hijab

See also: Islam and clothing

"Higab" redirects here. For the municipal company of Gothenburg, Sweden, see Higabgruppen.

Hijab or ħijāb (حجاب, pronounced: [ħi.ˈdʒæːb]) is the Arabic term for "cover" (noun), based on the root حجب meaning "to veil, to cover (verb), to screen, to shelter".

In some Arabic-speaking countries and Western countries, the common meaning of hijab currently is of "modest dress for women," which most Islamic legal systems define as covering everything except the face and hands in public.[1] Since the 1970s, hijab has emerged as a symbol of Islamic consciousness "and an affirmation of Islamic identity and morality" in opposition to "Western materialism, commercialism, and values."[2]

According to Islamic scholarship, hijab is given the wider meaning of modesty, privacy, and morality.[2] The word used in the Qur'an for a headscarf or veil is khimār (خمار). Still another definition is metaphysical, where al-hijab "refers to the veil which separates man or the world from God."[3]

According to the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, the meaning of hijab has evolved over time:

The term hijab or veil is not used in the Qur'an to refer to an article of clothing for women or men, rather it refers to a spatial curtain that divides or provides privacy. The Qur'an instructs the male believers (Muslims) to talk to wives of Muhammad behind a hijab. This hijab was the responsibility of the men and not the wives of Muhammad. However, in later Muslim societies this instruction, specific to the wives of Muhammad, was generalized, leading to the segregation of the Muslim men and women. The modesty in Qur'an concerns both men's and women's gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia. The clothing for women involves khumūr over the necklines and jilbab (cloaks) in public so that they may be identified and not harmed. Guidelines for covering of the entire body except for the hands, the feet, and the face, are found in texts of fiqh and hadith that are developed later.[4]

Muslims differ as to how hijab dress should be enforced, particularly over the role of religious police that are or have been enforcing hijab in Iran and Afghanistan.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Hijab in Islamic texts
o 1.1 Qur'an
+ 1.1.1 Alternative views
o 1.2 Hadith
* 2 Scholars' views on clothing that satisfies the demands of hijab
o 2.1 Women's dress
+ 2.1.1 Alternative viewpoint
+ 2.1.2 Garments
o 2.2 Men's dress
* 3 Sartorial hijab as practiced
o 3.1 Types of sartorial hijab
* 4 Historical and cultural explanations
* 5 Enforcement, encouragement and bans
o 5.1 Enforcement
+ 5.1.1 Governmental
+ 5.1.2 Non-governmental
o 5.2 Customs and laws by country
o 5.3 Financial encouragement
o 5.4 Restriction
* 6 Debate and controversy
o 6.1 Support
o 6.2 Critics
* 7 Other elements of hijab
* 8 See also
* 9 Notes
* 10 References
* 11 External links
o 11.1 Contemporary Muslim opinion
o 11.2 News articles

[edit] Hijab in Islamic texts

[edit] Qur'an

The Qur'an instructs Muslims to dress in a modest fashion. The following verses are generally interpreted as applying to all Muslim men and women.

Surah an-Nur ayat 31 states:
“ And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, and let them wear their head-coverings (khimars) over their bosoms (jaybs), and not display their ornaments except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their 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.

And O ye Believers! Turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. (Qur'an 24:31)
”

In the following verse, Muslim women are asked to draw their jilbab over them (when they go out), as a measure to distinguish themselves from others, so that they are not harassed.
“ 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.

And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an 33:58–59)
”

Following verses give special directives to the wives of Muhammad though some commentators believe that all women should imitate their example.
“ O Wives of the Prophet, ye are not like any of the (other) women. If ye do fear (Allah), be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speak that is just. Abide still in your homes and make not a dazzling display like that of the former times of ignorance: and establish regular prayer, and give regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.

Communicate what is taught to you of the verses of God and the wisdom revealed by Him [to your visitors]. The Almighty is very discerning and all-knowing. (Qur'an 33:32–33)
”

Another verse in the Quran (33:53) talks about the veil as being a separation of two men and spheres of life such as the public and the private, rather than between men and women. This could very well be the definitive verse on hijab as it has been quoted as such by a number of Islamic theologians.
“ O Ye who believe! Enter not the dwellings of the Prophet for a meal without waiting for the proper time, unless permission be granted you. But if ye are invited, enter, and, when your meal is ended, then disperse. Linger not for conversation. Lo! That would cause annoyance to the Prophet, and he would be shy of (asking) you (to go); but Allah is not shy of the truth. And when ye ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not for you to cause annoyance to the messenger of Allah, nor that ye should ever marry his wives after him. Lo! That in Allah's sight would be an enormity. (Qur'an 33:53) ”

[edit] Alternative views

Although a minority in the Muslim community, scholars such as Javed Ahmed Ghamidi and Leila Ahmed argue for a more liberal approach to hijab. Among their arguments are that while some Quranic verses enjoin women in general to Qur'an 33:58–59. “draw their clothes around them a little to be recognized as believers and so that no harm will come to them.” and Qur'an 24:31. “guard their private parts... and drape a cover [khamr] over their breasts [when in the presence of strange men]”, they urge modesty but do not mention hijab or the covering of the head, neck, etc.

Ghamidi believes that Qur'an mentions khamr or khumūr in 24:31 only as a 7th century Arabian dress, and gives no specific command for women to wear it. He argues that the context of verse “they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble”[Qur'an 33:59] indicates that women are directed to wear jalābib only in specific situations.[5][6]

Other verses do mention separation of men and women but they refer specifically to the wives of the prophet:

Abide still in your homes and make not a dazzling display like that of the former times of ignorance:(Qur'an 33:32–33)

And when ye ask of them [the wives of the Prophet] anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain.(Qur'an 33:53)

According to Leila Ahmed, nowhere in the whole of the Quran is the term hijab applied to any woman other than the wives of Muhammad.[7][8]

According to at least some critics of the orthodox view of hijab, these special restrictions for wives of Muhammad are not applicable to all Muslim women at all times, but were legislated because of the wives' living conditions. They make

"perfect sense when one recalls that Muhammad's house was also the community's mosque: the center of religious and social life in the Ummah. People were constantly coming in and out of this compound at all hours of the day. When delegations from other tribes come to speak with Muhammad, they would set up their tents for days at a time inside the open courtyard, just a few feet away from the apartments in which Muhammad's wives slept. And new emigrants who arrived in Yatrib would often stay within the mosque's walls until they could find suitable homes.
When Muhammad was little more than a tribal Shaykh, this constant commotion could be tolerated. But by the year 627, when he had become the supremely powerful leader of an increasingly expanding community, some kind of segregation had to be enforced to maintain the inviolability of his wives. [7]
That the veil applied solely to Muhammad's wives is further demonstrated by the fact that the term for donning the veil, darabat al-hijab, was used synonymously and interchangeably with `becoming Muhammad's wife.` For this reason, during the Prophet's lifetime, no other women in the Ummah observed hijab."[7]

Muslim women probably began wearing the veil "as a way to emulate the Prophet's wives, who were revered as `the Mothers of the Ummah,` but the veil was neither compulsory nor, for that matter, widely adopted until generations after Muhammad's death."[7] In the Muslim community "there was no tradition of veiling until around 627 C.E."[9][7]

[edit] Hadith

The hadith (Arabic plural ahādīth) are traditions concerning the practices of the early Muslim community. They were transmitted orally for more than a century before the first collections were written down. The hadith, accepted as canonical by Sunni Muslims, took their final form some three centuries after Muhammad's death.[citation needed]

The Arabic word jilbab is translated as "cloak" in the following passage. Contemporary salafis insist that the jilbab worn today is the same garment mentioned in the Qur'an and the hadith; other translators have chosen to use less specific terms:

* ʾĀ'isha reported that Muhammad's wives went out at night-time to open fields in the outskirts of Medina to relieve themselves. Umar said "Muhammad, ask your ladies to observe veil."Template:Sahih bukhari, volume 1, book 4, hadith
* 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 Bukhari 7:65:375, Sahih Muslim 8:3334
* Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Prophet said: Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a veil.[10] Sunnan Abu Dawud 2:641
* Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Asma bint Abu Bakr, entered upon the Apostle of Allah while she was wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of Allah turned his attention from her. He said: O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands.[11] Sunnan Abu Dawud 32:4092
* 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 over their heads by wearing outer garments.[12] Sunnan Abu Dawud 32:4090
* Narrated Safiya bint Shaiba: 'Aisha used to say: "When (the Verse): "They should draw their veils over their necks and bosoms," was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist sheets at the edges and covered their faces with the cut pieces."[13] Sahih Bukhari 6:60:282, Sunnan Abu Dawud 32:4091

[edit] Scholars' views on clothing that satisfies the demands of hijab

Traditionally, Muslims have recognized many different forms of clothing as satisfying the demands of hijab.[14] Debate focussed on how much of the male or female body should be covered. Different scholars adopted different interpretations of the original texts.

[edit] Women's dress
A woman wearing a headscarf in Kalkan, Turkey

Some Sunni Muslims recommend that women wear loose clothing that is not form fitting to the body either modest forms of western clothing (long shirts and skirts), or the more traditional jilbāb, a high-necked, loose robe that covers the arms and legs. A khimār or shaylah, a scarf or cowl that covers all but the face, is also worn in many different styles. Some Salafi scholars encourage covering the face. Many of them say it is mandatory to cover the face. 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 than most of the traditional forms of ħijāb, and they are worn worldwide by Muslims.
A woman wearing a burqa in Afghanistan

Detailed scholarly attention has been focused on prescribing female dress. Most scholars agree that the basic requirements are that when in the presence of someone of the opposite sex (other than a close family member - see mahram), a woman should cover her body, and walk and dress in a way which does not draw sexual attention to her. Some scholars go so far as to specify exactly which areas of the body must be covered. In some cases, this is everything save the eyes but most require everything save the face and hands to be covered. In nearly all Muslim cultures, young girls are not required to wear a ħijāb. There is not a single agreed age when a woman should begin wearing a ħijāb; however, in many Muslim countries, puberty is the dividing line.

In private, and in the presence of mahrams, the rules on dress are relaxed. However, in the presence of husband, most scholars stress the importance of mutual freedom and pleasure of the husband and wife.[15]

[edit] Alternative viewpoint

A minority viewpoint of scholars such as Javed Ahmed Ghamidi considers "head-covering" for women a cherished part of Muslim social custom and tradition but not compulsory.[16][17]

Some contemporary Muslims take a relativist approach to ħijāb. 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 may not be considered so in another. It is important, they say, for believers to wear clothing that communicates modesty and reserve in the situations in which they find themselves.[18]

Along with scriptural arguments, scholars argue that head covering should not be compulsory in Islam because the veil predates the revelation of the Qur'ān. Head-covering was introduced into Arabia long before Muhammad, primarily through Arab contacts with Syria and Iran, where the hijāb 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.[19][7]

[edit] Garments

The burqa is the garment that covers women most completely: either only the eyes are visible, or nothing at all. Originating in what is now Pakistan, it is more commonly associated with Afghanistan. Typically, a burqa is composed of many yards of light material pleated around a cap that fits over the top of the head, or a scarf over the face (save the eyes). This type of veil is cultural as well as religious.

Traditionally Muslims in general, and Salafis in particular believe the Qur'ān demands women wear the garments known today as jilbāb and khumūr. However, Qur'ān translators and commentators translate the Arabic into English words with a general meaning - such as veils, head-coverings and shawls.[20] Ghamidi argues that verses [Qur'an 24:30] teach etiquette for male and female interactions, where khumūr 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 sharīˤah (law).[21]