What Does Hijab Mean?

Hijab (Arabic: الحجاب) is pronounced hi-JAAB, with a breathy “h” and a long “a”.

Meaning

In Arabic, hijab means a covering, curtain or screen. In everyday English it usually means the headscarf that many Muslim women wear over their hair, together with loose, modest clothing. The Qur’an asks believing women to draw their head-coverings over their chests and to dress modestly (Qur’an 24:31), and the great majority of Muslim scholars, past and present, understand covering the hair in public as part of this. Some women also cover the face with a veil called a niqab; scholars differ on whether that is required or simply recommended.

Modesty in Islam is not only for women. Just before addressing women, the Qur’an tells believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty (Qur’an 24:30), and men are also asked to dress modestly.

How Muslims use it

For many Muslim women, wearing hijab is a personal act of worship and identity — a way of saying that they want to be valued for their mind and character rather than their appearance. Islam teaches that faith cannot be forced, and how a woman is treated matters just as much as what she wears.

Example

“She started wearing hijab when she was sixteen, and her friends supported her.”

To learn more, read Why Do Muslim Women Wear Hijab? and Women in Islam.