A summary of The Islamic
rulings regarding Women's dress: According to the Qur'an and Sunnah
About the author: Abu Bilal Mustafa Al-Kanadi was born in Italy on July 4,
1950. At his 4 he immigrated with his family to the Lakes District of northern British
Columbia. In 1965 his family moved to Vancouver BC where he completed his
secondary education. In 1968 he embarked in the BA program at the University of
British Columbia, and he graduated in 1972 from the faculty of Arts with a
major in English Literature. During his final semester at S.F.U., he embraced
Islam.
Afterwards, in quest of Islamic education he traveled to Makkah during
Ramadan of 1976 and performed Haj and entered the Arabic Language Institute at
Umm Al-Qura University and completed the language program in two and a half
years. In 1983 he graduated with honors in the field of Qur'anic and Hadeeth
Sciences. In May 1989, he obtained a Master's Degree in Qur'anic Sciences from
the same university. A few weeks later he passed away at the age of 39. During
his short span of life he wrote a number of treatises on various topics and was
actively engaged in writing, translating and Dawah work. To make a human
judgment, his premature death apparently seems to be a great loss for the
Muslim Ummah. But we must submit to the Grand Design of Allah. Summary of the
book: The writer, at the outset of the treatise, gives a precious introduction
where he deplores the fact that some Muslims have become lax in wearing dress
and in the mutual relationship between man and woman. It is because of the
blind imitation of the western life-style infiltrated in the Muslim countries.
Against the western perverted culture the writer suggests us emulate 'Hishmah'
which designates modesty, decency, honor, purity and chastity. In fact the
paper is confined to an exposition of the Islamic dress code for the women. The
paper is richly documented with the verses from the Holy Qur'an and the
authentic Sunnah as well as the "dependable" views of the classical
scholars.
Firstly the writer refers to the verses 24:30-31 that
epitomizes the Islamic position of modesty and decency as far as the
relationship between man and woman is concerned. The verses state:"Tell (
O Mohammad!) the believing men to lower their gaze and to guard their modesty.
That is purer for them. Verily Allah is acquainted with all that they do.
And
tell (O Mohammad!) the believing women to lower their gaze and to guard their
modesty, and not to display their adornments, except that which ordinarily
appears thereof, and to draw their head veils over their necks and bosoms, and
not to reveal their adornments except to their own husbands, or their fathers,
or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their
brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or
their slaves, or male attendants free of physical desire, or small children who
have no sense of women's nakedness. Let them not stamp their feet so as to
reveal what they conceal of their hidden ornaments. And turn unto Allah
altogether, O you Believers; in order that you may attain success."
The
phrase "not to display their (women's) adornments, except that which
ordinarily appears thereof" is a matter of interpretation and it is
because of the differences in the interpretation that the scholars give diverse
opinions to the extent to which a woman should cover her physical appearance.
And in this respect the writer mentions the various interpretations of the
classical scholars: The Companion Ibn Mas'ood says that the "appearance of
adornments" means woman's clothes and Ibn Jubair says it is her face.
According to Sa'eed bin Jubair, Ata'a and Al-Awzaa'i the phrase means "The
face, the two hands and the garments".
The Companions Ibn Abbas, Qatadaah,
and Al-Miswar bin Makhramah says, "By this phrase is meant the
wearing of Kuhl (a black material powder used for darkening the eyelids or for
medical purposes), bracelets, hand dye… and other things of that nature, which
are permitted for a woman to wear and for others to see displayed on her."
A famous interpreter of the Holy Qur'an Al-Imam At-Tabari
concludes, "The most correct of these sayings is that which states
that the intended meaning is the face and the two hands. This is because there
is agreement between this view and the others in which are mentioned Kuhl,
rings, bracelets and hand dye. Indeed all of these latter things must
necessarily appear on the face or on the two hands. We say that this is the
most correct of the mentioned opinions because all of the scholars agree that
every person must cover his/her awrah during salaah and that a woman is allowed
to uncover her face and hands while praying (no matter even if 'strangers' see
her while praying in this state); but she must cover other than these of two
areas….
Thus if there is unanimous agreement between the Ulama regarding this
matter, it is obvious that a woman may display of her body that which is not
awrah, as is the case with a man; because it is not forbidden to display what
is not awrah. Consequently since the woman is allowed to display the face and
hands, it is obvious that this is the exception made by Allah, the Exalted in
His saying: 'except that which ordinarily appears thereof'; because these are
precisely the parts which appear exposed on the woman." (Quoted from
Jami'I-Bayaan 'an Ta-weelil-Qur'an, vol. 18, pp. 118-119; published by Mustafa
Al-Baabi Al-Halabi, Cairo, 1968.)
There is another opinion regarding this
matter. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and a number of Shaafi'ee scholars are the
proponent of this view. What they understood by the phrase "except that
which ordinarily appears thereof" is as follows: The woman can't display
any of her adornments whether natural or acquired like her jewelry, eye-show
etc. But if it appears accidentally, she will be exempted from the blame.
According to them a woman must try always to cover her body in front of a male
stranger. However, a minority of the jurists conceive such view and it is also
"not supported by the authentic narration of the Sunnah.
Furthermore, it
is in contradiction to the view held by the vast majority of the Islamic
scholars." Imam Qurtubi says in this regard, "…since the face and
hands are by habit and during worship (her salaah and her performance of hajj
and Umrah) most often ordinarily displayed, it is most reasonable and befitting
that what is meant by the exception to the rule mentioned in the phrase except
that which ordinarily appears thereof is precisely the face and hands."
The following prophetic tradition will make the matter clear.
"Aishah (R.)
reported that Asmaa, her sister, entered into the presence of the Prophet
(SAWS) wearing thin transparent clothing. So the Messenger (SAWS) turned away
from her saying: O Asmaa' if a woman reaches the age of menstruation it is not
allowed that any of her body should be seen except this and he pointed to his
face and two hands." (Quoted from Al-Qurtubi's Al-Jaami fi Ahkaamil
Qur'an) The second Quranic verse that the writer discusses in regard to the
topic is as follows: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and
the women-folk of the Believers to draw their outer garments about themselves
(when they go abroad). That is better, so that they may be recognized and not
molested. And Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful." (Surah Ahzaab; verse
59)
There remain different opinions regarding the meaning of the Quranic word
of the verse mentioned above "Jalaabeeb" ("outer
garments"). Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer mentions in his famous Tafseer that an
outer garment is in effect the "rida'a" (a large piece of cloth; much
larger than the ladies' usual headpiece). This is the view of the Companion Ibn
Mas'ood and a number of Taa'been scholars like Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Qataadah,
Ibraheem An-Nakha'I, Ata'a and others.
In fact the purpose of the outer garment
is to better cover the women's regular casual housedress which is normally not
sufficient for wearing out in public. The four famous schools of jurisprudence
are basically divided into two opinions regarding the contention which part of
the woman's body must be covered. The Maaliki and Hanafi are on the view that
she can expose her face and hands to male strangers. On the contrary the
Hanbali and the Shaafi'ee opine that a woman should cover the whole of her body
including face and hands before male strangers. However, the former opinion
(that of Maaliki and Hanafi) seems to be stronger according to the Hadeethes
mentioned below: Jaabir bin Abdullah said: I attended prayer on Eid day with
the Prophet (SAWS).
He commenced with the prayer, before the sermon, without
any Adhaan or Iqaamah. Then he rose, leaning on Bilal and addressing those
before him, commanded them to fear Allah and exhorted them to obey Him. He
further admonished and warned them. Then he moved on until he came to the woman
whom he addressed saying: "Give charity, for verily most of you are fuel
of the hell-fire of Jahannam, whereupon there rose from the middle ladies'
congregation, a dark-cheeked woman who said: "Why is that, O Messenger of
Allah"? He replied: " Because you women make too many complaints, and
you refuse to acknowledge your husbands' good treatment." Upon hearing
this, the women began tossing their jewelry in charity upon Bilal's outspread
cloth. (An authentic Hadeeth reported by Muslim, Nasaa'i and others). Ibn Abbas
reported that a woman came to the Messenger (SAWS) on the day of sacrifice,
during his farewell hajj, seeking a religious verdict from him.
Al-Fadl bin
Abbas, a handsome man was Prophet's riding partner at the time…and he began to
glance at the woman-, as she was beautiful-and she was too glancing at him. So
Allah's Messenger (SAWS) upon seeing this grasped Al-Fadl's chin and turned his
face in the other direction. In another narration Al-Abbas (Prophet's uncle)
later asked him: O Messenger of Allah, why did you turn the neck of your cousin
(i.e. Al-Fadl)? The Prophet's reply was: "I saw a young man and woman in
such a situation that I feared what effect Shaitan might have upon them. (An
authentic Hadeeth reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and other compilers of
prophetic traditions). In the first Hadeeth we have a proof that women used to
keep their face open.
Otherwise the narrator could not describe the woman as
dark-cheeked. As regards the second Hadeeth, the woman's face is described as
beautiful. If face were to be covered and hidden from view, the Prophet (SAWS)
would not have allowed the woman to appear before him and the other men without
veiling her face. (Face includes the forehead vertically down to the chin
inclusive. Horizontally, it extends from ear to ear, not including them: for the
ears are part of head, not the face. Thus the hair, ears, and neck are not part
of face. The hands up to the wrist point not including the protruding wrist
bone.) In fact the purpose of the Sunnah is to clarify the Qur'an and so it has
specified the matter of covering of the body of woman which appears ambiguous
in the Qur'an.
"Finally, the fact that the vast majority of reputed
scholars of this Islamic Ummah-from the earliest times up to the present-have
been of the view which allows a woman to display only her face and two hands;
this too is weighted evidence for its correctness and preference in regard to
this issue." "The position we have taken is correctly proven balanced
view, for it avoids the excessive fanaticism committed by some and the unfortunate
inadequacy advocated by others. Excess is committed by those who stubbornly
insist on the woman's whole body being covered, from head to toe, at all times.
Inadequacy is the lot of those who claim that a woman can display more than her
face and hands; e.g. the forearms, forelocks, ears, feet, etc.
" Seven
Conditions for the Acceptability of Hijaab: In way of conclusion the author
defines some conditions to be fulfilled when pursuing Hijaab. And he is not
dogmatic in the actuality of this numeration. Some may differ with him keeping
the spirit of Islam intact. In fact Hijaab is a comprehensive term that implies
the covering of woman's body, concealing her adornments and it also indicates
the rules and etiquette that govern her behavior in relation to the opposite
sex.
The first condition: A woman's clothing must cover her entire body
excluding her face and two hands. This is the foundation of Hijaab and without
which the following conditions are "invalid and useless." Her
clothing must not be so thin or delicate as to display the form, color, or skin
of her body underneath it. Otherwise it will simply tempt and mislead the male
strangers. The Prophet (SAWS) says in this regard, " There will be
found amongst the latter day my people of my nation (Muslims), women who are
dressed, but in reality naked (displaying skin color and the form of the body),
their hair will be rolled in a bun at the tops of their heads like the camel's
hump; curse them, for verily they are cursed." (Related by
Al-Tabaarani with an authentic chain of transmitters.) The clothing must be
sufficiently loose so that the size and the shape of her body are not
displayed. And otherwise it will simply be an invitation of immorality in the
name of wearing dress. The Hadeeth mentioned below clarifies the matter.
"Usaama bin Zaid said: Allah's Messenger (SAWS) gave me a gift of
thick Coptian cloth which he had previously received as a gift from Dahiah
Al-Kalby, so I gave it to my wife to use for her clothing.
The Prophet (SAWS)
later asked me: 'What is with you that you don't wear the Coptian cloth?' I
replied I gave it to my wife to wear. The Prophet (SAWS) then said: "Order
her to wear a gown under the Captian cloth, for verily I fear that it might
reveal the size and shape of her body parts." (Ahmad, Al-Bayhaqi and
Al-Haakim). A woman's cloth must not resemble a man's cloth. There is no
concept of unisex garments in Islam. The following two Prophetic traditions
make it clear. One Hadeeth is that Abu Hurairah (R) said: "Allah's
Messenger (SAWS) cursed the man who wears attire which resembles women's
clothing, and he cursed the woman who wears garments resembling men's
clothing." (Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah and others).
The other Hadeeth is
related by Abdullah bin Amr and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah
saying: "Women who resemble men are not of us (Muslims) nor are the
men who resemble women of us." (Imam Ahmad and Al-Tabaraani). A
woman's garments must not have bold decorative patterns and designs because
such captivating dress invites the attention of man to the woman wearing it.
Allah says, "And let the women not display their adornments."
Her dress must not resemble the clothes normally worn by the non-believing
women. Abdullah bin Amr Ibnul Aas said:
The Messenger of Allah saw me wearing
two portions of a reddish cloth dyed with safflower so he
said: "Verily these are the clothes of the disbeliever, so do not
wear them." (Muslim and Ahmad). And Abdullah bin Umar relates that
the Messenger (SAWS) said:"Whosoever resembles a people (other than Muslims)
he is one of them." (Ahmad and Abu Dawood). The last one is that a
Muslim woman's dress must not be ostentatious or showy due to pride or
worldliness, to gain high reputation before people. The Prophet (SAWS)
said: "Whosoever wear ostentatious dress in this worldly life, Allah
will clothe him/ her in a dress of humiliation and disgrace in the Day of
Resurrection; then He will kindle it with fire." (Abu Dawood and Ibn
Maajah).
In the conclusion of his paper the writer mentions a Quranic verse
from the Surah Al-Ahjaab where Allah says: "And let not the
womenfolk appear in the manner of the times of Ignorance."It is unbecoming
of the Muslims to resemble the people of darkness, disbelief, and ignorance
after Allah (SWT) has taken them out of darkness, disbelief, and ignorance. So
a Muslim woman should guard her modesty and conceal her private adornments from
all those who are forbidden to see them. And she can achieve Allah's pleasure
in this life and the eternal blissful life in the Hereafter.