There is no reference to covering the head with a headscarf in the 31st verse of Surat An-Nur of the Qur'an.
Say to the believing woman that they should lower their eyes and guard their private parts and not display their adornments,
except for what normally shows, and draw their head coverings across their breasts.
Actually, there is no reference to covering the head in that part of the verse.
That is translated as, and draw their head coverings across their breasts.
The Arabic word khumar, which is translated as head covering in some commentaries and translations of the Qur'an,
is derived from the root word khamar, that means to cover.
This word means to cover something, yet there is no reference to the head in the Arabic original of the verse.
In the Arabic original of the verse, which is translated as, draw their head coverings across their breasts,
there is no word for draw.
The verb yadribna is derived from the root durabha, and it means to cover, to strike, to conceal.
The word juyu bihana is the plural form of the root word jimnyabba,
which has always been used to signify an opening of a shirt, or a sleeve, or a pocket, or the bosom, heart.
In Arabic, the word is used in descriptions such as, opening a pocket in a shirt, placing in a pocket.
That means the part of the body that the covering should be placed on is woman's breasts.
The command defined in the verse is not to cover the head, but the breasts.
The second part of the verse defines the ones who are allowed to see the adornments of woman,
which actually explains the extent of the freedom women are given.
They should only display their adornments to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers,
or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons,
or their sisters' sons, or other women of those they own as slaves,
or their male attendants, who have no sexual desire,
or children, who still have no awareness of a woman's private parts.
The verse states that, apart from their husbands,
there is no drawback for their male attendants,
who have no sexual desire, or children,
who still have no awareness of woman's private parts,
to see woman's adornments.
This information shows us that there is a reference to genitals and breasts
in the word adornments.
Consequently, the 31st verse of the Surat An-Nur
actually explains the broad extent of the freedom women enjoy.
There are grave inconsistencies in the hadiths used to claim
that use of headscarves is fard, religious obligation.
The impaired reasoning of those who put forth these hadiths is noteworthy.
First, let us have a look at the related hadiths.
Narrated Aisha Umu Mumin
May God have mercy on the early immigrant woman.
When the verse that they should draw their veils over their bosoms was revealed,
they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from them.
Narrated Safiya bin Shaiba
Aisha used to say,
When, the verse,
they should draw their veils,
humar, over their necks and bosoms,
Juyub, was revealed,
the ladies cut their waist sheets at the edges
and covered their faces with the cut pieces.
Narrated Aisha
Umu Muminin
Safiya,
daughter of Shaibbeh,
said that Aisha mentioned the women of Ansar,
praised them and said good words about them.
She then said,
When Surat An-Nur came down,
they took the curtains,
tore them and made headcovers,
veils,
those of them.
Umu Muminin Aisha
is reported to praise the women of Al-Ansar
in these words,
I did not see any woman better
of those of Al-Ansar
in their confirmation of God's book
and the faith in the revelation.
As soon as the chapter of An-Nur was revealed,
containing the words,
and they draw their headcovers over their neck slits,
and they were informed of it by their men,
every one of them,
without exception,
took her robe,
shawl,
and wound it around her head,
in conformity with,
and faith in,
what God had revealed in His book.
They came next morning behind the messenger,
with those wound robes on their heads,
as if a crow was sitting on their heads.
In all of those hadiths,
there is a reference to the revelation of the verse saying,
when the verse,
that they should draw their veils over their bosoms,
was revealed.
According to this narration,
in these fabricated hadiths,
women already have headscarves covering their heads,
and their headscarves flow down from their heads,
yet their bosoms are left uncovered.
According to the fabricated hadiths,
and according to the warning added to the verse,
while women already had a cover on their heads,
it is stated that they need to cover their bosoms,
with that large part of cloth flowing down from their heads.
So, it is claimed that women need to use this cover here,
which is claimed to be there already,
and cover their bosoms with this wide piece of cloth.
This is what the fabricated hadith means.
Nevertheless,
in none of those hadiths,
their bosoms are covered by this long cover on their heads.
Now see what these fabricated hadiths claim.
According to these fabricated hadiths,
when the verse is revealed,
it is stated that women cut off a piece of cloth
from their skirts or from their dresses,
and added another cover on their heads,
that are already covered.
With the words,
they tore their thick outer garments,
and made veils from them,
in the fabricated hadiths,
it is claimed that women did not cover their bosoms,
with the cover they already have on their heads,
but tore pieces from their garments,
and covered their heads once more.
By doing so,
they would not be abiding by the command,
to draw their head coverings across their breasts,
which they claim belongs to God.
So that is the cover flowing down from their heads,
and they do not abide by this command.
So the fabricated hadiths claim,
that women covered their already covered heads once more.
However,
according to these explanations,
their bosoms still remain uncovered.
So,
with these fabricated hadiths,
they add a command,
that is not defined in the verse of God,
yet they do not abide by this command they came up with.
As is seen,
this impaired reasoning,
is an evidence showing,
that God made the plots devised,
by those who fabricated superstitions,
backfire.
God informs us,
that Islam is a religion of ease.
I seek refuge in God,
from the accursed Satan.
He,
God,
has selected you,
and not placed any constraints upon you,
in the religion,
the religion of your forefather Ibrahim.
God desires ease for you,
he does not desire difficulty for you.
We will ease you,
to the easy way.
Our blessed prophet also commanded,
make things easy for the people,
and do not make it difficult for them,
and make them calm,
with glad tidings,
and do not repulse them.
Those who portray Islam as difficult,
by adding on commands God did not reveal,
put forth an understanding of religion,
that is far removed from the Quran,
and is not possible to live by.
As God commanded by the verse,
I seek refuge in God,
from the accursed Satan.
They invented asceticism.
We did not prescribe it for them,
purely out of desire,
to gain the pleasure of God.
But even so,
they did not observe it,
as it should have been observed.
Those who claim,
that covering the head,
is a religious obligation,
even though it is not commanded in the Quran,
have caused millions of women,
to remain distant to Islam.
Additionally in the Quran,
in the 59th verse of Surat al-Azab,
God says,
that women,
when necessary,
for instance in unsafe environments,
in which they think,
they could not be safe,
in revealing decollete clothes,
should temporarily cover themselves,
completely with outer garments.
I seek refuge in God,
from the accursed Satan.
O Prophet,
tell your wives and daughters,
and the women of the believers,
to draw their outer garments,
jala bi bihina,
closely round themselves,
yu nina a lehina,
this makes it more likely,
that they will be recognized,
and not be harmed.
God is ever forgiving,
most merciful.
The command of the verse,
is explicit.
Jilba means an outer garment,
that covers from head to toe.
The idolaters,
and the hypocrites of the time,
were harassing Muslim women,
with their words,
and their behavior.
In the face of such behavior,
this verse was revealed,
for Muslim women,
to cover themselves temporarily,
in these circumstances.
Meaning in environments,
where they might be harassed,
if they wore revealing clothes,
to make themselves known,
and distinguished with their coverings.
According to the command of this verse,
Muslim women cover themselves,
from head to toe,
when they enter an environment,
they believe,
they might be harassed,
and wear outer garments,
that would cover every part of their bodies,
and their body lines.
Depending on the severity of the risk,
even the face should be covered.