Title: Does the Quran Require Women to Wear the Veil?
Headings: Does the Quran Require Women to Wear the Veil?
Does the Quran Require Women to Wear the Veil?
Historical Perspective
The Veil in the Quran
What Led Muhammad to Require Some Covering

Content: the Quran has no requirement that women cover their faces with a veil, or cover their bodies with the full-body burqua or chador, as in Iran and Afghanistan. But the Quran does address the matter of veiling in such a way that it has been interpreted historically, if not necessarily correctly, by Muslim clerics as applying to women. Historical Perspective
The veiling of women was not an Islamic innovation but a Persian and Byzantine-Christian custom that Islam adopted. For most of Islam’s history, the veil in its various forms was seen as a sign of distinction and protection for upper-class women. Since the 19th century, the veil has come to represent a more assertive, self-consciously Islamic expression, sometimes in reaction to Western currents—colonialism, modernism, feminism. The Veil in the Quran
Initially in Prophet Muhammad's life, the veil was not an issue. His wives didn't wear it, nor did he require that other women wear it. As he became more important in his community, and as his wives gained stature, Muhammad began adapting Persian and Byzantine customs. The veil was among those. The Quran does address veiling explicitly, but only in so far as the Prophet’s wives were concerned.