Islamic Clothing Glossary

Women

The Qur'an states that women should dress modestly in the presence of unfamiliar men.

Gulf-styleAbaya		A type of outer garment from the Gulf or Khaleej region of the Middle East which covers from the head to the feet. It is also becoming increasingly common amongst the conservative women of Pakistan. Traditional abayas are black, and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long black caftan.
Burqaبرقع		Also known as the Afghan Burqa. Covers the entire body and has a grille over the face that the woman looks through. May have slits for the hands.
Chador		An Iranian traditional outer garment that covers the head and body and is a full length semi-circle of fabric but comes down to the ground. Does not have slits for the hands and is held shut with the hands, teeth or simply wrapped under the arms.
Niqaabنقاب		A veil that covers the face and entire head but with a place cut out for the eyes.
Niqaab		A veil that is tied on at the bridge of the nose and falls to cover the lower face. Also called "half niqab".
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Tudung		Headscarf worn in Malaysia and Indonesia

Men

Men also have to dress modestly.

Igal		A part of the headdress for men. Often they are made of a black rope-like cord. They are worn atop the head to help keep the ghutra secured.
Iḥrām		The name typically used to denote the clothing worn by a pilgrim during either the Hajj or Umra. For a male, the first part is the izar, a piece of cloth wrapped around to cover from the ankles to the abdomen. The second piece, called the reda, is draped over the shoulders to cover the upper body. The cloth is to be plain, white and unsewn. For women, typical and unpretentious clothes will be their iḥrām.
Kuffiyya, Ghutra or Shmagh		A checkered scarf often tied with igal. Can be styled into a turban or worn loosely over the head.
Taqiyah (cap)		A crochet cap that covers most of the head. Worn by Arab men. It can also be a round, sewn cotton cap that is embellished with embroidery. InPakistan,India and Bangladesh it is called a topi. In West Africa, it is called a kufi.
Thawb		Or "thobe", a long, robe-like garment. Often white, symbolizing purity and light.