The Beautiful History of the Hijab and its Uses

Hijab is a veil worn by Modest Muslim women. It is a covering on the head and can be extended to the chest part. The body needs to adhere to the Islamic standards of modesty. For a few centuries now, women have been depicting it as a symbol of social status mainly to show cultural identity rather than an enforced Islamic practice which is debatable today.

Different types of hijab you must have:

The most common kind is the one that covers the head and is square. It does not cover the face part.

Burqa: It covers the whole face and body, and the material is see-through near the eyes.

Niqab: It covers the mouth and the nose and leaves the eye area open to let women see. It involves wearing one more garment in the head area.

Shayla: It is also similar to a hijab but a long rectangular piece of cloth.

All these varieties or even more allude to Muslim women living in the diverse areas of the world and are worn about their residing societies.

Reasons to wear Hijab in Muslim Religion:

God’s Instructions – women often wear hijab for their faith in God, which is unparalleled, and hence believe in his commandments to be followed while their tenure in this world.

Express Religious Identity – some women wear hijabs to be showcasing their strong faith in their religion and upholding the value of Islamic identity.

Express Cultural Identity – western discourses have been targeting those of the Islamic identity quite often. Thus hijabs are indicating political and social alliance with their own country and change the view of oppression they hold of women wearing hijabs.

However, women today ascertain their beliefs in adorning this piece of garment and often allude to not wearing them to depict a woman’s free will and spiritual connection to God. Also, it was worn as a form of protection from the harassment of men or the evils in society.

Today, hijabs have been modified into different fabrics and forms to represent modern women with strong ideals and are put up for sale online and offline in all parts of the world.

Islamic Hijabs that can be paired with different Muslim dresses

The abaya is a long loose garment traditionally worn by Muslim women covering the body part. It is worn with a niqab or hijab and represents covering the remaining portion of the body regarding Islamic standards. It is limited to various parts of the world and not all. There are multiple styles of the abaya, which are front open or closed ones and can differ in various ways. Some are embroidered, or some are printed, with different forms of modifications relating to materials, fabrics, fitting, etc.

Kaftans are light-weighted, long, loose-fitting garments made from light fabrics such as cotton, chiffon, georgette in warm countries and wool, silk, cashmere in a cold environment are paired with hijabs. Though it is Middle Eastern in its origin, it is worn by people of all ethnicities due to the clothing item’s form. Today, fashion designers have made kaftans that are attracting women from a big chunk of the world. They often adorn them and customize them to appear fashionable and in trend.

Whether in trend or not, all forms of Islamic clothing have undergone a huge shift in its records in modern times because of the changing perspectives and views of contemporary living people.