Many people confuse between three
issues regarding the Muslim woman’s dress. These three different issues are:
1- Concealing the parts of the body
that the Islamic Law has determined i.e. "Al Awrah."
2- What to wear in public.
3- The dazzling display i.e. "Al
Tabarruj".
The Judgement of "Al Awrah"
The Awrah that the Divine Law of Islam
has clearly determined for the woman consists of the whole body except for her
face and her hands. The neck is Awrah, the arms are Awrah and so are the legs,
as well as the hair, even one single hair, ears and the profile are considered
to be Awrah as well. Therefore, the Muslim woman should cover all her body
except for her face and hands from strange men Muslims or not, for Allah (SWT)
says:
"They should not display
their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof."
[Al-Nur-31]
What must ordinarly appear is the face
and the hands for this used to be the case with Muslim women whether during
prayer or Hajj or in front of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) who kept silent about
this matter which proves that he did not object. Another evidence comes from the
Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying to Asma’a "O Asma’a, when a woman
reaches puberty, no part of her body should be revealed except for this and
this." (pointing to the face and hands).
The Judgement on the Awrah
necessitates that the colour of the skin should be totally concealed, be it
black or white or red or brown. If the clothing is transparent and it shows the
colour of the skin, it cannot be valid as a cover for the Awrah, and the Awrah
is considered, therefore, to be revealed and not covered, for the Sharia'a has
commanded the concealing of the skin by concealing its colour. And the evidence
on this issue is derived from what Aysha (may Allah be pleased with her)
narrated: Asma’a daughter of Abu Bakr entered the house of the Messenger of
Allah (SAW) to visit her sister Aysha and she was wearing a transparent garment
so the Prophet (SAW) turned his head and said :"O Asma’a! If a woman
reaches puberty it is not right for her to reveal any part of her body except
this and this. (pointing to the hands and face)."
So the transparence of the clothes was
considered by the Prophet (SAW) to be revealing and invalid as cover for the
Awrah. Another evidence comes from what Usama-Ibnu-Zaid narrated when the
Prophet (SAW) asked him about what he did with the Kobtya (a thin dress), Usama
said that he gave it to his wife to wear. Upon this the Prophet (SAW) said: tell
her to wear some lining underneath the Kobtya, for I fear that her curves may
otherwise still be seen." This saying clearly demonstrates the Prophet's
concern about thin clothes which do not properly cover the woman's curves.
The Judgement of What the Woman Should
Wear
Islam has commanded the Muslim woman
to dress as follows when outside her house:
1- Al-Khimar, (the veil or the head
cover), this is what the scholars call the upper garment.
2- The Jilbab, (the wide dress), and
this is what the scholars call the lower garment.
As far as the upper garment is
concerned, Islam has commanded the Muslim woman to wear a "Khimar" (a
veil or a head cover) if she is to go out. The Khimar should cover the whole
head and the whole neck and the collar bone, and it should be suitable for going
out shopping or likewise. The Muslim woman should also observe other
recommendations and interdictions before stepping out, like asking the husband
or parent for permission, not imitating in her dress men or unbelievers, not to
apply make up before other than immediate family (Mahram), not to display her
beauty before strangers, to cover the Awrah, and not to put on perfume outdoors.
If the woman does not abide by these rules, she will be considered sinful for
violating the Sharia'a.
As for the Jilbab or the lower
garment, Islam has commanded the Muslim woman to wear over her dress a Jilbab or
a cape or something similar that would cover the whole of her body down to the
ankles. If she has not got a Jilbab, she can always borrow it from a neighbour
or relative, otherwise it would not be right for her to go out without such a
dress that covers her body and is suitable for outdoors. The Jilbab should not
be transparent nor decorated nor dazzling nor perfumed nor similar to a man's or
unbeliever's
dress. If she does not stick to these
rules she will be considered sinful for not abiding by the Sharia'a.
If the Muslim woman when she goes out,
does not wear these two garments and does not take into consideration all the
other rules like asking permission from the husband or a parent, not imitating
men or unbelievers in her dress, not applying make-up around other than
immediate family (Mahram), not to display her beauty, to always cover the Awrah
and not to put on perfume outdoors, it would not be right for her to go out
under any circumstances, for the obligation of wearing these two items should be
observed outside at all times unless the woman is under duress and her life is
in danger, or if she is obliged to preserve her life, for example if her house
is on fire or if she is attacked by a man she can flee outside even half naked
to preserve her honour. Preserving life or honour is compulsory in Sharia'a. In
any other situation, the Muslim woman has no valid excuse but to abide by what
the Sharia'a has prescribed. Evidence on this issue comes from the Holy Qur'an;
Allah (SWT) says:
"That they should not display
their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear therof; they
should draw their veil over their bosoms." [Al-Nur - 31]
Allah (SWT) said on the lower garment:
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they
should cast their outer garments over their persons."
It has been narrated on the authority
of Umm Atiya that she said: The Messenger of Allah ordered us all women whether
single or menstruating or housewives, to go out in the days of Eid Al-Fitr and
Eid Al-Adha, the menstruating women should not perform prayer but can join in
the festivities. I said: O Messenger of Allah! What if one of us does not have a
Jilbab? He said: She can borrow a Jilbab from her sister.
These events are clear evidence about
what the Muslim woman should wear in public. Allah (SWT) has described in the
two verses the dress that He commanded the Muslim woman to wear in public. The
description of the dress is detailed, very clear and comprehensive. On the upper
garment, He (SWT) says: "That they should draw their veils over their
bosoms". It means they are to draw the Khimar around the neck and bosom to
hide any part that may appear from around the bosom, collar bone or neck.
As for the lower garment, Allah (SWT)
says: That they should cast their outer garments over their persons. This means
the women should draw a Jilbab or a cape or something similar, which would cover
the whole body right down to the ankles. About the general state of the Jilbab,
Allah (SWT) says:
"That they should not display
their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof."
This means the Muslim women should not
reveal any part of the body where beauty could be displayed like the ears and
the arms and legs etc., except for what must ordinarily appear in public like
the face and the hands. This was the case when these two verses descended i.e.
during the life of the Prophet (SAW).
Supported by this detailed and clear
evidence the dress a Muslim woman should wear in public should be easy to
determine and define. What Umm Atiya narrated confirms and clarifies the
obligation of wearing the Jilbab over the normal dress for any woman wanting to
go out. When she asked the Messenger of Allah what to do in case a woman did not
have a Jilbab and he replied that she should borrow one from her sister, this
means she is not permitted to go out without it. The Jilbab should be wide and
long, covering the whole body right down to the ankles.
It has been narrated on the authority
of Ibni-Omar that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: He who trailed his garment
out of pride, Allah would not look toward him on the Day of Reckoning. Upon this
Umm Salma said: What should the women do with their dresses then? He said: They
should lower about the length of a span (from the ankle). She said: In this case
their legs will be revealed ! So he (SAW) said: They should lower an arm's
length and no more.
This evidently demonstrates that the
Jilbab that a Muslim woman should wear over her dress while outdoors should be
lowered all the way down until it covers the legs. This means that it is
important to lower the Jilbab until the legs are covered in a way that would
clearly show that it is a dress designed for outdoors.
The Judgement of Tabarruj (the
dazzling display)
The issue of Tabarruj is separate from
that of covering the Awrah and also separate from that of the dress that a women
should wear in public. Tabarruj occurs when a women performs a dazzling display
of her beauty and reveals it to strangers. Tabarruj is forbidden by a clear-cut
evidence from the texts of Sharia'a. Allah (SWT) says:
"Such elderly women as are past
the prospect of marriage - there is no blame on them if they lay aside their
outer garments, provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty."
[Al Nur 60]
We understand from the verse that
Tabarruj is in any case completely forbidden. Allah (SWT) permitted such women
to lay aside their outer garments, on the condition that they should not make a
dazzling display of their beauty. If the elderly women are forbidden from
Tabarruj, this means that other women are forbidden as well. Allah (SWT) says:
"And that they should not strike
their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments."
He (SAW) in this verse forbids one
form of Tabbaruj in which women strike their feet in a way in which the ankle
chain releases a sound which reveals their beauty. In the early days of Islam,
women used to wear ankle chains and strike their feet to display their beauty
and draw men's attention. So the verse descended to put a stop to such dazzling
display of beauty and to such kind of Tabarruj.
It has been narrated on the authority
of Abu-Musa Al-Ash'ari that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Any woman who
puts on perfume and walks past a group of people and they scent it, she is
considered to be an adulterer”. It means like an adulterer in terms of sin. It
has also been narrated on the authority of Abu-Hurayra that the Messenger of
Allah (SAW) said: There are two types of people of Hell whom I have not yet
seen. The first are people that have whips like the tail of oxen, with which
they beat people. And the second are women who are naked inspite of being
dressed, they will be led astray and will lead others astray and their heads
will look like the humps of camels. These women will not enter the paradise,
they will not even experience the faintest scent of it, even though the
fragrance of the Paradise can be perceived from a great distance."
These text bear clear evidence about
the interdiction of Tabarruj. We ought to also to differenciate between Tabarruj
and make up. Tabarruj is forbidden in Islam. However, applying make-up has not
been forbidden by the Divine Law of Islam (Sharia'a) except in times of mourning
over the loss of a husband, as it has been narrated on the authority of Umm
Atyia who said that the Messenger of Allah said: The woman should not mourn any
dead person more than three days, except for the husband whom she should mourn
his death for four months and ten days, during which period she is not to wear
colourful clothes except if the colours are not bright; she is not to put on
Kohl, nor perfume, nor to cut or trim anything except the excessive curls and
the long nails."
And on the authority of Abi-Dawood the
same Hadith includes the phrase "nor should she dye her hair", and in
the Nissa'i version "she should not comb her hair".
This saying (Hadith) is an
interdiction of applying make up when in mourning, and this means that make up
is allowed otherwise.
To apply Kohl or Henna, or to wear
earrings, chains or bracelets etc., is allowed. The Sharia'a has however
forbidden some types of make up or beauty accessories like tattoos or adding
artificial hair; for on the authority of Ibni-Omar, the Messenger of Allah (SAW)
said:
"Allah curses the woman who adds
artificial hair to her own and the one who adds it for her, and the tattooed
woman and the tattoer woman."
Although the Sharia'a allows the woman
to apply make up and display her beauty to her Mahrams like her brother, father,
husband and others, she is still forbidden from applying make-up outdoors except
for the type of make up which is in any way allowed in Muslim society.
Therefore, if a woman is about to go out, she should remember that she is not
going out to display her beauty or to attract men's attention but to attend to
life's necessities like shopping etc.
These are the Judgements of Awrah, and
of the woman's garments (Khimar and Jilbab), and also that of Tabarruj (dazzling
display). If there were a dress which covers the woman's Awrah, it does not mean
that it is automatically allowed for her to wear it outdoors, because the
Sharia'a has determined the type of garment that the woman is allowed to wear
outdoors. Trousers for instance are not suitable for a woman to wear in public
despite the fact that they perfectly cover the Awrah. If a woman goes out
wearing trousers, then according to the texts of Sharia'a she is sinful, simply
because she ignored one of her duties. That is why we are strongly advised not
to confuse the issue of what the women should wear in public with that of
covering the Awrah or with that of Tabarruj.
Trousers, even if they are not
transparent, a woman should not wear them before strange men, Muslims or not,
for when she wears them she is in fact displaying her beauty and this is
Tabarruj, and Tabarruj is forbidden (haram).
So all items of wear like trousers and
wigs and hats which the Sharia'a has not determined and deemed as fit to be worn
in public are forbidden even if such items do cover the woman's Awrah. This
means that the Muslim woman should not wear items of clothing which would cover
her Awrah but leaves her displaying her beauty or looking like men or looking
like unbelievers.