The women around Jesus veiled themselves according to the practice of the women
around the earlier prophets. Their garments were loose and covered their bodies
completely, and they wore scarves which covered their hair. In Genesis 24:64-5 : “And
Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel, 65and
said to the servant, ‘Who is the man yonder, walking in the field to meet us?’ The servant
said, ‘It is my master.’ So she took her veil and covered herself.” Paul wrote in his first
letter to the Corinthians, “5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head
unveiled dishonours her head—it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6For if a woman
will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman
to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.” Some may argue that it was the general
custom of those times to be completely veiled. However, that is not the case. In both
Rome and Greece, whose cultures dominated the region, the popular dress was quite
short and revealed the arms, legs and chest. Only religious women in Palestine,
following Jewish tradition, covered themselves modestly.
According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at
Yeshiva University), it was customary that Jewish women went out in public with a head-
covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face, leaving only one eye free.16
He further stated that “during the Tannaitic period, the Jewish woman’s failure to cover
her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she
might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offence.”17
The famous early Christian theologian, St. Tertullian (d. 220 CE), in his famous
treatise, ‘On The Veiling of Virgins’ wrote, “Young women, you wear your veils out on
the streets, so you should wear them in the church; you wear them when you are among
strangers, then wear them among your brothers…” Among the Canon laws of the Catholic
church until today, there is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church.18
Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Menonites for example, keep their
women veiled to the present day.
In Chapter (33): 59, the reason for veiling is given. Allaah states that it
makes the believing women known in the society and provides protection for them from
possible social harm.
source: Dawah to Christians
