This document discusses the Islamic concept of hijab, or modest dress, for both men and women. It provides Quranic verses mandating that believers lower their gaze and guard their private parts. It argues that hijab is not meant to exploit women but rather establishes rules for modest interactions between sexes. For women, hijab allows economic and personal freedom while maintaining dignity. Hijab is described as a curtain and covering for modesty before non-related men. The philosophy is to balance human instincts and strengthen family bonds by limiting sexual desires to marriage. Strict hijab rules benefit society by allowing for better focus on work and education. Hijab is also discussed for men, involving physical, social, and eye coverings

1. HIJABTHE ISLAMIC MODEST DRESS
FOR MEN AND WOMEN

2. "Say to the believing men to
cast down their glance and
guard their private parts..."
(Quran 24:30).
"Say to the believing women
to cast down their glance
and guard their private
parts…" (Quran24:31).

3. THE MODEST DRESS IS NOT TO EXPLOIT
WOMEN!
In the Islamic System, man has
no right to exploit women, but on
the other hand, this same
system has established the
Modest Dress.
So, it is very clear then that
Islam did not establish the
Modest Dress to Exploit Women!

4. THE FREE AND INDEPENDENT
WOMAN
(Even when in Hijab/ Modest
Dress)
A Woman is:
• Economically Independent
• Free in whatever work she does.
• Whatever she earns belongs
to her alone, no matter what
legitimate work she performs.

5. HIJAB – THE ISLAMIC MODEST
DRESS
It is for the well-being
of a person's
• Self
• Family
• Society.

6. LITERAL MEANING OF HIJAB
• Not every covering is HIJAB!
• That “Covering” which is referred to as a
Hijab is “that which appears behind a
curtain”.
• The Holy Quran describes the setting of
the sun in the story of the Prophet
Solomon, "...until the sun was covered
(bil hijab) and time for the afternoon
ritual prayer was over." (38:32)

7. • The use of the word satr, in the sense of
'covering' was used instead of hijab, especially
by the religious jurisprudents.
• IF the word “HIJAB” is to be used in the sense
of ‘Covering', it gives the idea of a woman being
placed behind a curtain.
• This very thing has caused a great number of
people to think that Islam has wanted women to
always remain behind a curtain, to be
imprisoned in the house and not to leave it.
• SO, “HIJAB” is actually not the correct word
for the Islamic Modest Dress. However, it is
popularly used.

8. PHILOSOPHY BEHIND HIJAB
• The philosophy behind the hijab for woman in Islam
is that she should cover her body in her associations
with men 'whom she is not related to according to the
Divine Law' (na-mahram) and that she does not
flaunt and display herself in front of those men.

9. THE REAL VISAGE
• Hijab is NOT concerned with the question: “Is it
good for a woman to appear in society
covered or uncovered?”
• Hijab IS concerned with the question: “Whether
‘a woman and a man's need of her’ should be
a limitless, free association or not?”
• Should a man have the right to satisfy his needs
with every woman and in every place, short of
committing adultery?

10. WHO BENEFITS???
• In keeping the Modest Dress away, the
one who benefits here is the man and not
the woman; or at least a man benefits
more than a woman does.
• As Will Durant has said,
"The mini-skirt is a blessing for everyone
in the world except cloth merchants."

11. PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON
SHE IS THE HUNTER IN THE
DOMINATION OF THE HEARTS OF MEN
AND MAN IS THE PREY, WHEREAS MAN
IS THE HUNTER IN THE DOMINATION
OF THE BODY OF WOMEN AND SHE IS
THE PREY.

12. PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON
• The reason why the Islamic
command to cover for men
and women is because the
desire to show off and display
one's self is a particular trait of
both of them.

13. PSYCHOLOGICAL REASON
• A desire to display one’s self comes from
this essence of the hunter.
• The general female instinct is to capture
hearts of men. The general male instinct is
to capture the bodies of women.
• It is because of this human instinct that
both men and women are required to
cover to their respective appropriate
degrees.

14. • At any rate, Islam has placed special
emphasis upon the amazing power of this
fiery instinct. There are traditions which
speak of the danger of a 'look', the danger of
a man and woman being alone together and,
finally, the danger of the instinct which unites
a man and a woman.
• Islam has established ways of balancing and
taming the instinct. Duties have been given
to both men and women in this area. One
duty which is the responsibility of both men
and women relates to looking at each other,
seen in Quran verse 24:31&32.

15. Solidifying the Root of the Family
• Anything which causes the relationship
between a husband and wife to grow cold is
harmful to a family and must be struggled
against.
• The philosophy of the modest dress and the
control of sexual desires other than with a
legal wife, from the point of view of the family
unit, is for the strengthening of the roots of the
family, i.e. the love and trust between the
husband and wife.

16. Solidifying the Root of the Family
The Islamic Modest Dress, and the limitation of
obtaining sexual pleasures only to one’s legal spouse
is so that one legal partner will be the cause for the
wellbeing of the other.
• Whereas in the system of free sexual relationships,
One's legal partner is psychologically considered
as a COMPETITOR, someone who gets in the
way of that person's “fun”, like a prison guard.
As a result, the basis for the family
becomes enmity and hatred.

17. The Perseverance of Society
• Taking sexual desires away, from the bounds of the
family environment to society, has weakened society's
capacity for work and activity.
• THE GENERAL OPINION: “The modest dress results
in paralyzing half of the energy potential of the
individuals of society”!
• BUT IN REALITY: The lack of the modest dress and
the gradual development of free relationships has
caused the social force to fail.

18. If a boy and a girl study in a separate environment
or in one environment where the girl covers her
body and wears no makeup, do they not study
better? Do they not think better and listen to the
words of the teacher better? Or is it better when a
boy sits beside a girl who has on make-up and is
wearing a short skirt which barely reaches her
knees? Will men work better in an environment
where the streets, offices, factories, etc., are
continuously filled with women who are all wearing
heavy make-up and are not covered or in an
environment where these scenes do not exist? Any
company or office that is serious about its work and
endeavors to produce good products or services,
prevents these kinds of inter-mixings. If you do not
believe this, experience it yourself.

19. Does not the dignity of a
woman, the dignity of a
man, or the dignity of society
cause a woman to leave her
home being
• Serious in her work
• Diligent
• Simply dressed
• And in a manner not
drawing the attention of
everyone she passes by?
DIGNITY CALLS FOR MODEST DRESS

20. HIJAB FOR MEN
• It is common for
people to
associate the
Islamic Hijab
with females,
but Islam has
ordained Hijab
for both men
and women. In
fact, Allah has
warned the men
first about their
Hijab.

21. HIJAB FOR MEN
Islamic teachings on Hijab for males can
be divided into three categories:
1)The Physical Hijab
2)The Social Hijab
3)The Hijab of the Eye
When discussing the issue of Hijab for men,
it is essential to keep in mind the Golden Rule:
“Do unto others as you would have them do
unto your sisters/ mother/ wife/ etc.”

22. HIJAB FOR MEN
The Physical Hijab
• Although the amount of body that is to be covered is not
the same for men as it is for women, the physical hijab
of men cannot be neglected. It is clear through rulings
that wearing lavish and tight fitting clothes which
explicitly reveal the body parts are forbidden as much for
men as they are for women.
• Besides the clothes, pride and boastfulness are among
the greatest sins in Islam, and attempting to impress
others (both males and females) using one’s physique
falls into this category. Therefore, any form of clothing
which arouses pride in oneself must not be worn.

23. HIJAB FOR MEN
The Social Hijab
• Openly socializing of men and women without
school/work-related or otherwise unavoidable
reasons is prohibited in Islam and even then,
complete modesty should be observed.
• Men who flirt with women overtly or covertly are
going against the Islamic commandments for them.
• The social hijab for men demands completely
modest and respectful interaction between men
and women. Covert things like cracking crass
jokes, vain improper talk and shooting double
meaning comments, etc in the presence of women
too are included in the social hijab.

24. HIJAB FOR MEN
The Hijab of the Eye
• Lowering of the eyes/gaze in presence of women
is an important part of the Hijab for men.
• Prophet Jesus (a.s) once said to his disciples:
"Beware of looking at forbidden things, for that is
the seed of desire and leads to deviant behavior."
• Rulings state that it is even prohibited to
intentionally look at pictures of women on
magazines, billboards or T.V if it is sexually
exciting and is associated with fear of falling victim
to that which is prohibited or leads to vile
consequences.
• If men find this burdensome, they must remember
how would they feel if someone entertained lewd
thoughts or glanced inappropriately at their own
mothers, sisters, wives, or daughters?
….Exactly!

25. Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)
The Perfect Example
On a final note, when Zulaikha, the wife of the Aziz of
Egpyt, tried to seduce Prophet Yusuf (a.s), she
covered the face of the idol placed nearby. When
Prophet Yusuf inquired, she said she did not wish for it
to witness her commit a sin. Prophet Yusuf's reply to
Zulaikha encompasses the true essence of the Hijab
for men. He said: "If you exhibit shyness and modesty
before a stone that does not see, it is more befitting for
me to exhibit shame and modesty before the One
Who sees and Who is aware of everything that is
manifest about me and everything that is concealed
within me." (Anecdotes for Reflection, vol. 2)

26. To know more visit
www.al-islam.org/modestdress
The Islamic Modest Dress
By Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari