Pre-islamic Age of Ignorance: In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance, women used to wear a kind of headdress tied behind the head. The collar of the shirt was also opened in such a way as to leave the front of the neck and the upper part of the chest uncovered. There was nothing to cover the breasts except the shirt, and the hair was left back in one or two pairs of braids.[472]

ISLAM: O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers: When they go out to fulfil a need, let them put on their veils and cover their bodies. It is better for them to be known as free and honourable and not to be hurt because of it. Allah is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

In the Holy Qur’an, two different concepts are emphasised in relation to women’s veiling: khimar and jilbab. Khimar means headscarf. Allah Almighty has also determined the form and scope of its covering. It is as follows: Say to the believing women: (“Tell the believing women to avert their eyes (from what is forbidden to look at), to guard their chastity and honour, not to expose their ornaments except what is visible, and to cover their headscarves over their collars.”[474] According to the authentic opinion of the commentator al-Qurtubi: Before this verse was revealed, Muslim women used to wear their headscarves only to cover their heads and necks, and they used to keep their ears, throats and neck uncovered. When verse 31 was revealed, they covered their headscarves to cover these parts as well. Thus, the word “khimar” transcended its dictionary meaning and became a term in the sense of headscarf as it is expressed in the verse. Jilbab: It is an outer garment that is larger than a headscarf and covers a significant part of the body. According to Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn Mas’ûd (may Allah be pleased with them both), it means Rıda’, that is, abaya. The abaya, as it is known, is a loose garment similar to a chador or cloak that women wear in the street, and the back of the collar often extends to the skirts. Henna’, on the other hand, is a large veil covering the head and shoulders. Qurtubi, as the most authentic interpretation of this issue, stated the opinion of the scholars by saying that “jilbab” is a street dress that covers the whole body except the face and hands. Our Prophet ‘A’isha (r.a.) gave the following information on this subject: “When the verse about the jilbab came down, the women of Ansar, may Allah have mercy on them, split their futas and covered their heads with them and prayed behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It was as if crows were perched on their heads.” In this respect, we can say that the religion of Islam, in line with its universal principles and ethical rules, has introduced its own system of veiling and dress for women and has destroyed all the bad customs and traditions of the jahiliyyah period in this regard.[475]

With the descent of these provisions, the Prophet (SAW) made some corrections. He emphasised all of them with precision so that not even a trace of the customs of ignorance would remain. Abu’l-A’la Mawdudi, the author of Tafsir al-Tafsir al-Qur’an, who has explained and compiled it to a sufficient extent, cites these corrections as follows:

1) He forbade other men (even if they are relatives) to see a woman in secret or to sit with her in the absence of her intimate relatives. Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Do not enter the presence of women whose husbands are not at home, for Satan travels among you like blood.” (Tirmidhi) Again, in a hadith narrated by Jabir, it is said: Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, do not go near a woman who does not have a close relative with her. Because in this case the third person is the devil (Imam Ahmad). Imam Ahmad narrates another similar hadith from Amir b. Rabia. The Prophet (s.a.) himself was very particular about this. Once, when he was bringing his wife, Hazrat Safiya, to his house at night, two men from Ansar passed by. The Prophet (pbuh) stopped them and said: “The woman with me is my wife Safiya.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, is there any doubt about you?” The Prophet (s.a) replied: “Satan travels in the human body like blood. I feared that he might plant an evil thought in your minds.” (Abu Dawud)

2) The Prophet (s.a.) did not approve of a man’s hand touching a woman’s body. Therefore, while he shook hands with men during the pledge of allegiance, he never did so with women. Hazrat ‘A’isha says that the Prophet never touched a foreign woman. He would make a verbal pledge of allegiance to women and when it was over, he would say, “You may go, your pledge is complete.” (Abu Dawud)

3) He strictly forbade women from travelling without their mahrams or in the company of a non-Mahram. Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (PBUH) said in one of his sermons: “No man may enter a woman alone unless he is accompanied by his mahram, and no woman may go on a journey alone without her mahram.” A man gets up and says: “My wife is going for Hajj, but I have been ordered to join an expedition.” The Prophet replied to this as follows: “You can go to Hajj with your wife.” In the hadiths narrated from Ibn ‘Umar, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and Abu Hurairah, it is stated that a Muslim woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day may not go on a journey without her mahram. However, there are different narrations about the length and duration of the journey. In some narrations, the minimum limit of the journey is 12 miles, while others set a period of one day, one day and one night, two days or even three days. This difference does not compromise the authenticity of the narrations, nor does it require us to accept one of them in preference to the others. In order to reconcile the narrations, it can be said that the Prophet (s.a.) gave different instructions on different occasions according to the circumstances and the necessity of the situation. For example, a woman travelling for three days may be prohibited from going out without her mahram, while another woman travelling for one day may be prohibited in the same way. The main problem here is not to give different instructions to different people in different situations, but the principle that a woman cannot travel without her mahram, as stated in the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas.

4) The Prophet (PBUH) forbade the free mixing of the sexes not only in practice but also verbally. The importance of Jumu’ah and congregational prayers in Islam is well known. The Jumu’ah prayer has been made obligatory by Allah Himself, and the importance of congregational prayer is expressed in the following hadith: “If a person does not come to the mosque without a real excuse and prays at home, Allah will not accept his prayer.” (Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Darekutnī, Hakim, from Ibn ‘Abbas). (Abu Dawud, Darekutnī, al-Bayhaqi). (Abu Dawud, Darekutnī, al-Bayhaqi) He left women free to attend congregational prayers and said, “If they want to come to the mosques, do not prevent them.” (Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Darekutnī, al-Hākim, from Ibn ‘Abbas). However, they did not fail to mention that it is more virtuous for women to pray at home than in the mosque. Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah narrated: “Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from coming to the mosques of Allah.” (Abu Dawud). Other narrations from Ibn ‘Umar have the same meaning: “Allow women to come to the masjids at night.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Abu Dawud). And “Do not prevent your women from coming to the masjids, even if their houses are better for them than the masjids.” (Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud). Umm Numayd al-Sa’idah once said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah, I would very much like to offer my prayers under your imamate”. The Messenger of Allah (s.a) replied: “It is better for you to pray in your room than in the tarajah. It is better for you to pray in your house than in the mosque near you, and it is better for you to pray in the mosque near you than in the main mosque.” (Imam Ahmad, Tabarani). Abu Dawud narrates from Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud with the same meaning. According to Umm Salama, the Prophet (s.a.) said: “The best of the masjids for women are the innermost parts of their houses.” (Imam Ahmad, Tabarani). When Hazrat ‘A’isha saw the conditions prevailing at the time of the Umayyads, she said, “If the Prophet had witnessed such behaviour of women, he would have forbidden them from entering the masjids, as was done to the women of the Children of Israel.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud) The Prophet reserved a separate door for women to enter the Masjid, and in his own time, Hazrat ‘Umar (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that men should enter through this door. The Prophet and his companions used to wait for a while at the end of the prayer so that the women would leave the mosque before the men. (Imam Ahmad, Bukhari) The Prophet (s.a.) said: “The best of the ranks for men is the front rank and the worst of the ranks is the last rank (closest to the women’s rank), but the best of the ranks for women is the last rank and the worst of the ranks is the front rank (immediately behind the men).” (Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Imam Ahmad) Women also participated in Eid prayers. However, they were in a closed place separate from the men. After the sermon, the Prophet used to address them separately (Abu Dawud, Bukhari, Muslim). Once the Prophet saw men and women walking side by side in a crowd and he stopped them and said: It is not right for you to walk in the centre of the road, walk along the edges. Hearing this, the women immediately started walking along the wall. (Abu Dawud) All these rulings show that mixed gatherings of men and women are completely contrary to the spirit of Islam. It is inconceivable that the Divine law, which does not allow men and women to stand side by side for prayer in the holy houses of Allah, would allow them to freely co-exist in schools, apartments, clubs and other places of assembly.

5) He permitted and even instructed women to use make-up (ornamentation) to a normal extent, but strictly forbade excessive make-up (ornamentation). Among the types of make-up and ornamentation that were common among Arab women at that time, the following were cursed and considered destructive to society:

a) wearing extra artificial hair in the hair to make it look longer and thicker,

b) Tattooing various parts of the body and creating artificial moles,

c) plucking eyebrows to give a certain appearance or plucking facial hair to give a lighter appearance,

d) Rubbing the teeth to make them thinner, or drilling artificial holes in the teeth,

e) rubbing the face with saffron or other cosmetics to give it an artificial colour and appearance.

These instructions are narrated in the Qur’anic Sitta and Musnad Ahmad by reliable narrators from ‘A’isha, Asma bint Abu Bakr, Abdullah b. Mas’ud, Abdullah b. ‘Umar, Abdullah b. ‘Abbas and Amir Mu’awiya. After learning these clear rulings of Allah and His Messenger, two paths open before a Muslim. Either he applies them in his daily life and cleanses himself, his family and his community from the evils for which Allah and His Messenger have laid down such detailed laws, or he breaks one or more of them because of some weaknesses and at least knows that he has committed a sin and accepts it as such and does not label it as a virtue. Apart from these options, those who adopt a Western lifestyle contrary to the clear provisions of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and then openly claim that there is no such thing as veiling in Islam, not only commit the offence of disobedience, but also display their ignorance and hypocritical stubbornness. Such an attitude can neither be approved by a right-thinking person in this world, nor can it merit the favour of Allah in the Hereafter. However, there are hypocrites among the Muslims who have gone so far in their hypocrisy that they reject the divine judgements as untrue and believe that their way of life, which they have borrowed from non-Muslim societies, is correct and based on truth. Such people are never Muslims, and if they were to be recognised as Muslims, the words Islam and non-Islam would lose all meaning and significance. If they were to change their Muslim names and openly declare that they have renounced Islam, then we would say that they at least have civilised and moral courage. But in spite of all their wrong behaviour, they continue to present themselves as Muslims. There is probably no more vulgar class of people in the world. Is it not possible to expect all kinds of lies, deceit, deception and unchastity from such people and from those with such a character and morals?[476]

Nowadays: The recognised dress code of the Jahiliyyah is the same today. Hijab means to cover something or to prevent something. Although these verses in the Qur’an are known as hijab verses, the word tesettür, derived from the root “setr”, is more commonly used in Turkish. Today, hijab is considered as an ideological issue by some people, but this is not the main problem. The main problem is the Muslims who do not know why hijab should be used. The magnitude of the problem is in proportion to the number of unconscious Muslims. As a result of the lack of sufficient knowledge of the person who uses or does not use the hijab and who will teach or learn why the hijab is used, the issue is not approached with Islamic consciousness. Our women who do not use the hijab need to be won and those who use it need to be made aware. Here, the duty falls to the parents[477] in the first stage. Afterwards, it is necessary to consult the relevant books for information. When the Companions learnt something, they would immediately share it with their wives and children at home. In this way, one-sided desire for paradise would be prevented, and the adaptation of knowledge to life would be easier and more willing. For example, when the 31st verse of Surah al-Nur was revealed, Muslim women started to wear a headscarf that completely covered their heads, breasts and backs. The behaviour of Muslim women in the face of this ruling is vividly described by Hazrat ‘A’isha (r.a.): When Surah al-Nur came down and people learnt its content from the Prophet (PBUH), they rushed home and recited the verses to their wives, daughters and sisters. There was an immediate response to the verses. The women of Ansar immediately got up and made headscarves from the pieces of cloth they could get their hands on. The next morning, all the women who came to Masjid al-Nabawi for prayer were wearing headscarves. In another narration, Hz. Aisha tells that the thin cloths were abandoned and women chose thick cloths for this purpose.[478] The fact that this effect suddenly turned into a reaction that bound the masses is an indication of women’s knowledge of Islam and the fact that they did not remain unresponsive to events as a result of their knowledge. The verse informs the women who continue their lives without knowledge and reaction as follows.

Allah (swt) says:

Sit in your homes with dignity, and do not throw out your ornaments and beauties (in the streets), as in the days of ignorance. [479]

About this verse, the author of the Qur’anic Commentary of Asr[480] states the following: “Although the ancient period of ignorance was the period of fate, it should not be forgotten that ignorance appeared in a different guise in every century. The prophets who were sent in succession tried to eliminate ignorance, to abolish bad and ugly customs and to replace them with divine order and civilisation in almost every age and in every place. Most of the women of the age of ignorance were similar to each other; however, they were dressed in different clothes. Those who had the opportunity to breathe the air of civilisation of the true religion have always remained outside this generalisation and have always been exemplary. Our commentators have identified and summarised the unrestrained behaviour of women in the age of ignorance as follows:

a) They used to go out in the streets with their heads uncovered, their hair sometimes dishevelled, sometimes adorned, and their chests and breasts half-open.

b) The robe they wore was slit on both sides, and their legs and calves were visible when they walked.

c) They would walk around with flirting, coquettishness and wearing beautiful odours, and they would attract the attention of men on every occasion. As it is understood, the ignorance of the twentieth century is not lagging behind that period in this regard, but it is even more advanced and makes itself felt from place to place and country to country. While forbidding such outings, the Islamic religion has aimed to protect the honour and chastity of the woman, and then to secure her dignity and honour as a mother, to keep her away from all kinds of evil eyes and to give her dignity in society. At the same time, it has aimed to keep the family nest in a sacred level, to protect it from evil eyes, to put a stamp of trust on the curtain of honour and chastity between neighbours, and to plan and determine all the necessary curriculum for the education and upbringing of generations with strong character, honesty and virtue, faith and morality in the mother’s lap and in the father’s hearth. Undoubtedly, if a woman aspires to the life of the age of ignorance or enters into that atmosphere, all these aims and plans will be destroyed. It accelerates the proliferation of lustful people who do not approach each other as brothers and sisters and do not trust each other.”[481]

Hijab comes from the root “setr”. In the dictionary, it means covering and concealment. In religion, it means that women should cover and not show the forbidden parts of their bodies to the non-Muslims.

[472] Al-Kashshaf, vol. 2, sh. 9, Ibn Kathir, vol: 3, pp. 283-284

[473] Surat al-Ahzab, Verse 59

[474] Surat al-Nur, Verse 31

[475] Celal Yıldırım, Asrın Qur’an Tafsiri in the Light of Science, Anadolu Publications: 9/4895-4896

[476] Tafhimu’l kuran, Mawdudi, İnsan publications c.3 p.533- 536

[477] Mother and father

[Ibn Kathir, vol: 3, sh: 284

[479] Surah al-Ahzab, Verse 33

[480] Author

[481] Celal Yildirim, Tafsiri of the Qur’an of the century in the light of science, Anadolu publications: 9/4853-4854