The only verses in the Qur'an that specifically reference women's clothing are those promoting modesty, instructing women to guard their private parts and draw their scarves over their breast area in the presence of men.
By saying that, “place the khumur over the bosoms,” Almighty Allah ordered the women to let the two ends of their headgear extend onto their bosoms so that they conceal their ears, the neck, face, and the upper part of the bosom also. (Chapter 33, Verse 59 – Al Ahzab).
In Islamic teachings, it has been said that God has asked women to wear hijab in order to achieve modesty and to redirect the focus of both women and men from the materialistic world towards the more spiritual world of God.
This results in the negative media portrayal of all Muslim women being forced to cover themselves. However, this is not part of the religion; Islam does not force hijab. Hijab is typically referred to as the head covering a woman wears in Islam; however, it has a deeper meaning.
Wearing of the hijab is a sign of a woman's willing submission to sharia, or Islamic law and custom. For a time in Muslim history, veiling, wearing a head covering that may or may not also conceal the face, was seen as a status symbol in addition to a practice of modesty.
There is a consensus among Islamic religious scholars that covering the head is either required or preferred, though some Muslim scholars and activists argue that it is not required. In practice, most Muslim women choose to wear it.
"The Holy Quran does not mandate wearing of hijab or headgear for Muslim women. Whatever is stated in the above sūras, we say, is only directory , because of absence of prescription of penalty or penance for not wearing hijab, the linguistic structure of verses supports this view", the Court observed.
Taking off the headscarf (hijab) by women is not a “major sin” in Islam, according to Muslim scholars, and there is no dispute about whether it's a “major sin”, Ali Gomaa, the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, said.
The experts recalled that under the current version of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, any act deemed “offensive” to public decency is punishable by 10 days to two months in prison or 74 lashes. Women seen in public without a veil could be sentenced to between 10 days and two months in prison or a fine.
Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 59
Islam places the primary responsibility of observing hijab not on women – but on men. It's critical to understand this point. Wearing the headscarf is one form of hijab, but men often forget that hijab is much more.
In modern usage, ḥijāb (hijab) generally refers to the various headcoverings frequently worn by Muslim women. Wearing hijab is mandatory in some Muslim countries, and optional or restricted in other majority Muslim and majority non-Muslim countries.
YUSUFALI: And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that 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 except to their husbands, their ...
When alone in a room or at home, Muslim women are permitted to remove their Hijabs. When a Muslim woman is not wearing the hijab, she must cover her hair, even if she is not praying. Once they have completed praying or if they are not praying, they are free to take off their hijab.
The Quran explicitly states that men and women are equal in the eyes of God. Furthermore, the Quran: forbids female infanticide (practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia and other parts of the world) instructs Muslims to educate daughters as well as sons.
Muslims are not expected to visualize God but to worship and adore him as a protector. Any kind of idolatry is condemned in Islam. (Quran 112:2) As a result, Muslims hold that for someone to worship any other gods or deities other than Allah (shirk (polytheism)) is a sin that will lead to separation from Allah.
Some scholars argue that purdah was originally designed to protect women from being harassed and seen as sexual objects. In contemporary times, some men and women still interpret the purdah as a way to protect women's safety while moving in public sphere.
The hijab, once worn as a scarf covering one's hair and covering the body, can only be taken off in front of family members or women. A Muslim woman wearing the hijab will therefore usually refrain from showing her hair to any man not related to her by blood.
Iran and neighboring Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are the only countries where the hijab remains mandatory for women. Before protests erupted in September, it was rare to see women without headscarves, though some occasionally let their hijab fall to their shoulders.
Quran 24:33 tells believers to keep their chastity if they do not marry. Quran 24:32 asserts that marriage is a legitimate way to satisfy one's sexual desire. Islam recognizes the value of sex and companionship and advocates marriage as the foundation for families and channeling the fulfillment of a base need.
Hijab is not an essential part of Islam
Under Article 25 of the Constitution, every person has the “right to freely profess, practice, and propagate [their] religion”. However, over the years, the courts have held that only parts of religion that are essential to it which would be constitutionally protected.
As a result, contemporary scholars including Shaykh al-Azhar Mahmud Shaltut, Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi, and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini have all issued legal rulings that audio arts that do not encourage people to go against the faith are permitted.
Exposing the intimate parts of the body is unlawful in Islam as the Quran instructs the covering of male and female genitals, and for adult females the breasts. Exposing them is normally considered sinful. Exposing intimate parts when needed, such as going to the toilet or bathing, falls under a specific set of rules.
It never occurred to anyone of them that such talk is forbidden. Of course, if the conversation is frivolous or leads to suggestions that are not in line with the serious moral attitude of Islam, such conversation may be forbidden, but only because of its contents, and not for being between man and woman.
The wives of the Prophet were indeed required to wear the niqab by this Qur'anic verse. This is because the special status they had meant they had to be kept clear from all gossip and slander.