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Introduction

The profound transformations in the Islamic world over the past century have reshaped all spheres of society. Within this dynamic context, the "woman issue" faced heightened challenges. In contemporary religious discourse, any perspective on women inherently necessitates a stance on hijab. These viewpoints, despite cultural diversity, are rooted in the Qur’an as the primary source and its interpretation. This study emphasizes a fundamental distinction in Islamic rulings: some injunctions are timeless, while others were revealed in response to specific social contexts, making it unreasonable to expect fixed implementation details across all historical periods. The latter category can be termed "social injunctions," meaning their revelation was based on the social exigencies of the time of revelation and they possess the capacity for adaptation to changing spatio-temporal circumstances.  
The central research question is: Can hijab also be classified as one of these social injunctions and thus evolve according to social exigencies? Accordingly, the subsidiary research questions are: How are the social exigencies of the hijab injunction manifested in the Qur’anic verses? ; What differing explanations regarding the scope and philosophy of hijab have contemporary Muslim intellectuals offered in response to modern social changes?  

Background

Extensive research on hijab, employing diverse approaches, has examined topics such as precise juristic rulings on dress, the individual and social effects of hijab, the government's role in enforcing it, the chronology of hijab verses, and the evolution of their interpretations. Key studies relevant to this research include:  

1. Purely Jurisprudential-Exegetical Studies: Some research (e.g., the article "The Juristic Ruling on Women's Dress Based on Verse 59 of Al-Ahzab") focused on the literal meanings of the verses (e.g., the term "jilbab"), concluding, for instance, that comprehensive coverings like the chador are perpetually obligatory, without centering the analysis on the social context of revelation.  
2. Semantic Analyses: Studies like "The Semantic Analysis of the Verse 'That is more suitable that they should be known' Regarding Hijab" concentrated on analyzing the wisdom and philosophy of hijab (distinguishing chaste women from non-chaste) but paid less attention to the relationship between this wisdom and changing social conditions.
3. Debates on the Individual/Social Nature of the Ruling: Works such as "The Obligation of Hijab: An Individual Ruling with Social Effects" investigated arguments for the inherently individual or social nature of the hijab ruling. Accepting its individual aspect, they emphasized the necessity of governmental intervention due to its social effects. This perspective differs from this study's definition of "social" (capacity for change based on temporal exigencies).
4. Evolution of Exegesis: Research like "The Historical Evolution of Exegesis of Qur'anic Hijab Verses" demonstrated the evolution of interpretations of hijab verses throughout history, primarily within official theological exegeses.

The primary gap addressed by this study is the scarcity of research that simultaneously investigates the following two axes with a focus on 'social nature' as adaptability to temporal exigencies:  
   Contextual and Social Reexamination of the Qur'anic Text Itself: Deep analysis of the socio-historical context of the hijab verses, demonstrating the intrinsic link between the ruling and the specific conditions of its revelation as evidence of its inherent "social" nature.  
   Analysis of Contemporary Intellectual Perspectives in Interaction with Society: Focusing on the views of intellectuals (beyond traditional exegetes) who have directly engaged with modern social challenges and have attempted to offer interpretations of hijab suited to these new exigencies. Contrary to the predominant literature focusing on intra-textual developments within exegesis, this study centers on the evolution in the sociological and intellectual perspectives of Muslim thinkers confronting shifting social realities.  

Methodology

This study employs a qualitative approach using a descriptive-analytical method. Data was collected and analyzed from two main sources:  

1. Sacred Texts (Qur’an): Key verses related to hijab were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, focusing on explaining themes. The primary objective was extracting and describing the social dimensions embedded within these verses. This included analyzing the historical-social context of revelation, understanding the initial audience's perspective, key concepts within the context of the revelation era, and the reasons or wisdom stated within the verses themselves.
2. Opinions and Views of Contemporary Muslim Intellectuals: A spectrum of views from Muslim scholars and intellectuals from the Constitutional Era onwards, who addressed the issue of hijab and related social transformations, were examined. The primary method in this section was descriptive analysis of these opinions, aiming to describe and explain the intellectual evolution of these thinkers in confronting the challenges of modernity

4.Results
   Verse 59 of Al-Ahzab: A contextual reexamination revealed that the injunction to use the "jilbab" (a comprehensive outer garment) was a direct response to a tangible social problem in Medina: the harassment of believing women by hypocrites. Its primary objective was to establish a social distinction to identify and protect them. The initial interpretation of this distinction as separating free women from enslaved women (a product of the prevailing social context of slavery), and its subsequent evolution after the abolition of slavery into distinguishing chaste women from non-chaste, clearly demonstrates that interpreters understood this verse as belonging to its social context and adaptable to changing societal conditions. This verse is strong evidence for a ruling issued based on specific social exigencies (Social Imperative).  
   Verse 31 of An-Nur: The primary purpose of this verse is to establish the general principle of "social chastity". While foundational commands like "lowering the gaze" and "guarding chastity" are explicit, the directives concerning women's dress (the scope of the "khimar" [head covering], what constitutes "zeenah" [adornments]) suffer from ambiguity and lack of detail. This ambiguity indicates that the practical realization of this "social chastity" is inherently dependent on the customary understanding and socio-cultural context of the audience community. Just as the original audience understood the verse's intent based on their own norms and conditions, Muslim communities across different eras have necessarily determined the specifics and manner of observing this public chastity according to their own cultural and social exigencies. This inherently contextual and flexible nature of the dress directives in this verse further confirms the social nature of the hijab injunction.  
  The engagement of Muslim intellectuals with modern social transformations (especially the necessity of women's education and social presence) led to a fundamental revision of the traditional view of hijab, which included elements like seclusion (pardeh), covering the entire body including the face, and restrictions on social presence.  
   This revision was accompanied by the introduction of new foundational concepts, including criticism of seclusion and the face veil (burqa). Heated debates about removing the face veil paved the way for novel juristic discussions concerning the actual boundaries of hijab and challenged the alleged consensus of earlier jurists on fixed, unchangeable limits.  
   Some intellectuals went further, proposing the need for a renewed reading of the hijab issue, emphasizing the necessity of returning to the fundamental principles and essence of Sharia and understanding rulings in light of evolving social conditions.  
Overally, Hijab is a social, not just individual, phenomenon. Its meaning and boundaries evolve with societal changes, prompting continuous reinterpretation by scholars across eras.