What is "hijab"

n. 1 (context uncountable Islam English) The practice, among Muslim women, of covering the body after the age of puberty in front of non-related adult males. 2 (context countable English) A traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women, covering the hair and neck.

1. n. a headscarf worn by Muslim women; conceals the hair and neck and usually has a face veil that covers the face

2. the custom in some Islamic societies of women dressing modestly outside the home; "she observes the hijab and does not wear tight clothing"

A hijab (, , or ; , or ) is a veil that covers the head and chest, which is particularly worn by Muslim women in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family. It can further refer to any head, face, or body covering worn by Muslim women that conforms to a certain standard of modesty. Hijab can also be used to refer to the seclusion of women from men in the public sphere, or it may embody a metaphysical dimension – Al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God".

Most often, it is worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty and privacy. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World, modesty in the Quran concerns both men's and women's "gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia." The Qur'an admonishes Muslim women to dress modestly. Some Islamic legal systems define this type of modest dressing as covering everything except the face,elbows, and knees. These guidelines (for covering of the entire body except for the hands, the feet and the face) are found in texts of fiqh and hadith developed after the revelation of the Qur'an but, according to some, are derived from the verses ( ayahs) referencing hijab in the Qur'an. Some believe that the Qur'an itself does not mandate that women wear hijab.

The term hijab in Arabic literally means "a screen or curtain" and is used in the Qur'an to refer to a partition. The Qur'an tells the male believers (Muslims) to talk to the wives of Muhammad behind a curtain. This curtain was the responsibility of the men and not the wives of Muhammad. This leads some to claim that the mandate of the Qur'an to wear hijab applies to the wives of Muhammad, not women generally. Αlthough hijab is often seen by critics as a tool utilized by men to control and silence women, the practice is understood differently in different contexts.