By Cyril Anderson

Part One of Three

Introduction 

One of the most widely discussed issues regarding women in Islam is that of the hijab, commonly referred to as the “veil” or “headscarf.”  Non-Muslims are often puzzled by this practice, and tend to have many misconceptions about its significance and purpose.  Many fail to see the necessity or purpose of the hijab, others see it as some sort of “oppression of women,” while a small minority cries out to ban it altogether in Western countries.  In the wake of terror attacks of 9-11 and more recently in London, some non-Muslims have taken to asking why Muslim women don’t just do away with the hijab for awhile in the interest of “being less confrontational” and are often surprised by the energy of the defense of this practice by Muslim men and women.  So what is all the fuss about?  What is this practice that stirs Muslims so passionately all about?  It is the goal of this article to shed some light on this important issue.

The Requirements of Hijab: External Regulations and Clarification of Misconceptions

Unfortunately, some Muslims take rather extreme positions on the hijab.  Some Muslims hold that it is required for all women to wear niqab, in which the entire face other than the eyes are covered, while others, such as the Taliban in Afghanistan, required the burka when women went outside.  However, this is not in line with the teachings of Islam.  The teachings of Islam, as passed down from Muhammad (saws) and the imams from his family teach that the minimum requirement for a woman in terms of outward dress is for her to wear clothing that covers all but her face and hands, and that is not excessively form-fitting so as to show off the shape of her body.  Anything beyond this is extra, and is a matter of personal choice.  There are some statements recorded from Muhammad (saws) and his family recommending the niqab for those who want to choose a path of the highest piety, and indeed it is recorded that his wives and the women of the household of Muhammad, including his daughter Fatimah (as) and granddaughter, Zainab bint Ali (as), both wore niqab when they were in public.  However, those who claim that there is Islamic justification for making niqab and other more extreme forms of covering mandatory on a woman are sadly mistaken.  This is not to say, however that such a level of covering is not allowed in Islam; but the minimum standard in Islam is only to cover all but the hands and face, and anything else is to the discretion of the woman, who is free to choose whether and how much she wants to go beyond the minimum. 

Medical science provides one possible reason for why the mandatory standard allows the face and hands to be exposed; there is evidence that uncovering hands and face, combined with moderate exposure to direct sunlight provide all the necessary exposure for required production of vitamin D.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause a slew of diseases, including osteoporosis and rickets, as vitamin D is linked to calcium absorption.  Now to be fair, women with niqab can get the required amounts of vitamin D if they are careful, but allowing exposure of face and hands makes things easier for the woman. 

There are also some psychological arguments for why it is permissible for a woman to uncover her face.  The face is the place where our eyes and mouth are, the place from which we see, and from which we speak.  Communication is easier between people when they can see each other’s faces and read each other’s expressions.  Once the rest of the body has been covered by hijab, thereby removing most of the distractions of sex that often interfere with a woman’s ability to be taken seriously in mixed company in conversation as a human being, the exposure of the face allows the woman to converse in a meaningful, human manner with another person in a more relaxed manner.   The woman must still be careful with her face uncovered, trying not to make excessive eye contact with men, but the exposure of the face offers a reasonable practical compromise between facilitating the need for the women and men to maintain decorum in interactions and the comfort and ease for the woman.  Once again, this is not to say that there is anything wrong with a woman choosing to go beyond the minimum requirements of hijab, but rather to say that in the interests of not making excessive requirements on the woman, Islam does not obligate anything beyond the basic hijab.

It should also be noted by those who would say that niqab is obligatory that it is actually forbidden during the hajj  pilgrimmage for a woman to cover her face and hands.  One must be careful not to over-generalize from and conclude from this that niqab is forbidden outright; indeed as has been said, it was the tradition of the women of the prophet’s (saws) household, as well as of the households of the imams (as) to wear niqab in public.   Hajj is a special time, and the rules of hajj cannot always be applied to everyday life.  But it is suggestive, nonetheless, and provides difficulty for those who would try to force women to wear niqab rather than the simpler hijab.  

Hijab: A Duty for Men and Women

An important point to note is that although hijab is here being discussed as a women’s issue, the philosophy of hijab is not limited to women only.  As explained, one of the goals of hijab is to manage the relations between men and women and to avoid improper contact between men and women who are not married to each other, in order to avoid the social consequences that can result from such contact.  But to be fair, as the old saying goes, “it takes two to tango.”  Islam recognizes this biological truth, and sets guidelines as well for men governing their dress and conduct with women.  Men are required as well to practice certain limits in their dress when in mixed company.  Men are required to cover at the minimum their lower halves down to below the knees.  It is also highly recommended that they cover as much of their torso and arms as possible.  Men are also required to have at least a minimal beard.  This may be short, but should be enough for someone who sees them to say that he has a beard.  Women are said to find clean-shaven men more attractive, so the beard contributes to keeping away unwanted advances by women.   

                         Part One           Part Two           Part Three