The Quran: is believed to be the exact words words of God revealed to the Prophet of Islam, the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him), by the intermediary of the archangel Gabriel in the 7th century (the first revelation dates from 610 AD). It is believed to be the 3rd revelation from God to humankind, after that sent to Moses (Torah), and that sent to Jesus-Christ (Bible). For Muslims therefore, both Judaism and Christianity are believed to be true revelations made by the same God who has sent yet a third revelation (Islam) to His people. For this reason, Jews and Christians are considered to be the "People of the Book" since they partake in the same true series of written revelations. Transmitted orally to the Prophet Mohammed, the Quran will be written down only after the Prophet's death (in 632), under the 3rd Caliph of Islam Uthman (644-655). The Quran is made up of 114 suras (chapters), each of them subdivided into various sections, called ayat. Some of the suras were revealed while the Prophet was in Mecca, others after he moved to Medina in 622 (this date has been taken to symbolically represent the beginning of the Islamic calendar).

The Sunnah: are the sayings of the Prophet. These sayings are communicated through a chain of transmission from the Prophet's time to that when the actual saying is written down. It is the text that tells of the actual practices of the Prophet Mohammed.

The Shari'a: Islamic law, deduced from the teachings of both the Quran and the Sunnah by the 'ulamas, or Muslim theologians.

The Quran is undoubtedly considered the most important source of information on the laws and practices of Islam. The question is therefore: Where does the Quran prescribe the wearing of the hijab by Muslim women? A linguistic search for the word hijab throughout the Quran uncovers the following 5 passages (the word that translates the Arabic hijab is in bold):

I. Sura 7: 46 (Meccan revelation):

"There will be a veil between them [the inmates of Paradise and the residents of Hell]"

"Entre les deux [entre les Hôtes du Jardin et ceux du Feu, ou ceux qui sont au Paradis et ceux qui sont en Enfer) est un voile."

II. Sura 19: 16-17 (Meccan revelation):

"Commemorate Mary in the Book. When she withdrew from her family to a place in the East/ And took cover from them."

"Et, dans l'Ecriture, mentionne Marie quand elle se retira de sa famille en un lieu oriental/ et qu'elle disposa un voile en deçà d'eux [sa famille]."

III. Sura 41: 5 (Mecca revelation):

"And [those who do not listen] say:'Our hearts are immured against what you call us to. There is a deafness in our ears, and a veil lies between us and you. So act (your way), we are acting (ours).'"

"Ils [les impies] ont dit: "Nos coeurs sont dans des enveloppes [qui les isolent] de ce vers quoi vous nous appelez. En nos oreilles est une fissure. Entre vous [Prophète Mohammed] et nous est un voile. Agis, car nous allons agir!"

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Sahar Amer
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Works Cited:

2. English translation of the Quran is by Ahmed Ali (Princeton UP, 1984). French translation by Régis Blachère.