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Abstract

This paper presents a research-based and comparative analysis of legal boundaries of Hijab under the Surah Al-Nur, verse 30: ﴿ ولا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا﴾. The primary objective of the study is to explore how scholars across different periods have interpreted this verse. The central research question addressed is"What interpretive and juristic trends regarding this verse emerged from the time of the Companions to contemporary scholars, and which interpretation has been predominantly accepted by the majority?" To answer this, the views of forty esteemed scholars—ranging from the Companions, Successors, and classical exegetes to modern commentators—have been compiled in chronological order. These include: Hazrat Āishah, Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn Jubayr, Nakhaʿī, Ḍaḥḥāk, Ḥasan, ʿAṭāʾ, Awzāʿī, Ibn Jurayj, Ṭabarī, Rāzī, Ibn Aṭiyyah, Abū Ḥayyān, Ibn Qudāmah, Qurṭubī, Bayḍāwī, Ibn-e-Jawzī, Ibn Kathīr, Mazharī, Ālūsī, Muṣṭafā Marāghī, Mawdūdī, Pīr Karam Shāh, Mufti Shafīʿ, Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, Ashraf Thānawī, and Idrīs Kāndhlawī etc. The research identifies two major trends, one group understands “illā mā ẓahara minhā” as referring only to visible clothing like garments or outer cloak, while the other group allows for the face and hands to be exposed, provided there is no fear of temptation. According to the majority of jurists, the face and hands are not legally considered parts of the body that must be covered. Although other verses and hadiths also support the obligation of covering the face, this paper focuses solely on the mentioned verse for thematic focus and brevity. In today’s morally challenging environment, the importance of facial covering becomes even more pronounced in light of modesty, precaution, and blocking the means (sadd al-dharāʾiʿ). This study presents a balanced exegetical and juristic perspective, aiming to provide scholarly guidance on the legal boundaries of hijab in the contemporary context.
Key words: Legal boundaries, Hijab, Companions, Successors, Classical exegetes, Contemporary scholars, Face and Hands.