Hijab

Hijab history and its uses

Hijab is a veil worn by the Muslim women. It is a kind of covering on the head and can be extended to the chest part. The covering needs to adhere to the Islamic standards of modesty. Since 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 in the society today.

Different types of hijab you must have:

Most common kind is the one that covers head and is square in shape. It does not cover the face part.

• Burqa: it covers whole of face and body and the material is see through near the eyes .
• Niqab: it covers mouth and the nose and leaves the eye area open to be able to let women see . it involves wearing of one more garment in the head area.
• Shayla : it is also similar to hijab but a longer rectangular piece of cloth.

All these varieties or even more allude to Muslim women living in the diverse areas of world and are worn in relation to 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 value of Islamic identity.
Express cultural identity – western discourses have been targeting those of the Islamic identity quite often and thus hijabs are indicating political and social alliance with their own country and also 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 be representative of the modern women with strong ideals and are put up for sale online and offline in all parts of the world.
The abaya is a long loose garment traditionally worn by Muslim women covering the body part. It is worn with niqab or hijab and is representative of covering the remaining part of the body in respect to Islamic standards. It is limited to various parts of the world and not all.
There are various styles of 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 made of wool, silk ,cashmere in cold environment. Though it is Middle Eastern in its origin, it is worn by people of all ethnicity due to the form of the clothing item. Today, fashion designers have made kaftans that are attracting to men and women from a big chunk of the world and they often adorn it and customize it to be appearing fashionable and in trend.
All forms of Islamic clothing whether in trend or not have undergone a huge shift in its forms in modern times because of the changing perspectives and views of modern living people.