We have now reached a crucial stage in our discussion.
Until now, we have examined:
- Daily life of the companions
- Social interaction
- Linguistic meaning of Hijab
In this post, we address one of the most decisive clarifications: Who was the command of “Hijab” actually meant for?
Many argue: “The Qur’an commands women to observe Hijab.”
But the real question is: Which women?
A Clear Statement from Revelation
The Qur’anic instruction of “Hijab”: The command to remain behind a screen as given specifically to the wives of the Prophet ﷺ and not to all other women. This is not interpretation but explicit wording
Understanding the Context
The instruction was when people come to the Prophet’tsﷺ house and need to speak to his wives, they must speak from behind a screen (Hijab)
What Does This Mean Practically?
Inside the house:
- A physical barrier is placed
- The wives remain behind it
- Visitors speak from the other side
This Is Not Clothing but a spatial separation
Why Was This Command Given? because the Prophet ﷺ was a public leader.
So, he received many visitors and had people of all types visiting regardless of good, bad or hypocrites. In order to Protect the Honor of His Household a higher standard was required.
So Allahﷻ commanded: additional protection and it acts as a special Status
The Qur’an itself declares: “O wives of the Prophet—you are not like other women.”
This One Statement Changes Everything. If they are not like other women, then their rulings cannot be applied to all women
What Happened Later?
A specific ruling (خاص) was expanded, generalized, and imposed as though it applied to every Muslim woman. This is a critical error because a خاص (specific ruling) cannot be transformed into a عام (general ruling) without clear and valid evidence to justify that generalization.
The Incident Behind the Revelation
The verse of Hijab was revealed during the marriage of the Prophet ﷺ to Zaynab (RA). The Guests who attended the marriage came to eat, remained seated long after and did not leave.
This Created Discomfort but the Prophet ﷺ felt shy to ask them to leave and then Allahﷻ intervened and the Verse Was Revealed
The instruction was clear and structured: eat and leave without lingering and respect privacy within the household. It then added a more specific directive—if you need to ask the wives (of Prophetﷺ) something, do so from behind a screen.
This Is the “Hijab Verse”
Now ask yourself: Where in this context is described about face covering for all women?
Nowhere. It Is About Etiquette and Privacy not universal dress code
A Powerful Logical Test
In the same passage Allahﷻ also says that after the Prophet’tsﷺ death his wives cannot remarry
Now Ask Honestly: Do we apply this to all women? No. Then Why Apply the Hijab Part Universally?
This selective application shows inconsistency
The Role of Umar (RA)
Umar (RA) repeatedly suggested that the Prophet’tsﷺ wives be screened due to visitors of different character. Eventually the verse was revealed
Again, Notice Carefully: Umar (RA) did not say like “All women must be screened”
He said to Prophetﷺ: “Your wives should be screened”. This Confirms the Scope of screening more Specific, Contextual, Limited
What About Face Covering?
Yes, the wives of the Prophet ﷺ covered themselves more strictly but this was their unique obligation and not a general rule
Misuse of Evidence
Some people present narrations where Aisha (RA) covered her face and claim: “This proves obligation for all women.” but this is incorrect because she was the wife of the Prophet ﷺ and Her rulings are not universal
A Crucial Principle
Not everything done by the Prophet’tsﷺ wives becomes obligatory for all Muslim women Otherwise we would also say: No remarriage after widowhood which is clearly false.
The “Before Hijab” Argument Refuted Again
Some say: “All earlier incidents happened before Hijab.”
But now we know that Hijab is about screening and it is specific to Prophet’tsﷺ wives. So, this argument collapses completely
The Core Misunderstanding
The confusion arises from:
- Misinterpreting “Hijab” as clothing
- Ignoring context
- Ignoring audience of the verse
Final Summary
From today’s discussion:
✔ Hijab means barrier—not clothing
✔ The Hijab verse applies only to the Prophet’tsﷺ wives
✔ It was revealed due to a specific incident
✔ It addresses privacy—not dress code
✔ Other rulings in the same verse are not universal
✔ Therefore, this ruling is not universal
The Qur’an is not unclear, but it becomes unclear when:
- Context is ignored
- Words are redefined
- Evidence is selectively used
Do not take a specific command and turn it into universal burden. Do not impose What Allahﷻ did not impose and do not confuse honor (Ihtharam) with exaggeration because true Islam is Balance, Clarity, and Justice
May Allahﷻ grant us:
- Correct understanding
- Honest interpretation
- And protection from distortion
Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allahﷻ.