Hijab (Arabic: اب‎, ijāb) is an Arabic word meaning "barrier or cover". Hijab is anything that is for something else to be covered or forbidden to reach. Among the application of its meaning, hijab is interpreted as as sitr (cover), which is holding something so that it is not visible. Likewise al bawwab (door), referred to as the hijab restrains people from entering. The origin of its meaning, hijab is an entity that becomes a barrier between two other entities.

Abul Baqa' Al Hanafi also explained that "everything that is to cover things that exist to cover or hold things that are forbidden to be reached is a hijab". Thus, the term hijab has a broad meaning. In some Arabic-speaking countries as well as Western countries, the word hijab more often refers to the veil worn by Muslim women (see hijab). Thus the Muslim hijab, is everything that covers things that are a cover for a Muslim woman. So the Muslim hijab is not limited to covering the head, or covering the hair, or covering the upper body only. However, the Muslim hijab covers everything that covers the aurat, curves of the body and jewelry for women from hair to feet. The separator veil that is used in those used in mosques or mushalla is also called Hijab.