Islam essentially aims to pave the way for human being’s salvation and all religious beliefs and moral and juridical precepts have been revealed in line with this ultimate goal.

In other words, the purpose of all practices and teachings ordained by The All Wise Creator is to meet all mental and physical, material and spiritual, personal and social needs of the human beings.

Consequently, all the divine precepts related to the women hijab (covering or Islamic dress code) have also been revealed with respect to the said goal.

The issue of Hijab has long been noted and discussed by scientists and intellectuals either in the East or West and inside or outside the country. These discussions and the opinions based on these discussions are such that sometimes when analyzing and investigating the issue, a group of scholars regard “Hijab” as an index which can limit and violate the personal and social participation and presence of women in Islamic society, thereby insisting on its “ban” or at least making it “voluntary”. On the other hand, some other groups of scholars, through their inappropriate and uninformed defense, pave the way for the ideas of the former group to be projected as a correct viewpoint.

What is “hijab”, indeed? Is it an inner restraint or immunity factor in the society? Has it been only related to Islam or it has existed among other peoples and nations as well? The next parts of this article will deal with these questions and other aspects of hijab.

* By Mahboubeh GandomAbaadi (A Seminary Graduate and Lecturer). Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi