Lets start by what hijab is. Hijab is a very broad concept. In terms of its literal meaning, it means barrier/partition or to cover up. All three meanings are very relevant in Islamic terms. It is a barrier between men & women and also acts as a barrier from hellfire in Islamic concepts. Partition is easily understandable as well. Covering up is the closest meaning to the word’s actual implementation.
Contrary to the popular opinion, hijab doesn’t mean just a headscarf or covering the hair. But it is a whole concept of being modest, wearing modest clothes, avoid displaying skin to others, and most importantly keeping your gaze low especially in case of men. How it is observed is a different story though. Some women prefer to wear Niqab, it is very popular in the Middle East and several African countries. However in Europe and Asia, headscarf is the more popular form of Hijab. I went to Turkey couple of years ago and the moment you set foot in Istanbul, you see so many girls wearing such beautiful headscarves.
Covering up or Hijab is a very important concept in Islam. For men, it means hiding their bodies at least from navel to knees and lowering their gaze when they are in company of women who they are not related to. For women though, it means covering up all of their body except for their hands and feet. Hijab has been mentioned consistently in Quran as well as Hadiths. So it is not just Sunnah as some people make it to be. It is actually a compulsory part of Islam.
For all the new Muslims out there or non-muslims looking for more information about Hijab, it would be beneficial to visit http://www.Islamqa.info/. This website can be a bit technical and daunting at first if you are unfamiliar with Islamic terminology. So if you are looking for a more casual and easier to read version of what is hijab, you would be better off by visting 'What is Hijab'.
Where to Buy Hijabs in UK
For the rest of the article, I will just assume by hijab we mean headscarf which is usually the most commonly accepted meaning here in England. However the information here is still relevant for Niqabs or Abayas. Well if you are in London like I am, you are better off to visit any high street, and you will find one shop that sells Asian or African clothing items. Your best bet would be to get it from there. It will usually be cheaper than buying it online. There are several shops in Tooting as well as East London which sell all types of Hijabs and its different accessories like pins, underscarf etc.
However buying online has its own benefits. First of all, most retail shops will stock only the simplest and in my opinion the ugliest looking headscarves :) . However when you buy online, you literally have hundreds of different options to choose from. Hidden Pearls is one of the Hijab Shop I really like. They sell very beautiful hijabs at very affordable costs in my opinion. Their mark-up is usually much less than many other online Hijab Stores. They also sell very pretty hijab brooches and other accessories like hijab caps and hijab underscarf. There are several other famous online hijab shops like Hijab Jewels and Inayah but these are usually more expensive than Hidden Pearls or buying from a shop in East London. If you are in the UK, you could also try this place 'hijab online UK'.
Please leave comments below if you enjoyed reading this. Tell me where you buy your hijabs from, so that we can build a nice helpful guide for lot of newcomers to Islam :)