollah) Ali al-Sistani;[19] the Sunni Permanent Committee for Islamic Research
and Issuing Fatwas in Saudi Arabia;[20] and others.[21] According to some interpretations, these
requirements extend to non-Muslim women as well. Some believers go so far as to specify exactly
which areas of the body must be covered. In some cases, this is everything but the eyes, but most
require that women cover everything but the face and hands. In nearly all Muslim cultures, young
girls are not required to wear a ijb. There is not a single agreed age when a woman should begin
wearing a ijbbut in many Muslim cultures, puberty is the dividing line.

A Somali woman in Somaliawearing the hijab.

In private, and in the presence of close relatives (mahrams), rules on dress relax. However, in the
presence of the husband, most scholars stress the importance of mutual freedom and pleasure of
the husband and wife.[22]
It has become tradition that Muslims in general, and Salafis in particular, believe the Qur'an
demands women wear the garments known today as jilbb and khumr (the khumr must be worn
underneath the jilbb). However, Qur'an translatorsand commentators translate the Arabic into
English words with a general meaning, such as veils, head-coverings and shawls. [23] Ghamidi argues
that verses [Quran 24:30] teach etiquette for male and female interactions, where khumr is mentioned in
reference to the clothing of Arab women in the 7th century, but there is no command to actually wear
them in any specific way. Hence he considers head-covering a preferable practice but not a directive
of the sharia (law).[24]

Alternative views[edit]

Queen Rania of Jordanis among Muslim women that alternate between wearing and not wearing the hijab.

Some Muslims take a relativist approach to hijab. They believe that the commandment to
maintain modesty must be interpreted with regard to the surrounding society. What is considered
modest or daring in one society might not be considered so in another. It is important, they say, for
believers to wear clothing that communicates modesty and reserve. [25]
Along with scriptural arguments, Leila Ahmed argues that head covering should not be compulsory
in Islam because the veil predates the revelation of the Qur'an. Head-covering was introduced into
Arabia long before Muhammad, primarily through Arab contacts with Syria and Iran, where the hijab
was a sign of social status. After all, only a woman who need not work in the fields could afford to
remain secluded and veiled.[11][26]
Ahmed argues for a more liberal approach to hijab. Among her arguments is that while some
Qur'anic verses enjoin women in general to "draw their Jilbabs (overgarment or cloak) around them
to be recognized as believers and so that no harm will come to them" [Quran 33:5859] and "guard their
private parts ... and drape down khimar over their breasts [when in the presence of unrelated men]",
[Quran 24:31]

they urge modesty. The word khimar refers to a piece of cloth that covers the head, or

headscarf.[27] While the term "hijab" was originally anything that was used to conceal, [28] it became
used to refer to concealing garments worn by women outside the house, specifically the headscarf
or khimar.[29]

Women wearing hijabs in Sindh,Pakistan.

Other verses do mention separation of men and women.

Abide still in your homes and make not a dazzling display like that of the former times of ignorance.