So covering women’s genitals, this is the difference between Hijab, Jilbab and Khimar

Closing the genitals is an obligation for every Muslimah. This obligation has even been stipulated in the Koran. The way for a Muslim woman to cover her genitals is by wearing clothes that are not tight or loose and using a hair covering which is often referred to as a hijab, veil or khimar.

However, of the three types of designations for covering aurat, it turns out that there are still many Muslim women who don’t know the difference so they are often used as a substitute word.

Reporting from the NU Online page, this is the difference between hijab, headscarf and khimar according to the interpretation of the Koran.

1 Hijab

Hijab comes from Arabic, the root word is hajaban which means barrier. In some countries, the word hijab more often refers to the headscarf worn by Muslim women.

However, if interpreted literally according to Islamic scholarship, hijab refers more to an appropriate dress code in accordance with religious guidance. Hijab can also mean a barrier that covers the genitals of men who are not mahram.

2 Hijab

Then next there is the title veil which also comes from Arabic. Literally, the hijab is a long, loose dress that covers the entire body except for the hands, feet and face which are usually worn by Muslim women.

The use of this type of clothing is related to the guidance of Islamic law to wear clothes that cover the genitals. In terminology, the word jilbab can mean a scarf or wide garment worn by Muslim women to cover the head, chest and body parts.

In accordance with the command of Allah SWT in Surah Al-Ahzab verse 59, “Let them stretch out their veils all over their bodies”.

So it is not wrong if sometimes the word hijab means hijab, because every headscarf is a hijab. However, not all hijabs are veils.

3 Khimar

Then there is also the term khimar which also comes from Arabic, namely khumur which means veil. Khimar covers the head, neck and protrudes to cover the woman’s chest from the back and front to cover the collarbone.

In Surah An-Nuur verse 31 it has been explained that, “Let them cover their khumur (veil) over their chest”.

If the hijab or headscarf generally only functions as a head covering and is generally tied to the neck, this is different from khimar. The purpose of khimar is to cover all forms of female curves. So that its use should stick straight down from the head to the entire chest, all completely covered. There are even khimar designs that extend down to the knee.