Literally meaning '
Veil' in
arabic
The
Hijab represents the religious dress worn by women of
Islam and is generally directly associated to the
scarf that covers the head, neck and chest region.
A
Muslim woman who adheres to the religious dress code of Islam is commonly termed as a
Hijabi
As well as wearing a scarf to cover the head region the woman is also required to wear sufficiently loose/
modest clothing, such that only her face, hands and feet are apparent.
In response to
kessenich's write-up:
It is true that the Quran does not directly state that women should wear their khimaar which is arabic for scarf, in order to cover their hair. However, neither is it directly stated in the Quran how many times in a day a muslim must offer prayer, and yet all muslims as well as many none-muslims recognise the fact that the prayers are set at 5 distinct times in a day (dependent on the sun).
The point I am trying to make is that the context of the Quran must be interpreted in the light of what occurred at the time each verse was revealed. All muslims are therefore required to follow the laws in the Quran by the example of Prophet Mohammed (p.b.u.h). One must study how he instructed the early muslims to adhere to the Quranic revelations.
It is noted within authentic hadith that when the verse to cover was revealed, the women of that time used a large piece of material to totally cover themselves, such that no more than their face hands and feet were visible (if indeed that!). This is infact the reason why muslim women cover their hair and chest with a scarf...