ِح ْي ِم
َّر
ِن ال
ْح ٰم
َّر
بِ ْس ِم للاِ ال
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This paper covers the legal definition of hijab, to read more about the servitude of hijab and its |
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spiritual dimensions go. |
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Introduction |
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When it comes to the obligation for a Muslim woman to cover her hair and body, many have expressed their confusion as to where this commandment is rooted. In order to address this topic, this paper will explore how rulings in Islamic law are generally formed, while adopting the commandment for women to cover as a case study. We will explore the handful of sources jurists are presented with, and how they go about evaluating different texts to arrive at a legal conclusion. |
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In order to do so, we must first clarify the term |
hijab |
. In an attempt to understand the |
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legal ruling on hijab, one often begins their search with this wording in mind. One will quickly recognize, however, that their search is futile. This is because our contemporary usage of the word “hijab” to refer to the legal ruling on covering is misleading. Hijab linguistically refers to a barrier past which one cannot see. The Qur’an uses this word in a number of contexts, including describing the physical barrier between the people of hellfire and paradise [Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, 44-46], as well as the metaphysical barrier that distinguishes between the hearts of the believers and the disbelievers [Sūrat Fuṣṣilat, verse 5, Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, verse 45]. Other references to hijab include the exclusive mandate upon the wives of the Prophet ﷺ to maintain a physical barrier between themselves and non-related men [Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, verse 53]. This is in addition to their obligation of covering themselves, and hence not illustrative of the word hijab as we know it today. Thus, while scriptural mentions of hijab refer to a partition, in this day and age, hijab is most commonly translated as merely “headscarf.” For the purposes of this paper, we will adopt the word hijab in reference to covering both the hair and body. Clothing that is loose and opaque is taken for granted in this understanding as well, since that is mandatory for both men and women when covering one’s body (ʿawrah). We reserve the discussion of what constitutes modesty and the ʿawrah, however, for another paper in this series. 1 |
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