Head Coverings for Women in Islam?

Question

Is it required of female muslims to wear the head scarves?

Answer 1

What is the Hijab? The word itself comes from the arabic word "hajaba" meaning to conceal or hide from view. Hijab is the modest covering of the head and body of muslim women.

Who has to wear it? All muslim adults are supposed to wear the appropriate hijab for their sex.This is one Hadith related by Abu Dawood: "Ayesha(r) reported that Asmaa bint Abu Bakr(r) came to the Messenger of Allah(swt) while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asmaa! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this.' He pointed to the face and hands."

Why do they have to wear it? Muslims must wear the hijab because Allah(swt) ordered it. Muslims have two sources for guidance. The first and most important source is Qur'an, the revealed word of Allah(swt). They may then use Hadith which is the sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad(saw) who was chosen by Allah(swt) to be a role model for mankind.

Here are two passages from the Qur'an that order the hijab.


"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed..." (Qur'an 33:59)
"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah (swt) is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty to their husbands..." (Qur'an 24:30-31)


An Iranian school girl is quoted as saying, "We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they have always done. We want them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not chase us around for our bodies and physical looks." Refer to 1st section of THIS PAGE for a debate on Women & Islam

What do they get out of dressing like that? By covering our beauty, we are evaluated for our intelligence and skills instead of looks and sexuality. Many women who cover are filled with dignity and self-esteem and are happy to be identified as a muslim woman. By wearing hijab the woman is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to shine. Aside from that, it is pleasing to Allah and in return we earn blessings from wearing it.

What is the "dress code"? Islam has no fixed standard as to the style of dress or type of clothing that muslims must wear. There are however, some requirements that must be met. These include:

Body must be covered

Loose Clothing-The clothing must be loose enough so as not to describe the shape of the body.
Thick Material-The garments must be thick enough to hide the shape of the body and the color of the skin.
Modesty-The dress should not be ragged or fancy. It should be clean and dignified looking.
Suitability-This is another Hadith from Bukhari "Ibn Abbas narrated:
'The Prophet(saw) cursed the men who appeared like women and the women who appeared like men.'"
Clothing is only one facet of hijab. It is also behavior, manner, and speech. Women who wear the hijab do not find it inhibiting, impractical, or interfering. We should wear the hijab to show our identity as muslims. More importantly, we should wear it to show our love and respect for Almighty Allah and his instructions.

Answer 2

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
First of all there is no compulsion in Islam.
A Muslim may or may not follow it requirements. But still remain a Muslim.
Muslim women are required to dress modestly and in such a way as not arose sexual desire. This exclude tight and transparent dresses.
A Muslim woman is only allowed to expose her face,hands and feet up to the ankle.
So to answer your question, yes she has to cover her head.
May Allah guide to the right path.

Answer 3

It depends on the country. In Iran for instance, is a must: women are not allowed to go out unless they were their vest. In Turkey Atatürk( the one who founded our Secular Republic in 1923) forbade to wear the head scarve as well as long beard and old Ottoman clothings in pubblic offices, schools, and government offices. So, it really depends on the country, mainly because in the Quran, there's no mention whatsoever about women having to wear it;)

Answer 4

yes , it is :

the Islamic definition of hijab is the dress that covers whatever might arouse instincts. It is what would keep a woman safe, not only in her own society but wherever she goes. It should be noticed that the way it’s worn does not arouse the sexual appeal for both men and women.

Despite these points, hijab is not old fashioned as some might claim. On the contrary, a Muslim woman needs to be careful of her appearance. She needs not only to be neat, but very well dressed too.

Yet, hijab as a dress, does not have the same rank of importance as manners and behaviors have. It is crucially important for a Muslim woman to behave well when wearing her hijab, because her behavior will give an impression to the dress she is wearing on the one hand, and to the religion itself on the other.
Christianity, as well as Islam, figured how important it is for a woman to wear hijab. We can easily see that the nuns are still wearing their own hijab and the society in large see this as a normal condition. Whereas, when it comes to Islam all voices come against the idea itself.
Muslim women wear hijab—which is more than just a head cover—because God ordered them to do so in two places in the Qur’an, and because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also ordered it. The Qur’an says in Surah 24, verses 30 - 31 what means:
*{Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.}*

These verses tell us that our Islamic dress is not just a matter of covering the head alone, but also of covering the bosom, which is attractive to men, and of lowering the gaze and walking in a way that does not attract attention.
You can also read the other verse about the same point, which is verse number 59 in Surah 33. It may be translated:
*{O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them [when they go abroad]. That will be better, that so they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.}*

i wish my answer helped to understand the whole matter , i prefered to make it detailed , than to just answer yes it is!

peace.

Answer 5

It is good question yet....Most of non-muslims are missconcepted abt Islam that is why they ask such questions...
Wearing scarves is necessary but covering head for the muslim lady when she going out of home .................. when she in the home in fron of mehrams .......... it is her choice to wear or not.

If u r christian, Jew, Hindu, Sikh etc etc .......... I chalenge u from ur own relegion wearing scarves or covering head is necessary...... Go read ur scriptures n u will find it if u will not find then ask me again by emailing or by offline messaging ..........I will give u answer from the relegion of ur own ...........I bet

Answer 6

Some look good without the head covering, Some dont.

Answer 7

Yes it is! If you go to Qur'an Chapter An-Nur, verse 31, Allah says:
O Prophet! Tell your wives, daughters and the believing women to lower their gaze and pull their garments over their bosoms!
It is a requirement and we know because:
It's in the Qur'an.
It's in the hadeeth (the sayings of our Prophet Muahmmad pbuh)
The wives and daughters and the women used to wear it and they still do. The wives and daughters of the prophet pbuh are our role models.
For any other questions, don't hesitate to contact!
I hope i answered you well!

Answer 8

Yes. It is a direct law from Allah. All muslimahs are to cover their head and wear loose fitting clothing. If they do not they are disobeying Allah.

Answer 9

I disagree. I think its a personal choice. it depends on how a woman defines devotion to God.

if she is an actress by occupation, she's obviously not going to cover her head.

so are we claiming that an actress can never be a devout Muslim?

Answer 10

yes , she had to cover her head and hair ONLY when there are strange men , and not only head , all the body most covered with loose clothes that could be not describe her body or her beauty.