To the outside eye, the hijab seems to be a piece of cloth shielding a woman’s hair and neck. In reality, this “piece of cloth” holds a much deeper meaning and carries a hefty value for Muslim women. College student Fatima Mohtadi has been wearing the hijab since seventh grade. “I have three older sisters who all wore the hijab, so when I reached puberty in the last semester of 7th grade, my mom celebrated my being a woman and said it was time to wear the hijab,” said Mohtadi. “The next day I went to school in a hijab, and the kid who sat next to me asked about the scarf on my head, and I explained what it was. The next few days I tried to understand it more and grew comfortable with it.
A Muslim girl starts covering once she reaches puberty. Allah (God) uses the word “women” in the Quran not “girls” so it is implied that once a girl goes through the transition of becoming a woman, that is when she wears the hijab. A woman’s body is often seen as an object or source of propaganda these days, and we see women on billboards advertising things using their body and beauty. The word hijab means veil or barrier, and it is meant to protect Muslim women from the eyes and lust of the outside world; only family, the woman’s husband, and other women are permitted to see a woman without her covering (in moderation). The permitted family includes the father, brother, uncles, father-in-law, and any man she is blood related to or can’t marry excluding male cousins.
The rules of the hijab are as follows: women must cover every part of the body except the face and hands, clothing cannot be see-through or tight, and the clothing cannot resemble the clothing of nonbelievers (such as crop tops and other revealing clothing). The point of the hijab is to hide one’s beauty from the outside world; however there are still ways to look nice and develop a style as a hijabi. Fatima Mohtadi is a bubbly person who enjoys wearing more colorful hijabs and pairs them with dresses. Her favorite place to shop is Modanisa where she finds modest clothing that is suitable to her style.
The concept of hijab applies to both men and women. A verse in the Quran outlines this: “Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Surely, Allah is well aware of what they do” (24:31). A huge part of men’s hijab is to lower their gaze. This means not looking at or sexualizing women and maintaining their part in preserving the modesty of Muslim women. Men also must cover their body from the navel to the knee in front of both guys and girls. Thus the common misconception that only women bear the duty of hijab is false and in reality men must also follow modesty.