What is the jilbab of the Muslim woman? And is the abaya that is placed on the head part of the Shari'ah jilbab?

The questioner: ... Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and upon all his Companions. As for us, we wear the jilbab as you see it, which is a garment, and we wear the long khimar over it... So is this considered Shari'ah clothing, or is it better for us to change it to the abaya? What is your opinion, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Is the abaya placed on the head or on the shoulders? Listen, stay attentive...

The questioner: On the head, not on the head, meaning it is placed on the shoulders like a garment.

The Shaykh : I understand, I understand. I see this. But the abaya you are asking about, I ask you: is it placed on the head or on the shoulders?

The questioner: Over the head.

The Shaykh : Over the head. Here the answer comes as follows: The abaya is the jilbab mentioned in the Qur'an. And for that reason, Allah the Exalted commanded the woman to combine placing the khimar and the jilbab over the khimar. Why? Because the jilbab, meaning the abaya, if we say abaya or jilbab, the meaning is the same. It is known that the abaya is open from the front. And so Allah the Exalted said when He mentioned the jilbab: He did not say "cover," He said "lower." That is because the woman in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, when she went out wearing the jilbab, which is an old Arab popular garment, but because she was in the age of ignorance with no religion, she would throw the jilbab on her head, with half of her head exposed here, as some women do with the scarf, and as some reckless Iraqi women do, throwing the jilbab on half of the head, with her chest and neck all exposed. So Allah the Exalted taught the Muslim women by His saying: meaning when they put on this jilbab, this lowering is required, which is bringing it close, close, to where it covers everything except the face.

The Shaykh : This is in the stronger position. And there is another opinion from some scholars that it covers the whole face except one eye, so the description came, and some of them mentioned the two eyes. The point is that the abaya is the jilbab. But because the woman might neglect her abaya, the Wise Lawgiver commanded her to place the khimar under the jilbab. So the khimar she puts on her head and her neck. So if the abaya becomes exposed a little without her intention, there is a precaution. In that case, if she uses the abaya and places it on the head, from the front of the head and under the khimar, this represents the two noble verses, the verse of the jilbab and the verse of the khimar.