---
title: "What Does Hijab Mean? | Islam Is Mercy"
description: "Hijab means covering. It usually refers to the headscarf many Muslim women wear, and more broadly to modesty for men and women."
lang: en
url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hijab/
---

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3.  What Does Hijab Mean?

# What Does Hijab Mean?

Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review

## The short answer

Hijab is an Arabic word meaning a covering or screen. Today it usually refers to the headscarf many Muslim women wear, but in a broader sense it describes the modest dress and behaviour Islam asks of both women and men.

## On this page

1.  Meaning
2.  How Muslims use it
3.  Example

**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?](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/why-hijab/) and [Women in Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/women-in-islam/).

## Key takeaways

-   Hijab literally means covering or screen.
-   It usually refers to the headscarf worn by many Muslim women.
-   Islam asks both men and women to dress and behave modestly.

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## Keep reading

[Hard Questions

### Why Do Muslim Women Wear the Hijab?

Why many Muslim women cover their hair — the Qur'anic basis, the modesty asked of men too, and why the hijab must be a sincere choice of faith.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/why-hijab/)[Islam's View On…

### What Does Islam Teach About Women?

In Islam, women and men are equal in worth before God. Women have rights to property, learning and consent in marriage, and mothers are deeply honoured.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/women-in-islam/)[Hard Questions

### Are Women Oppressed in Islam?

An honest answer that separates real cultural abuses from what the Qur'an and the Prophet ﷺ actually teach about women's dignity and rights.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/questions/are-women-oppressed/)