Is It Obligatory to Cover One’s Hair?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I know there is a verse in the Qur’an telling women to wear the hijab. But there are many verses that apply only to the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). How do we know that this is not one of the verses that apply only to that time and that right now, all women really have to do is wear modest clothes and not necessarily cover their hair?
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for asking for clarification and for sincerely wanting to know the truth.
Timeless Laws
It is true that certain verses of the Quran apply to the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), according to situations that arose back then. However, along with those verses, timeless rulings were given to be used for any future dispute. For example, when our Lady `A’isha was accused of adultery, her innocence was declared by Allah Most High in revelation, and the rulings about accusing a spouse of adultery without proof and public imprecation were also revealed by Him for any future dispute.
Hijab
As for the specific obligation of covering our hair, we know about it from the Qur’an and from the words of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), himself. In addition to this, there has been a unanimous consensus among the four Sunni schools of law that a Muslim woman must cover her hair for centuries.
Please see this answer for the many specific proofs of hijab:
How Should We Understand the Obligation of Khimar (Head Covering)?
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
