Evidences for Jilbab

Introduction

One of the issues in hijab that is surrounded by the most confusion is the JILBAB. Some sisters assert that the jilbab is not fard and that "shalwar kameez and a headscarf are OK". Other sisters protest that the name "jilbab" is used in Arabic today to refer to a very specific style and type of garment and Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) could not have specified that all Muslim sisters are to wear this and only this type of garment. After seeing these same questions and these same claims come up over and over again, I decided to write an essay setting out the answers to the questions: what is the jilbab? and is it fard to wear one?

For the purposes of this essay we are going to assume that we know nothing of Arab culture or of the types of garments that Arabs may wear. All we have to go on is the Qur'an and the Sunna, and the works of the scholars who have devoted their lives to study of the Qur'an and Sunna. After all, Muslims are supposed to base themselves only on Qur'an and Sunna. Because of this, I will refer a lot to the garment called "jilbab" and I ask my readers to suspend any knowledge they may have of what type of garment is called "jilbab".



PART ONE: What does the Shari'a say about the garment called "jilbab"?

In the Quran, Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 (33:59) says:

Ya ayyuha an-Nabiyy qul li azwajika wa banatika wa nisa al-mu'minin yudnina alayhinna min jalabib hinna; dhalika adna an yu'rafna fa laa yu'dhayn. Wa kana Allahu Ghafur Rahim

O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their JALABIB close around them; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.

The word "jalabib" is the plural of "jilbab". Clearly, this ayah states a command for Muslim women to wear a garment which Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) has called "jilbab".

Beyond this, the hadiths record how the sahabiyat (radiallahu anhuma) went about obeying Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 when it was revealed:

Sunan Abu Dawud Book 32 #4090. Narrated Umm Salama, Umm al-Mu'minin: When the verse, "That they should draw their jalabib close around them" was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads by wearing jalabib.

In case there is any confusion about how the Muslim sister is supposed to go about obeying Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59, this hadith shows that the correct way to obey it is to wear the garment called "jilbab", since that is what the sahabiyat (radiallahu anhuma) did. Note that they did not hesitate or delay or make excuses: when they were told by Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) to wear the garment called "jilbab", they did, right away.

And there is more even than this. Some of the women remained in seclusion and never went out so that they did not own the garment called "jilbab". The hadiths record that the Prophet (Salallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam) commanded the women to come out for the Eid gathering, and what he said about the issue of the garment called "jilbab":

Sahih Bukhari Book 8 #347. Narrated Umm Atiyya: We were ordered to bring out our menstruating women and screened women to the religious gatherings and invocation of the Muslims on the two Eid festivals. These menstruating women were to keep away from the musalla. A woman asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What about one who does not have a jilbab?". He said, "Let her borrow the jilbab of her companion".

My dear sisters, surely the meaning of this is clear enough to you. If it were halal for a sister to go outdoors without the garment called "jilbab", why didn't the Prophet (Salallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam) allow the women to do this? But instead, he told them that they must find the garment called "jilbab" to wear, even if they had to borrow one from a friend. The rule is plain: it is a disobedience of Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) and of His messenger for a woman to go outdoors if she is not wearing the garment called "jilbab". Period. I really do not see any other meaning from Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 or from these hadiths. Do you?



PART TWO: What do the scholars say about the garment called "jilbab"?

I have provided above evidence from the Quran and Sunna that it is fard for the Muslim sister to wear the garment called "jilbab" when she goes out from her house. This is not just my opinion but the opinion of most of the scholars (ulama). The next question is: what type of garment is the jilbab? There are two opinions among the scholars on this matter:

1) That it is a loose outergarment like a coat or cloak.

2) That it is a sheet covering the entire body except for the eyes.

Notice that neither of these opinions mentions "conservative clothing" or "loose clothing" nor does either opinion say "shalwar kameez are OK".

Section B: Why do the scholars say that the jilbab is an outergarment?

There is one thing that all the scholars are agreed on and that is that the garment called "jilbab" is an outergarment. Their only disagreement is in how much of the body (face) the jilbab is to cover. How did the scholars derive that the jilbab is an outergarment? There are two ways to do this. First, they might just look up the definition of the word "jilbab" in a dictionary of classical Arabic. Second, they might verify for themselves by intelligent analysis of the Qur'an that the jilbab is an outergarment. We can look at both of these sources.

What is the defintion of the word "jilbab" in Arabic?
The definitive dictionary of classical Arabic, Lisan al-Arab by ibn al-Mandhur, provides the following definition, "The jilbab is the outergarment, mantle, or cloak. It is derived from the word tajalbaba, which means to clothe. Jilbab is the outer sheet or covering which a woman wraps around her ON TOP OF HER GARMENTS to cover herself from head to toe. It hides her body completely" (Lisan al-Arab, volume 7, page 273)

The dictionary Al-Qamus al-Muhit by Abu Tahir al-Fayruzabadi provides the definition, "The jilbab...is that which CONCEALS THE CLOTHES like a cover"

The dictionary Al-Sihah by Jawhari provides the definition, "The jilbab is the cover and some say it is a sheet. Jilbab has been mentioned in the hadiths with the meaning of sheet, which the woman WRAPPED OVER HER CLOTHES"

Intelligent Analysis of the Quran 1: An argument why the jilbab is not just modest clothing but must be an OUTER-GARMENT

Qur'an Surah an-Nur ayah 31 (24:31) reads as follows:

Wa qul li al-mu'minat yaghdudna min absarihinna wa yahfazna furujahunna wa laa yubdina zenatahunna illa maa zahara min haa wal-yadribna bi khumurihinna ala juyubihinna; wa laa yubdina zenatahunna illa li bu'ulatihinna aw aba'ihinna aw aba'i bu'ulatihinna aw abna'ihinna aw abna'i bu'ulatihinna aw ikhwanihinna aw bani ikhwanihinna aw bani akhawatihinna aw nisa'ihinna aw maa malakat aymanu hunna aw at-tabi'ina ghayri ulu'l-irbat min ar-rijal aw at-tifl alladhina lam yazharu ala awrat an-nisa wa laa yadribna bi arjulihinna li yu'lama maa yukhfina min zenatahinna. Wa tubu ilaAllahi jami'an, ayyuha al-mu'minun la'allakum tuflihun

And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their adornment except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms, and not to display their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you the faithful, in order that you are successful.

This ayah lists a number of things that Muslim sisters are to do:

1) Lower the gaze (from looking at what is haram to be seen of men).

2) Guard the private parts. This means not to let them be seen or touched by who is haram to see or touch.

3) Conceal all of the body and its decorations except "what is apparent of it". Most scholars are agreed that the face and the hands are "what is apparent of it". Some scholars say that only the eyes are "what is apparent of it".

4) Wear a khimar (headcovering) and extend it to cover the bosom. This means that it covers the hair, the neck, the shoulders, and the upper chest.

5) That the husband, mahram relatives, women, slaves, male servants who do not feel sexual desire, and children are the only people who can see more of the woman than "what is apparent of it".

6) Not stamp the feet or otherwise act so that what is hidden becomes known to others.

It can clearly be seen from this analysis that Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) in Suran an-Nur ayah 31 already commands a woman that when non-mahram men are present, she is to wear clothing that is loose and opaque plus a headscarf (referred to in the Qur'an as khimar) so that with these garments, she covers everything. If this were all that was necessary, why has Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) also revealed Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59? For this reason, the garment called "jilbab" that has been commanded in Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 must be something in addition to the modest clothing. The only obvious interpretation is that the garment called "jilbab" is some type of outergarment, something that is worn on top of the modest clothing commanded in Surah an-Nur ayah 31.

Intelligent Analysis of the Qur'an 2: Another argument why the jilbab is not just modest clothing but must be an OUTER-GARMENT

Surah an-Nur ayah 60 (24:60) provides an exemption for certain women in regard to hijab. It reads as follows:

Wa al-qawa'idu min an-nisa allati laa yarjuuna nikahan fa laysa alayhinna junahun an yada'na thiyab hunna ghayra mutabarrijat bi zenat. Wa an yasta'fifna khayru la hunna. WaAllahu Sami'un Alim

And the elderly women, those who do not have hope of marriage, there is no fault on them that they lay aside (some of) their clothing as long as they are not making a display of their adornment. And that they refrain is better for them. And Allah is the Hearer, the Knower

Here is an interesting puzzle. Elderly women who have no hope of getting married again are allowed to "lay aside (some of) their clothing" - but they are restricted from making a display of their adornment. How can a woman lay aside any part of her clothing without making a display of her body?

The only possible answer is that she is laying aside an extra layer. When she takes off the extra layer, the layer of clothing that she is wearing under it will still cover all of her beauty that must be covered. This is the only way to understand this ayah.

So what is this "extra layer" that Muslim women are wearing? My dear sister, it is the jilbab! What else can it be? What we have here is that the Muslim woman is commanded by Surah an-Nur ayah 31 that when she is around non-mahram men, she must cover all of her body except her face and her hands. This rule is always in force whenever non-mahram men are present, whether she is indoors or outdoors. But when she goes outdoors, she is to wear an extra layer, an outergarment, over the clothes she is already wearing (on account of Surah an-Nur ayah 31). This extra layer or outergarment is the jilbab. The only exception to the rule regarding dress is that elderly women who do not have hope of marriage may leave off the jilbab as long as they continue to wear other clothing that covers all of their bodies.

Surah an-Nur ayah 60 would not even make sense unless the jilbab is an extra layer, an outergarment worn over the normal clothes. This is another reason why modest clothing is not enough.

Note: This opinion has been reported from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Mujahid, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Abu Ash-Sha'tha, Ibrahim An-Nakha'i, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Az-Zuhri, and Al-Awza'i in Imam ibn Kathir's tafsir (commentary) on Surah an-Nur ayah 60. Convinced yet?


Section C: So, the jilbab is an OUTER-GARMENT, but why?


When a sister goes outdoors or in public, there may be other concerns beyond modesty. Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 mentions these concerns in giving the reason for the command of jilbab, when it says "that is better so that they are recognized and not annoyed". From this we can see that the jilbab has two purposes:

1) To make the sister recognizable as a Muslim woman

2) To protect her from being "annoyed", i.e., harassed


In conclusion, the jilbab is not primarily for the purpose of modesty, which is satisfied by the khimar and conservative clothes, but is for the additional purposes of identity and protection, issues that are factors of concern outdoors and in front of non Mahrams. This is why Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) has commanded the jilbab for these locations.


PART THREE: What are the rules for the jilbab?

In Part One of this essay, I have presented dalils from the Quran and Sunna to show that it is fard for the Muslim sister to wear a garment which Allah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) has called "jilbab". In Part Two of the essay I have presented various types of evidence and arguments that the word "jilbab" refers to an OUTERGARMENT, an extra layer that is worn over the clothing. This is the way that the scholars have understood it.

The scholars have also stated as a general rule that clothing that is used to cover must be thick and opaque so that it does not show what is beneath it, and that it must be loose so that it does not reveal the contours of what is beneath it. These two conditions must necessarily apply to the jilbab as well.

The scholars have differed as to just how much the jilbab must cover. As explained above, there are two opinions on this.

The first opinion
The first opinion of the scholars is, in effect, that the jilbab or outergarment should cover everything but the face and the hands. There are two sub-opinions here. The first sub-opinion is that there must be a single garment that covers everything that must be covered. This would mean that the garment called "jilbab" must be something like the garments known as "abaya" and "chador".

The second opinion
According to the second opinion of the scholars, the jilbab must cover the entire body except for the eyes. Just as most of the scholars who hold the first opinion allow the khimar, coat, and socks and shoes to substitute for a one-piece outergarment that covers everything but the face and hands, so most of the scholars who hold the second opinion allow multiple pieces to substitute for the one-piece outergarment or sheet that covers everything but the eyes. These multiple pieces may include a separate affixed face veil (niqab), a headscarf (khimar), a coat or cloak (jilbab), and socks and shoes. However, these scholars would strongly emphasize that the coat-jilbab is not the same as the Qur'anic jilbab. The Quranic jilbab must cover everything but the eyes.

Note: Some scholars of this group hold that the jilbab must be a one-piece outergarment that covers everything but the eyes. This is the position of the Saudi ulama.



Conclusion

Inshallah, I hope that in this essay I have proved that the Quran and Sunna do command and make obligatory the garment called "jilbab". I further hope that I have shown that the word "jilbab" in classical Arabic, and in the usage of the scholars, is a very general term that may be translated into English simply as "outergarment". Any outergarment that meets the criteria given above is a jilbab. There are many styles that are possible, and there are many outergarments in many Muslim cultures that can be used for what the Qur'an means by jilbab. These may be called "abaya", "chador", "djellaba", "burnous", "haik", "milaya", or a thousand other names. They may even be called "jilbab".

What we must always keep clear in our minds is that there is the Qur'anic jilbab, which is any outergarment that meets the criteria set out in the Shari'a; and there may also be a "cultural jilbab" that refers to a very specific style.

So whether you wear an abaya, a chador, a djellaba, or indeed a "jilbab", be sure that it meets the criteria of the Shari'a:

It is an outergarment, an extra layer, something that you wear over your clothes
It is made of thick, opaque fabric so that nobody can see what is under it
It is loose so that nobody can see the contours of your figure