The jilbab is a loose-fitting garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their body except for the head, face, hands, and feet. In Morocco, women wear various forms of the jilbab, such as djellaba and kafkan, to adhere to hijab principles. Wearing the jilbab is not mandatory, but it is highly regarded in Moroccan society. The Qur’an refers to the jilbab as a garment to preserve modesty, but it is unclear whether the modern jilbab is the same as the one mentioned in the Qur’an.
A jilaabah is any long, loose-fitting garment worn by some Muslim women. The plural of this is jilbab, and it is also known as manteau or jubbah. A modern jilbab is designed to cover the entire body except for the head, face, hands, and feet, and a Moroccan jilbab primarily falls under this description. The head is covered by a wrap called a khimar or scarf.
Wearing the jilbab is part of the hijab practice, which means that a woman should keep the essential form of her femininity covered. A Moroccan jilbab takes many forms, because the essence of the jilbab is to provide modesty, and there is no one type of tunic that is the only form. Women in Morocco, for example, often wear djellaba, which are long, flowing robes, or kafkans, which are ankle-length button-down blouses, as well as khimar to complete the hijab practice. The kafkan is also worn in a knee-length version, with pants or jeans underneath, which cover the body. Therefore, these are all considered forms of the Moroccan jilbab, because the body has been covered to preserve modesty.
Young girls in Morocco are exempt from wearing the hijab until they reach puberty, at which point they must also begin to adopt this practice. Although wearing the jilbab is highly regarded in Moroccan society, it is not mandatory for women to dress in this manner, and some will go out without headscarves or long sleeves and will wear Western-style clothing. However, all formal occasions call for adherence to hijab principles, so some form of Moroccan jilbab would be worn at these events.
The main item of clothing in Morocco tends to be the djellaba, worn by both men and women. A traditional djellaba conforms to hijab principles and can be considered as a jilbab. A djellaba has a hood called a cob, while a kafkan does not.
The kafkan, or kaftan, is another very popular garment in Morocco. Essentially, it is a very long shirt, which could be considered a Moroccan jilbab if it reaches the ankles. They are probably of Turkish origin and are worn by both men and women throughout the Muslim world, although in Morocco they are only worn by women. During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a move away from traditional dress in Morocco, but that trend shifted in the opposite direction at the turn of the 21st century, and wearing the jilbab and following the practice of the hijab once again became the norm. rule.
The Qur’an, which is the script used by Muslims, refers to the jilbab in Surah Al-Ahzab, explaining that women should wear jilbabs to preserve their modesty. There are no illustrations of a 7th-century jilbab and no surviving garments to refer to, so it is unclear whether a modern jilbab is the same as the jilbab mentioned in the Qur’an. Many modern Muslims believe that the garment worn today is the same as the one described in the Qur’an, so it must be worn. There is also an argument that the style of jilbab worn today dates from the 1970s, when some Egyptian women adopted them as Islamic clothing.
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