In this article the interpretations of Arab orthodox thinkers and the establishment of these interpretations on the revelation occasions of ḥijāb are dealt with. In the Shī‘ī and Sunnī exegetical, narrative, and historical texts, seven occasions of revelation have been introduced for the verse 53 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb. According to the revelation occasion of this noble verse, Jābirī, Mirnīsī, and ‘Ashmāwī do not view ḥijāb in the statement ﴾ask it from them from behind a curtain [ḥijāb]﴿ (Al-Aḥzāb, 53) in its commonly used meaning and regard the ordinance of ḥijāb as addressed to the Prophet (S.A.W.)'s wives, refusing to approve its generality. Verse 53 of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb has four occasions of revelation. With the use of this verse, the phrase ﴾‘an yu‘rafna﴿ (to be distinguished), and ‘Umar's harsh encounter with the veiled female slaves, Jābirī and ‘Abd al-Fattāḥ ‘Abd al-Qādir consider the reason for the ordinance of ḥijāb to be the distinction of the free women and their not to be harassed, and talk of "annihilation of ordinance due to the annihilation of cause" on the basis of the rule "ordinance is dependent upon cause". Verse 31 of Sūrat al-Nūr contains three occasions of revelation. ‘Aqla, Shaḥrūr, Jābirī, and ‘Ashmāwī have utilized the revelation occasion of this verse to introduce the "covering of bosom" as the only indicant of this verse. Upon reporting on each of these interpretations, the writer of the article goes on to review them and criticized the views of these thinkers with the criteria of their own acceptance.
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