Muslim Women's Dress in Accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah

Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be
upon His Messenger and upon his honorable
companions and those who have followed his
example with piety.
This paper has been prepared in response to a
deterioration in the condition of Muslim
women of this day and age, which is a
consequence of the misconception that how a
woman dresses is of little importance, as long
as she performs her obligatory acts of
worship. This misconception is not restricted
to Muslim women in the West, but
unfortunately is shared by many of their
sisters in the East.
In the Glorious Qur'an we are told:
And let there arise out of you a nation inviting
to what is good, enjoining what is right and
forbidding what is wrong. Those are the ones
who are successful. Qur'an 3:104
Abu S'aed al-Khudri relates that he heard the
Prophet (saws) say:
He of you who sees something wrong should
correct it with his hand; if he is unable to do
that he should condemn it with his tongue; if
he is unable to do that he should at least
resent it in his heart, and this is the lowest
degree of faith.Muslim
It is clear that we must draw the attention of
our Muslim sisters to the importance of
wearing Islamic dress. This is not imposed
upon us by the mere opinion of a scholar or a
sheik. It is a Divine Command, and is
necessarily in the best interest of the society
of every age and place. In this we stand
opposed to the opinion of some "modernists",
who maintain that those living in a western
society are justified in adapting to its norms
and morals.
We believe that our religion is that which has
been transmitted to us through the Prophet
Mohammed (saws), his companions and our
pious predecessors. A careful study of relevant
Qur'anic ayat (verses) and Hadith (Prophetic
traditions), along with the works of our pious
predecessors, will reveal a strict emphasis on
the need for women to observe modesty in
their dress when they appear in public, by
covering all of their bodies and any ornaments
or other means of beautification they might
wear.
Allah the Exalted says in Surat an-Noor, ayah
31:
And tell the believing women to lower their
gaze and guard their private parts and not
show of their adornment except only that
which is apparent, and draw their veils over
their (necks and) bosoms and not reveal their
adornment except to their husbands, their
fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons,
their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their
brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their
women, or their slaves, or male servants who
lack vigor, or small children who have no
knowledge of women's private parts. And let
them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what
they hide of their adornment. And turn you all
to Allah in repentance, O believers, that you
may be successful.
And He says in Surat al-Ahzab, ayah 59:
Oh Prophet, tell your wives and your
daughters and the women of the believers to
draw their outer garments close around them.
That will be better, that they may be known
and so not be bothered. And Allah is oft-
forgiving, most merciful.
From these two ayat of the Noble Qur'an and
from the authentic sources of guidance
provided for us, we can derive the following
principles of proper dress and adornment for
Muslim women:
1. The outer garment worn in public must
cover all of the body except the face and
hands.
Surat an-Noor, ayah 31 (quoted above)
contains a clear command that a woman's
natural beauty and her adornment are to be
concealed from strangers, except that which
might show unintentionally (i.e. parts of the
dress or ornaments) or which show as a
matter of course because it is not prohibited
that they be shown (i.e. the face and the
hands).
Abu Dawud narrated that 'A'ishah said:
Asma came to see the Messenger of Allah
(saws). She was wearing a thin dress; the
Prophet (saws) turned away from her and said
to her: "O Asma, once a woman reaches the
age of puberty no part of her body should be
uncovered except her face and hands."
It should be noted that the Arabic word
khumur (plural of khimaar) which has been
translated above in the ayah from Surat an-
Noor as veils, means head covers, not face
veils, as may mistakenly be supposed. It refers
to a cloth which covers all of the hair.
Furthermore, the word juyoob (plural of jaib),
also found in the ayah of Surat an-Noor, refers
not only to the bosom, as is commonly
thought, but also to the neck.
Qurtubi, an eminent mufassir (Qur'an
commentator), stated:
Women in those days used to cover their
heads with the khimaar, throwing its ends on
their backs. This left the neck and the upper
part of the chest bare, along with the ears, in
the manner of the Christians. Then Allah
commanded them to cover those parts with
the khimaar.
"And let them not stamp their feet so as to
reveal what they hide of their adornment."
Women in the time of the Prophet (saws) used
to wear anklets, which they could employ to
attract attention by stamping their feet,
making the anklets tinkle together. This
practice was now forbidden, but even more
important for us, these words make it
absolutely clear that the legs and ankles are
to be covered.
Bin 'Umar narrated
Let them lower their gaze Prophet (saws)
said: "On the Day of Judgment Allah will not
look upon one who trails his garment along
out of pride." Um Salamah then asked: "What
should women do with their garments?" The
Prophet (saws) said: "They may lower them a
hand span." She said: "Their feet would still
be uncovered." The Prophet (saws) said: then
lower them a forearm's length, but no more."
Tirmithi
The ayah from Surat an-Noor quoted above
gives us specific and detailed information
about what a Muslim woman should be sure
to cover when she is in the company of
strangers, and it gives a detailed list of those
with whom she is permitted to be less
inhibited. The ayah quoted from Surat al-
Ahzab further directs Muslim women to put
some outer garment over their clothes, and to
draw it close around them.
Abu Dawud related that after this ayah was
revealed the women of the Ansar appeared like
crows (because of the black cloaks which they
wore).
Some outer garment, whether a cloak or a
coat, must be worn by a Muslim woman when
she is in public, and even when she is in her
own house or that of a close relative, if she is
in the presence of strangers.
It was mentioned above that the face need not
be covered. If, however, the woman is wearing
make-up, she should cover her face, since the
make-up is adornment beyond what is
permitted.
Similarly, she should cover her hands if she is
wearing nail polish or some other decoration
or ornament. Furthermore, although it is
permissible to leave the face uncovered in the
presence of strangers, it is praiseworthy to
cover it, as that was the practice of the wives
of the Prophet (saws) according to authentic
Hadith.
2. The outer garment must not be decorative
itself or a means of beautification.
When Allah commands women not to reveal
their beauty, He means both the natural
beauty, with which He has endowed them, and
all means which they might employ to
enhance that beauty. Clearly, the garment
which is used to screen the woman's beauty
and her adornment from public view should
not itself be a thing of beauty.
Fudalah Ibn 'Ubaid reported that the Prophet
(saws) said:
There are three people that you should not
concern yourself about: a man who parted
from the Jama'ah and disobeyed his imam
and died in that state; a slave who ran away
from his master and died without returning; a
woman whose husband departed from her
after providing for her worldly needs and who
then beautified (tabarrajat) herself in his
absence. Do not worry about any of them."
Ahmad
The word tabarraja means not only to beautify
oneself, or to make oneself pretty, but also to
display oneself, to play up one's charms for
the purpose of exciting desire. Imam Adh-
Dhahabi said in his book Kitaab al-Kabaair
(The Book of the Great Sins): "Of the deeds
woman is cursed for are displaying the
ornaments which she is wearing, wearing
perfume when going out, and wearing colorful
clothes and silky short cloaks."
The verb tabarraja includes all of these
actions. Tabarruj is so abhorrent that it is
associated with shirk, fornication, stealing,
and other sins.
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said:
A woman came to the Messenger of Allah
(saws) to give her pledge for Islam. He said: "I
accept your pledge that you will not associate
partners with Allah, nor steal, nor fornicate,
nor kill your child, nor commit a sin between
your arms and legs, nor wail over the dead,
nor beautify and display yourself (tatabarraji)
after the fashion of the pre-Islamic days."
Ahmad
3. The outer garment must be thick and
opaque so as to conceal the clothes worn
under it, and loose so as to conceal the
woman's form.
Proper covering cannot be achieved by
wearing tight or transparent apparel.
The Prophet (saws) said:
"There will be, in the last days of my Ummah
(nation), women who are dressed and
undressed. Curse them: they are accursed."
Al-Tabarani
Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet (saws)
referred to:
...women who are naked even though they are
wearing clothes, go astray and make others go
astray, and they will not enter paradise nor
smell its fragrance, although it can be smelled
from afar.
At Tabarani
The "dressed and yet undressed" women are
those who wear transparent or very tight
clothes, or clothes which are cut in such a
way that they expose the body. Such clothes
reveal more than they conceal.
The Prophet (saws) said:
Belief and the sense of shame are tied
together; if one is lost the other is lost."
Al-Hakim
It should be noted that a woman should wear
a loose over-garment for offering prayer. It
should cover her whole body (as far as going
out) and should be such that it conceals the
shape of her arms and legs, as well as that of
the rest of her body.
4. Muslim women are not to wear perfume in
public.
Abu Musa narrated that the Prophet (saws)
said:
Any woman who wears perfume and passes by
some people who smell her perfume is like one
who commits fornication.
Abu Hurairah said that:
A woman passed by him smelling strongly of
scent. He called to her: "O slave of the
powerful, are you going to the mosque?" She
said that she was. He said: "Go back and
wash it off. I heard the Messenger of Allah
(saws) say: 'Any woman who goes to the
mosque wearing perfume will not have her
prayer accepted by Allah; first she should go
back home and have a bath [to wash it off].'"
It is inappropriate for a woman to wear
perfume in the mosque, where people are
attending to the worship of Allah (swt); how
much more inappropriate it is that she should
wear scent elsewhere, where people are more
liable to distraction. Scent attracts attention
to a woman and may thereby stimulate sexual
desires; this is improper in the marketplace
and mosque.
5. The clothes of Muslim women should not
resemble men's clothes.
Abu Hurairah said that:
The Messenger of Allah (saws) cursed the man
who wears women's clothes and the woman
who wears men's clothes.
Ibn Umar said that he heard the Messenger of
Allah (saws) say:
He is not of us who imitates women nor is he
of us who imitates men."
Al Hakim
Abdullah Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet
(saws) said:
Three people will not enter paradise, and Allah
will not look at them on the day of Judgment:
the one who is disobedient to his parents, the
woman who imitates men and the ad-
dayooth.
Ahmad
Ad-dayooth is the man who permits women
for whom he is responsible to engage in illicit
sexual relations, or to display their beauty to
strange men, thereby stimulating their sexual
desires.
6. The clothes of Muslim women should not
resemble those of the disbelievers.
In Surat al-Hadeed, ayah 16 we are told:
Has not the time come for those who believe
to submit their hearts to Allah's reminder and
to that which has been revealed of the truth,
and not become as those who received the
scriptures before and for whom the term was
prolonged so their hearts grew hard? And
many of them are rebellious transgressors.
Those who refuse to submit to Allah's
commands are rebels against Him, and they
are permitted to continue in their rebellion
until their hearts become hard.
The ayah and Hadeeth quoted above serve as
a double warning to us: we must take care to
heed Allah's commands, revealed to us
through the Qur'an and the Sunnah of His
Messenger (saws), lest we suffer the fate of
the recipients of previous revelations; we
should also shun the way of life of any
believing people. If we adopt what is theirs, we
partake also of the quality of their hearts.
We pray to Allah to safeguard us from that,
lest we become like them.
Given the condition of the disbeliever's' hearts,
it is not surprising to find that much of their
clothing, particularly that of women, is
unsuitable for Muslims. It is designed to be
attractive in itself and to enhance and attract
attention to women's natural beauty.
7. The clothing of Muslim women should not
be ostentatious.
Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah
(saws) said:
He who dresses for ostentation in this world,
Allah will dress him in a dress of humiliation
on the Day of Judgment and set it on fire.
Abu Dawud
By following the seven principles above, In'sh
Allah a woman will satisfy all the necessary
requirements for proper Islamic dress. It
should be noted that some of these principles
also apply to men's dress, and clearly some
would apply not only to what a woman wears
in public, but also to what she wears in the
privacy of her own home or in the homes of he
relatives or her Muslim sisters.
There are, however, some additional
prohibitions regarding personal appearance of
which our Muslim sisters should be aware.
These prohibitions have to do with changes
made to the appearance which are regarded
as unacceptable alterations to Allah's
creation, namely wearing wigs, plucking facial
hair, filing teeth and getting tattoos.
Asma related that:
A woman asked the Prophet (saws):
"Messenger of Allah, my daughter had
smallpox, and as a result her hair fall out. She
has recently been married; can I get her a
wig?" He answered: " Allah has cursed the
maker and wearer of a wig."
Abdullah said that Allah (swt) has cursed
tattooers and those who are tattooed, and
those women who have their teeth filed for
beauty and those who have their hair plucked
and thus alter Allah's creation.
A woman asked him: "What is all this?" He
replied: "Should I not curse one whom Allah's
Messenger has cursed? And it is in the Book
of Allah." She said: I read the Qur'an from
cover to cover but did not find that in it. "He
said: If you had read it thoroughly you would
have found it. Allah says "Whatever Allah's
Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he
has forbidden, refrain from it
Qur'an 69: 7
(Muslim)
This Hadeeth is particularly significant for us,
because it not only informs us of something
which the Prophet (saws) found hateful, it
also makes it perfectly clear that, in matters
of religion, the commands of the Prophet
(saws) are as binding on us as the commands
of Allah (swt).
In obeying Allah and his Messenger (saws) we
can hope to be of those who are successful,
tasting of the fruits of Paradise. If however, we
should disobey Allah (swt) and do things
prohibited by Him (and we seek refuge with
him from that) then we will taste His wrath; in
the case of a woman who does something
forbidden by Allah (swt) or his Messenger
(saws), she and her husband or guardian who
permitted her to do the forbidden thing are
cursed by Allah (swt). We are advised in the
Qur'an to:
".....ward off from yourselves and your families
a fire whereof the fuel is men and
stones..."Qur'an 66:6
The Prophet (saws) said:
All of you are guardians. The man is a
guardian of and is responsible for his
womenfolk on the day of Judgment.
May Allah (swt) open our hearts to guidance,
strengthen us that we may be obedient to Him
and His Messenger (saws) and save us from
the punishment of hell fire.
Allah is most Knowledgeable and all praise
belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
Zeenah means literally adornment, but it
should be understood in this context as
referring to both that with which women are
adorned by Allah (i.e. the features of their
natural beauty) and that with which they
adorn themselves (i.e. their ornaments, make-
up, etc.).
Since nail polish prevents the water of wudu
from reaching the nails, its use should really
be altogether discouraged.