Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 59

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they should draw down their shawls over them. That will make it more likely that they are recognized, hence not teased. And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O Prophet! Ask your wives, daughters, and believing women to draw their cloaks over their bodies. In this way it is more likely that they will be recognized ˹as virtuous˺ and not be harassed. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.[[ He has forgiven what Muslim women did in the past because they were not obligated to cover up. ]] 

Ruwwad Translation Center

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters, and the believing women to draw their outer garments over themselves; that is more likely that they will be known [as chaste women] and will not be harassed. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

A. J. Arberry

O Prophet, say to thy wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veils close to them; so it is likelier they will be known, and not hurt. God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

Abdul Haleem

Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and women believers to make their outer garments hang low over them so as to be recog-nized and not insulted: God is most forgiving, most merciful.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Prophet! say unto thy wives and thy daughters and women of the believers that they should let down upon them their wrapping- garments. That would be more likely to distinguish them so that they will not be affronted. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Abul Ala Maududi

O Prophet, enjoin your wives and your daughters and the believing women, to draw a part of their outer coverings around them. It is likelier that they will be recognised and not molested. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ahmed Ali

O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the women of the faithful, to draw their wraps a little over them. They will thus be recognised and no harm will come to them. God is forgiving and kind.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O Prophet! Command your wives and your daughters and the women of the Muslims to cover their faces with a part of their cloaks; this is closer to their being recognised and not being harassed; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. (It is incumbent upon women to cover themselves properly.)

Ali Quli Qarai

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw closely over themselves their chadors [when going out]. That makes it likely for them to be recognized and not be troubled, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Ali Ünal

O (most illustrious) Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters, as well as the women (wives and daughters) of the believers, to draw over themselves some part of their outer garments (when outside their homes and when before men whom they are not forbidden to marry because of blood relation). This is better and more convenient for them to be recognized (and respected for their decency and decorum) and not harrassed. God is indeed All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Prophet! tell your wives, your daughters and women of the believers that (while going out of their houses) they should draw lower upon them the portions of their (loose) outer coverings from over their heads on to their bosoms (so as to veil therewith the arms, the neck, the hair and ornaments worn over them). This practice is more likely to help them to be distinguished (from other women who make a display of their beauty and ornamentation) and so saves them from trouble. Allâh is Great Protector, Ever Merciful.

English Literal

You, you the prophet, say to your wives and your daughters and the believers` women they (F) near (lengthen) on them from their shirts/gowns/wide dresses, that (is) nearer that (E) they (F) be known (better than being identified), so they (F) do not be harmed mildly/harmed, and God was/is forgiving, merciful.

Faridul Haque

O Prophet! Command your wives and your daughters and the women of the Muslims to cover their faces with a part of their cloaks; this is closer to their being recognised and not being harassed; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. (It is incumbent upon women to cover themselves properly.)

Hamid S. Aziz

And those who speak evil things of the believing men and the believing women undeservedly, they are guilty indeed of a false accusation and a manifest sin.

Hilali & Khan

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever OftForgiving, Most Merciful.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And those who annoy believing men and believing women undeservedly, they bear the guilt of slander and manifest sin.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O Prophet! say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments; this will be more proper, that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

Muhammad Sarwar

Prophet, tell your wives, daughters, and the wives of the believers to cover their bosoms and breasts. This will make them distinguishable from others and protect them from being annoyed. God is All-forgiving and All-merciful.

Qaribullah & Darwish

O Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters and the believing women to draw their veils close to them, so it is likelier they will be known, and not hurt. Allah is the Forgiver, the Most Merciful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their Jalabib over their bodies. That will be better that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Wahiduddin Khan

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and wives of the believers that they should draw over themselves some of their outer garments [when in public], so as to be recognized and not harmed. God is most forgiving and most merciful.

Talal Itani

O Prophet! Tell your wives, and your daughters, and the women of the believers, to lengthen their garments. That is more proper, so they will be recognized and not harassed. God is Forgiving and Merciful.

Tafsir jalalayn

O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks closely over themselves (jalbb is the plural of jilbb, which is a wrap that covers a woman totally) -- in other words, let them pull part of it [also] over their faces, leaving one eye [visible], when they need to leave [the house] for something. That makes it likelier that they will be known, to be free women, and not be molested, by being approached. In contrast, slavegirls did not use to cover their faces and so the disbelievers used to pester them. And God is Forgiving, of any occasion in the past when they may have neglected to cover themselves, Merciful, to them in His veiling them.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Command of Hijab

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُل لاَِّزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاء الْمُوْمِنِينَ

يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَبِيبِهِنَّ

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their Jalabib over their bodies.

Here Allah tells His Messenger to command the believing women -- especially his wives and daughters, because of their position of honor -- to draw their Jilbabs over their bodies, so that they will be distinct in their appearance from the women of the Jahiliyyah and from slave women.

The Jilbab is a Rida', worn over the Khimar.

This was the view of Ibn Mas`ud, Ubaydah, Qatadah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ata' Al-Khurasani and others.

It is like the Izar used today.

Al-Jawhari said;

"The Jilbab is the outer wrapper."

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said that;

Allah commanded the believing women, when they went out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from above their heads with the Jilbab, leaving only one eye showing.

Muhammad bin Sirin said,

"I asked Ubaydah As-Salmani about the Ayah;
يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَبِيبِهِنَّ
(to draw their Jalabib over their bodies). He covered his face and head, with just his left eye showing."

ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَ يُوْذَيْنَ

That will be better that they should be known so as not to be annoyed.

means, if they do that, it will be known that they are free, and that they are not servants or whores.

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا



And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

means, with regard to what happened previously during the days of Jahiliyyah, when they did not have any knowledge about this.
A Stern Warning to the Evil Hypocrites

Allah says