Is the headscarf still an obligation today in safe countries?

Yes. The commandment to cover is not tied to a particular time or danger, because it rests on human nature. Its outward form may differ from one society to another, but the aim remains the same: to protect chastity and family life.

The reasoning sounds convincing at first. In the past women were in danger and needed protection, while today laws and police keep people safe. Has the commandment therefore become outdated? Thinking this way makes God’s word depend on the circumstances of one particular age. Yet the commandments of the Holy Qur’an have rational grounds, and those grounds lie in human nature.

Human nature has not changed. Men and women are drawn to each other today just as they were in every earlier age. The dangers to marriage and family have not disappeared simply because the streets have become safer. That is why the first verse above speaks not of outward danger but of chastity.

We do, however, need to distinguish between the aim and the means. The lasting aim is to protect chastity and family life. Covering and the separation of the sexes are means to that aim. Their outward form may look different from one society to another. This is why practice varies between countries, and not every form one sees somewhere is itself a commandment.

So whoever asks only whether a country is safe overlooks what matters most. Even in a safe society, life between men and women needs boundaries that protect dignity and trust. The headscarf is an expression of that attitude, and the attitude itself holds good in every age.