Figure 1.--In this portrait, taken in Egypt about 1875, we see a woman wearing a veil. The veil was wide worn in the Middkle East at the time and still is worn in some conservative Muslim country. There is, however, no mention of the veil in the Koran. You can also see the contrast here between the veiled mother and the son without clothing.

Many Islamic scholars, almost all men, have written a great length about clothing, especially women's clothing. The Koran which od course is the ultimate authority in Islam, comments only briefly on clothing. About the women clothing the Koran says : "And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty" (24:31). The Koran don't mention a veil covering the face. However this tradition was introduced in many places. About modesty rules, Koran makes a difference between adults and "children who have not reached puberty". Traditionally in some Islamic communities the little children have no rules about clothing and go usually naked. This was more common in rural communities. The early photographic record of the Middle East shows this very clearly. The image here is a studio portrait, but several photogrphrs took pictures out on the streets and country sde, leaving an invaluable record. Two of these photographers were the Bonfils . It is also observable in modern times when we see younger children, even in conservative Muslim countries, wearing Western dress. Islamic religious scolarship, of course, goes far beyond the Koran. Islamic scholars have defined "Awrah" as the part of human body that cannot be shown in public. Men's awarah is from navel to knees; women's awarah the whole body except face and hands. There is some difference of opinion regarding children. The primary consensus among Muslim scholars is that children who are 4 years old or younger have no awrah, but some Islamic schools of Law teach that children have no awrah until 7 years of age. According to the Shafi'i school, the boys have no awrah until puberty. Itvshould be stressed that these determinations are based on religiou\s scholarship and are not actually defined in the Koran. This destinction is very important. Islamic scholars can debate such religious determinations. For a Muslim, however, the Koran itself can not be questioned because it is believed to be the actual word of God.

Created: 8:24 PM 10/22/2008
Last updated: 2:51 PM 10/31/2008