On the Dangerous Topics of Islam and Hijabs

I just realised something. I'd mentioned in an earlier entry that the hijab was wajib and quoted a reference to the text that made it so. I'd been sitting here thinking about the text because as I recall, it mentioned somethings very interesting. From the reference:

The translation [of the text]:

"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms..." [Abdullah Yusuf Ali]

The style of the language employed in the verse is very important. Allah Most High begins with the imperative form of the verb "qalla," which means to say or tell. Thus, Allah Most High is commanding the Prophet, peace be upon him, to tell the believing
women to take a series of steps:

1. To guard their gaze, which is an important factor in modest interaction;
2. To guard their chastity or sexuality;
3. To conceal their adornment and natural beauty, which scholars have interpreted to mean the whole body except for the face, hands, and (for Hanafis) the feet.
4. And, finally, to emphasize the above point, Allah Ta'ala uses the phrase, "wa-lyadhribna bikhumurihinna ala juyubihinna." The verb "yadhribna" which means "to draw or pull over" appears as a feminine plural, thus going back to the original subject of the verse, the believing women. Most importantly, it starts off with the letter "lam," which is called "lam al-amr." Lam al-amr, when prefixed to a present tense verb, such as "yadhribna," makesthe verb an imperative, that is, a command. It is not understood as a recommendation, but a specific command directly from Allah Most High to His slaves among the believing women.

The part highlighted in red specifically tells us that the relevant text only tells Muslim women to conceal their "adornment and natural beauty". It was only the scholars that interpreted that to mean the whole body. The only thing that was specifically mentioned to cover was their bosoms. Interesting, no?