bes@tybalt.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi) (04/28/91)
In his book, "The Question of Hijab," Ayatollah Mutahhari points out an
interesting and important fact. He writes that in our age, the word hijab
is used to convey the meaning of the women's clothing and "covering of the
body." But this is a modern development. The word hijab was used
in the Holy Qur'an, as well as by the Prophet's companions and Islamic
jurisprudents (fuqaha) to denote "curtain" (purdah). [He cites examples
that I won't mention here]. He writes that Islamic Jurisprudents used
the word "satr," not hijab, to talk about the "covering" of body.
The word "hijab" was not used in the Qur'an in verses which command women to
observe modest dress. Instead, he writes: "the verse in which the
word 'hijab' is used concerns the the Prophet's wives. As we know, the
Qur'an contains pronouncements that are specific to the Prophet's wives."
He cites the verse in the chapter Ahza:b that "And when you ask them [Mothers
of the Believers] for a thing, do so from behind hijab (curtain)." He adds
that when Traditions or Islamic histories talk about "hijab," this is the
meaning they have in mind. For example, when they talk about such and
such an event occuring prior to or after the revelation of the "hijab verse,"
they are referring to the verse in the chapter Ahza:b, not the verses in
chapter Nour which command women believers to observe modest dress.
He writes:
In the past, the word "satr" was used, especially by Jurisprudents,
to refer to the covering of body (e.g. in the books assalat and
annikah). It would have been better if the usage of the term had
not changed so that we would use the words cover and "satr" instead
of "hijab." The fact that the word hijab also means "purdah," has
caused some people suspect that Islam requires women to stay behind
curtains and not to leave home.
The duty of modest covering of body that Islam has established does
not mean that women must not leave home. Imprisonment and confinement
of women does not exists in Islam. The custom of women's
seclusion existed in ancient Iran, India, and China, but not in Islam.
...As to why in this age the words hijab and purdah are used instead
of the Islamic Jurisprudent's satr and cover, this is beyond my
knowledge. Perhaps it's because the Islamic hijab [dress] was
confused with the "hijab" cusomarily observed in other nations.
In another place, Mutahhari writes that women's seclusion, absent in the
Prophet's lifetime, probably became common amongst Muslims after the conquest
of Iran, a nation that observed a very severe form of the institution (espe-
cially in the upper class).
Behnam Sadeghi