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Do Muslim women have to wear hijab?

The classical scholars were unanimous that the khimār — covering of the head and chest — is a Qurʾanic requirement. The debate at the edges is about the face, the hands, and the cultural forms. Here is the classical textual basis.

2 passages from 1 book in the library

Where the answer comes from

The classical approach.

These passages are drawn from 1 book by Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.

Read them closely. If a passage doesn't sit right, open the full book in the library and listen to the chapter around it. Context in the classical tradition is everything.

Cover of Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta

14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta → · Provenance →

  1. "He would buy a garment for 10 dinars but tell me he bought it for 8, charging me only 8 dinars and covering the remaining 2 from his own money."

  2. "However, King Hussein granted him mercy, keeping him under care, providing him with a servant girl and covering his expenses."

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