The women around Jesus veiled themselves according to the practice of the women around the earlier prophets. Their garments were loose and covered their bodies completely, and they wore scarves which covered their hair. In Genesis 24:64-5 : "And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, ‘Who is the man yonder, walking in the field to meet us?' The servant said, ‘It is my master.' So she took her veil and covered herself." Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, "5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonours her head—it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil." Some may argue that it was the general custom of those times to be completely veiled. However, that is not the case. In both Rome and Greece, whose cultures dominated the region, the popular dress was quite short and revealed the arms, legs and chest. Only religious women in Palestine, following Jewish tradition, covered themselves modestly. According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University), it was customary that Jewish women went out in public with a head- covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face, leaving only one eye free.16 He further stated that "during the Tannaitic period, the Jewish woman's failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offence."17 The famous early Christian theologian, St. Tertullian (d. 220 CE), in his famous treatise, ‘On The Veiling of Virgins' wrote, "Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them in the church; you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear them among your brothers..." Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church until today, there is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church.18 Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites for example, keep their women veiled to the present day. In Chapter al-Ahzab (33): 59, the reason for veiling is given. Allaah states that it makes the believing women known in the society and provides protection for them from possible social harm.
"Jesus (peace be upon him) lived among women who were modest, often veiled, reflecting the purity and dignity Allah commands. The Bible doesn't detail it explicitly, but the culture of his time—Jewish tradition—valued women covering their hair and dressing modestly, as seen with Mary (peace be upon her), depicted with a headscarf in art and scripture's context. The Qur'an praises this virtue: ‘And [mention] the one who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our Spirit' (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:91), showing Mary's modesty, which Jesus upheld.
In Islam, Allah instructs, ‘Tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and to draw their veils over their bosoms' (Surah An-Nur, 24:31). Jesus, as a prophet, lived by divine guidance, and the women around him—like his mother and followers—embodied this honor. It wasn't his divinity but his prophethood that aligned with Allah's way: modesty for men and women. This connects him to Islam's values, showing his life reflected submission to Allah's will."
Surah An-Nur, 24:31
It sounds neat on the surface, but like many da'wah claims, it collapses under a little historical and theological scrutiny. Let's unpack this carefully.
Yes, women like Rebekah veiled themselves (Genesis 24:65). But that was a cultural sign of modesty and respect, not a universal command of God. In fact, the same Bible also shows other godly women—like Ruth—unveiled in public (Ruth 2:2-10). The point wasn't fabric; it was character.
The Qur'an's claim in Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:59 that veiling was commanded by Allah "so women may be recognized and not harmed" shows a social motive, not an eternal divine decree. In the Torah and Gospels, modesty was a moral principle, not a dress code.
So to say "Jesus' women veiled like Muslims" is like saying "Moses wore sandals, therefore all prophets must be shoemakers." It's confusing cultural expression with divine revelation.
Muslims often quote 1 Corinthians 11:5-6 as if Paul were advocating Islamic-style veiling. But Paul's entire argument is contextualized within Corinthian culture, where head coverings symbolized marital respect and spiritual order.
He wasn't mandating face-veiling or loose robes; he was discussing head coverings in worship, not in public life. And if we're being consistent, Paul also said men should not cover their heads while praying — a direct contradiction to Islamic norms where men do cover during salah.
So if we're citing Paul as "proof of hijab," we should also admit that he rejected male head-coverings. That's what we call selective reading.
The Gospels never record Jesus commanding women to veil. What He does command is this:
"Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)
That's not a call for heavier cloth; it's a call for cleaner hearts. Jesus shifts the focus from external conformity to internal holiness. That's why He rebuked the Pharisees, who "cleaned the outside of the cup" but left the inside dirty (Matthew 23:25).
So while Islam codifies modesty by centimeters of fabric, Jesus calls both men and women to holiness that begins in the soul, not the wardrobe.
Muslims often point to Mary's head covering as "Islamic modesty," forgetting she lived over 600 years before Islam. She followed Jewish custom, not Qur'anic law. And the Qur'an's statement (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:91) simply borrows her story from earlier Scripture — it doesn't make Islam her original faith.
Mary's devotion points to her obedience to the God of Israel, not to a later Arabian concept of Tawhid.
The Qur'an's modesty command (Surah An-Nur, 24:31) is rule-based — "lower the gaze, draw the veil." Christianity goes deeper. Through the Spirit, believers are renewed from within:
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment... but from the inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." (1 Peter 3:3-4)
That's the difference: Islam regulates behavior; Christ regenerates the heart.
So yes, the women around Jesus were modest — but their modesty came from faith in God's holiness, not from a universal hijab law. The Gospel message transforms the heart first; when that's clean, the clothing tends to follow naturally — no religious police required.