Tafsir ibn kathir. Surah Al-Ehzaab. Verse: 59. The Command of Hijab.

Tafsir ibn kathir. Surah Al-Ehzaab. Verse: 59. The Command of Hijab.

﴿ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّأَزۡوَٲجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَآءِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ يُدۡنِينَ عَلَيۡہِنَّ مِن جَلَـٰبِيبِهِنَّۚ ذَٲلِكَ أَدۡنَىٰٓ أَن يُعۡرَفۡنَ فَلَا يُؤۡذَيۡنَۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورً۬ا رَّحِيمً۬ا.

(59. O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their Jalabib over their bodies. That will be better that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)

The Command of Hijab:

Here Allah tells His Messenger to command the believing women -- especially his wives and daughters, because of their position of honor -- to draw their Jilbabs over their bodies, so that they will be distinct in their appearance from the women of the Jahiliyyah and from slave women. The Jilbab is a Rida', worn over the khimar. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that Allah commanded the believing women, when they went out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from above their heads with the Jilbab, leaving only one eye showing.

﴿ يُدۡنِينَ عَلَيۡہِنَّ مِن جَلَـٰبِيبِهِنَّۚ ﴾

(to draw their jibaab over their faces.) This includes the command of observation of veil over their faces, and be totally covered when stepping outside of their houses. Islam has declared the jilbaab as common and supreme clothing of Muslimahs. It is their dress code.

﴿ ذَٲلِكَ أَدۡنَىٰٓ أَن يُعۡرَفۡنَ فَلَا يُؤۡذَيۡنَۗ ﴾

(That will be better that they should be known (as muslimahs) so as not to be annoyed.) means, if they do that, it will be known that they are free as slaves of Allah, and that they are not servants or whores.

﴿ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورً۬ا رَّحِيمً۬ا ﴾

(And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) means, with regard to what happened previously during the days of Jahiliyyah, when they did not have any knowledge about this.