Foundations of Corporal Ethic

Abstract

Largely, Western ideologies of body worship that exploit women under the guise of liberation are paralleled by Islamic ideologies seeking to confine women’s bodies in clothes called al-Libās ash-Shar’ī (conformant to Islamic law). The Qur’ān describes three types of attire for men and women: that which covers nudity; that which beautifies; and libās at-taqwā, the inward attire showing the “beauty of heart and soul.” Hijāb, signifying headscarf does not appear in the Qur’ān, which speaks of khimār, a shawl covering head and chest that women in Arabia and elsewhere wore, and jilbāb, an over-clothing item women were encouraged to wear, to protect their freedom of movement. Hijāb is mentioned seven times in the Qur’ān, always meaning partition, to protect the at-home privacy of the Prophet’s wives, never as attire.