Why The Command In Surah Al-Ahzab If Veiling Already Existed?
So, it was in this way—Jilbabs were commonly worn by women, but it varied—not all of them did.And if I’m not wrong, the wives of the Prophet also didn’t wear jilbabs before the ruling. With the revelation of the ruling, the practice was made obligatory for all of them for a certain period of time. Have I understood it correctly?
No. The wives of the prophet and other ladies put on jalbab because it was common attire of ladies. It was then made an official mark of their identity.
In Pre-Islamic Some women (especially elite or noble women) may have worn cloaks or veils, but it was not standardized. Enslaved women, lower-class women, and many women often did not cover in the same way. In fact, some were discouraged or even forbidden from covering fully, particularly in the early Islamic period, to distinguish them from free. The Qur’an (33:59) indicates that the jilbab would help identify believing women, meaning that others — by contrast — were not wearing it, or not wearing it in the same way. This created a visual, moral, and social distinction between believing women and others. Some scholars interpreted this as meaning enslaved women were not required to wear it — not because they were excluded from dignity, but because social norms at the time treated them differently. Non-Muslim women (Christians, Jews, pagans) under Muslim rule generally followed their own cultural dress codes. This distinction was not about superiority of one group over another in terms of personal worth — it was about creating social boundaries in a tribal society, where clothing signaled identity, class, and status. Islam elevated the status of women and introduced modest dress as a means of dignity and protection, especially for women who were newly entering Islam and facing harassment.