Modesty as a shared responsibility

The Qur'an first tells believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, then addresses women with related duties and instructions about dress. Modesty therefore concerns how people look, act and dress. It is not a duty placed only on…

The teaching addresses men and women

More than clothing alone

The practical idea includes respect for personal boundaries, avoiding intrusive attention and conducting relationships with dignity. Online, that can include not sharing a person's private image without consent. This is an application of respect and privacy, not a claim that the verse directly describes social media.

Dress is nevertheless a real part of the teaching. It should not be erased in an effort to make the subject more comfortable. Islamic dress guidance includes covering the body appropriately and, for women, covering the hair. Customs also affect styles of clothing across regions.

Explaining hijab without stereotypes

Hijab is commonly used for a Muslim woman's head covering and can also refer more broadly to modesty and covering. Women may explain their own reasons for wearing it in different ways. Clothing alone does not tell us a person's education, confidence or ambitions. Nor should a woman who does not cover be treated as available for harassment or deprived of dignity.

A religious dress teaching does not excuse coercion, humiliation or violence. Questions about choice and pressure deserve to be heard rather than assumed away. A fair explanation recognises both the religious requirement as understood by its followers and the responsibility to treat individuals with respect. Modesty is meant to guide one's own conduct, not provide an excuse to police strangers abusively.

Qur’anic verses

Qur'an 24 : 30

Tell believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. God is fully aware of what they do.

Read the verse and Arabic text

Qur'an 24 : 31

Tell believing women to lower their gaze, guard their chastity and not display their adornment except what normally appears. They should draw their head coverings over their chests. They should not reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, those held in their possession as slaves, male attendants without sexual desire, or children not yet aware of women's private bodies. They should not stamp their feet to draw attention to hidden adornments. All of you believers, turn to God in repentance so that you may succeed.

Read the verse and Arabic text

Sources: Hijab guidance [44]