Title: Further Exchange on 'Is it Obligatory for Women to Cover their Heads' - 1 Question/Comments: I had a question about this word "Khumur" . Isn't "Khumur" in Arabic a generic word for ANY covering? Secondly, why are we translating "Idhrib" as "extend". Is this word ever used for extending anything? Can you cite any instances in the Qur'an? Answer: The word " Khumur " is the plural of " Khimaar ". The word " Khimaar " when used with reference to women particularly implies the head covering. The well known Arabic dictionary " Aqrab al-Mawaarid " writes about the word " Khimaar ": All such pieces of cloth, which are used to cover the head. It is a piece of cloth, which is used by a woman to cover her head The word is so well known that the phrase " " is used to imply that the woman is wearing a " Khimaar ". Sometimes, the word " Khimaar " is also used for a man's head covering, as is the case in the following narrative ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh): The Prophet anointed over his socks and his head covering. As far as the word " " (dharaba) is concerned, when it comes with the preposition " " (`alaa) , it can imply "to cover" or "to daub" as is used in the Qur'anic verse: Thus " " means: "she covered her chest with her head covering". 18 th December 1998