The M u s lim W o m a n s Dress

According to
the Quran and Sunnah

Compiled by
Dr. Jamal A. Badawi

Ministry of Awqaf & Islam ic A ffairs

Kuwait

THE MUSLIM W OMAN'S DRESS

According to
the Qur'an and Sunnah

Compiled by
Dr. Jamal A. Badawi

M inistry of Awqaf & Islam ic A ffairs

Kuwait
T h is p a p er is based on M u h a m m a d N a s iru d d in A l- A lb a n i's H ija b u l- M a r a t - ilM u s lim a h F it K it a b W a s s u n n a h . 3 rd P rin tin g , A I- M a k ta b - u l-ls la m i, B e iru t, Leb an o n

1 3 8 9 A H. ( 1 9 6 9 ) .
O th e r so u rce s checked in clu d e " t a f s ir " of th e Q u r'a n in c lu d in g th o se by Ib n -K a th ir.
Y u su f A ll. a nd Sayyid Q utb; a u th o ritie s n Fiqh in c lu d in g S ayyid S a b iq 's F iq h -u s s u n n a h and Y u s u f A l-Q a ra d a w i's A l- H a la l W a lh a ra m F il-ls /a m . a nd a re fe re n ce on
H a dith from M is h k a t- u l-M a s o b e e h .

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TABLE OF C O N TE N TS

In tro d u c tio n ...................................................................................................

R equirem ents in D r e s s ...............................................................................

1.

Extent of Covering ......................................................................

2.

L o o s e n e s s .......................................................................................

3.

T h ic k n e s s .......................................................................................

4.

O verall A p p e a ra n c e .....................................................................

R equirem ents of M u s lim M e n 's C lothing ............................................. 10

C o n c lu s io n ..................................................................................................... 11
M ajor R e fe re n c e s ......................................................................................... 11

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IN T R O D U C T IO N

To some as a subject the M u slim w o m e n 's dress m ay sound trivial.

The shari'a h, how ever, assigns it m oral, social, and legal dim ensions.
One basic requ ire m e n t to be a true believer according to the Q ur'an
is to make one's opinions, feelings, and in clin a tio n s subservient to
w hate ve r A lla h and his M essenger have decided:
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It is not b e fittin g fo r a believer, man or w om an, w h e n a m atter

has been decided by A lla h and His Apostle, to have any option
about th e ir decision: if any one disobeys A lla h and His Apostle,
he is indeed on a clearly w rong path.
S u ra t-u l-A h z a b (33) 36
Placing, therefore, one's personal opinions, feelings, or
inclin a tio n s above or at the same level as the com m andm ents of
A lla h is th e u ltim a te of hum an price and vanity. This means, in effect,
that a m ortal is responding to A lla h 's g u id a n c e saying: "O my creator!
Y our Law is Your O w n opinion. I nave my ow n opinion, and I know
best w h a t is good for m e . This attitude is b e fittin g fo r unbelievers
and hypocrites, but not for a believer no m atter how im perfect (all
are!) one may be in im plem enting Islam in one's life.2
The exposition of tru th in an honest and straight forw ard w a y may
th u s cause some unease even to good and sincere M uslim s. It may
seem safer and diplom atic to avoid the issue altogether, or to present
it in a diluted and vague way. It is even safer and m ore d ip lo m a tic' to
A d is tin c tio n sh o u ld be m ade be tw e en , a )th e acceptance o f A lla h 's w o rd as tru e and
suprem e in its e lf w h ile n o t succeeding to im p le m e n t it fu lly in o n e 's life h o p ing and
try in g to reach th a t goal, a nd b) reg a rd in g one's o w n o p in io n s or o th e r social va lues and
p re ssu re s as m ore v a lid th a n A lla h 's in ju n c tio n s a nd try in g to fin d v a rio u s excuses to
ju s tify o n e 's bre a kin g of th e la w o f A lla h It is th e la tte r a ttitu d e w h ic h is n o t only
b la m e w o rth y b u t a k in to u n b elief.

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explicitly or im p lic itly condone each o th e rs' infractions, to help

each oth e r fin d excuses and to rationalize o u r disobedience to A llah
subhanahu w a ta 'a la . This a ttitu d e is ne ith e r new nor it is w ith o u t
consequences. As the Q u r'a n presents it:

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Curses w e re pronounced on those am ong the children of Israel

w h o rejected fa ith , by th e tongue of Dawood [David] and of Esa
[Jesus] the son of M ary: because they disoebeyed and persisted
in excesses.
Nor did they (usually) forbid one another the in iq u itie s w h ich
they com m itted: evil indeed w ere the deeds w h ich they did.
S u ra t-u l-M a 'id a h (5) 81 -82

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R E Q U IR E M E N T S IN DR ESS

THE FIR S T R E Q U IR E M E N T : E x te n t o f C o ve rin g

The dress m ust cover th e w h o le body except for the areas
specifically exempted. The Q ur'an states:

Say to the believing men that they should low er th e ir gaze and
guard th e ir modesty: that w ill make for greater p u rity for them:
And A lla h is w e ll acquainted w ith all th a t they do.
And say to the believing w om en that they should low er th e ir
gaze and and guard th e ir modesty; th a t they should not display
th e ir beauty and orn a m e n ts except w h a t (m ust ordinarily)
appear thereof; th a t th e y should d ra w th e ir veils over their
bosoms and not display th e ir beauty except to th e ir husbands,
th e ir fathers, th e ir husbands' fathers, th e ir sons, th e ir
husbands' sons,their brothers or th e ir b rothers' sons, or th e ir
sisters' sons, or th e ir w om en, or the slaves w hom th e ir rig h t
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hands possess, or m ale servants free of physical needs, or sm all

ch ild re n w h o have no sense of th e sham e of sex; and that they
should not strike th e ir feet in order to d ra w a tte n tio n to th e ir
hidden ornam ents. And O you believers! Turn all to w a rd A lla h
tha t you may atta in bliss.
S u ra t- u n - N u r (24) 30-31
These ayahs contain, am ong other thing, tw o mam injunctions:
1 A M u s lim w o m a n should not display her beauty and
adornm ent (zeenah) except for that w h ic h m ust o rd in a rily appear of
it 3 (ma dhahara m inha), or that w h ic h is a p p a re n t."4
The w o rd z e e n a h 6 lends itse lf to tw o related m eanings: a) natural
or bodily beauty,6 and, b) acquired adornm ent such as rings,
bracelets, and clothes.
The part of zeenah, exem pted from the above in ju n ctio n , w as
interpreted in tw o ways:
a. The face and the hands. This is th e in te rp re ta tio n of the
m ajority of the ju ris ts , past and p resent.7 This in te rp re ta tio n is
confirm ed by ijm a ' (consensus) that a M u s lim w om an is allow ed by
Islam to uncover her face and hands d u rin g pilgrim age and even
durin g the prayers, w h ile th e rest of her body is regarded as 'a w ra h
(that w h ic h should be covered).8 This in te rp re ta tio n is based on the
a u th o rity of Prophet M u h am m ad (A lla h 's blessing be upon him),
especially th e h a d ith in w h ic h he says:
" . . . If the w o m a n reaches the age of puberty. No (part of her
body) should be seen but th is and he pointed to his face and
ha n d s."
b. W h a te v e r a p pears of the w o m a n s body o w in g to
uncon tro lla b le factors such as the b lo w in g of the w ind, or out of
*YuSUf Ali. op. Cit. p 904
JM .M P ic k ih a ll. The M e a n in g o f ih e G lo rio u s K o ra n , p 2 5
-A cco rd in g t o L is a n - u l- V4/-a/>;0ictionary of A ra b ic language), t h e te rm z e e n a h in clu d e s
" a ll th a t w h ic h b e a u tifie s ." q u o te d in (M rs ! N e 'm a t Sidqy. A t- J a b a rru j. 1 7 th P rin tin g .
D a r-u M 'tis a m . Egypt. 1 9 7 5 pp 20-21
6The te rm z e e n a h is used in th e Q u r an to refer to c h ild re n , w e a lth , and n a tu ra l beauty
in A lla h 's c re a tio n See e xam ple Q u r'a n 17.47. 16 8. 3 7 6 a nd 3 14
T h is is th e in te rp re ta tio n o f M a lik. A s h -S h a fi'i. A b u H a n ifa a nd a v e rsio n o f A h m a d b.
H anbal S ee A l-A lb a m op c i t . pp 41 4 2 .
*A I-A lb a n i p rovides a m p le e vidence th t the c o ve rin g o f th e face a nd h ands is not
re q u ire d S u ffic e it to say th a t th e w o m a n is a llo w e d to u n co ver h er face and h ands
d u rin g such s p iritu a l acts as th e p ra ye rs and p ilg rim a g e . See pp 2 5 -4 6

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necessity such as the bracelets or even the outer clothes

them selves.9
2. The headcovers (k h u m u r) should be d ra w n over the neck slits
(ju y o o b ). K h u m u r is th e p lu ra l of the A ra b ic w o rd " k h im a r" w h ic h
means a headcover.10 Ju yo o b is the plu ra l of th e A rabic w o rd " ja iy b "
(a derivative o f ja w b or cu ttin g ) refers to the neck s lit (of the dress).
This m eans that th e headcover should be d ra w n so as to cover not
only the hair, but it should also be d ra w n over the neck and to be
extended so as to cover the bosom.
THE S E C O N D R E Q U IR E M E N T : Looseness
The dress m u st be loose enough so as not to describe the shape of a
w om an s body. T his is consistent w ith the in te n t of the 'ayahs cited
above (24: 3 0 -3 1 ) and is su re ly a cru cia l aspect of hiding ze enah.
Even m o d e ra te ly-tig h t clothes w h ich cover the w hole body do
describe the shape of such attractive parts of the w o m a n 's body as
the bustline, th e w aist, th e buttocks, th e back and the thighs. If these
are not part of the na tu ra l beauty or ze e n a h w h a t else is?
Prophet M u h am m ad (pbuh) once received a thick garm ent as a gift.
He gave it to O sam ah b. Zayd, w ho in tu rn gave it to his w ife . W hen
asked by the Prophet w h y he did not w e a r it, O sam ah indicated that
he gave it to his w ife . The Prophet then said to O sam ah ask her to
use a g h o la la h .u x u under it (the garm ent) for I fear that it (the
garm ent) m ay describe th e size of her b o n e s ."11 The w o rd g h o la la h in
A rabic m eans a thick fabric w o rn under the dress to prevent it from
describing the shape of th e body
A h ig h ly desirable w a y of concealing the shape of the body is to
w e a r a cloak over the garm ent. The Prophet (pbuh), however.
'O n e w e a k n e s s w ith th is m o re s trin g e n t in te rp re ta tio n is th a t " u n c o n tro lla b le fa cto rs
a re a u to m a tic a lly fo rg ive n w ith o u t any need fo r s p e cifica tio n T he fact th a t Q u r'a n
24 31 e xem pts fro m a ll " z e e n a h " th a t w h ic h is regarded as "m a d h a h a ra m in h a " is
its e lf a n in d ic a tio n of a co n ce ssion T h is concession is c o n firm e d by th e H a d ith (re la te d
to A sm a" as w ill be seen in th e d is c u s s io n o f th e th ird re q u ire m e n t. See A l-A lb a m ,
I b id . pp. 2 5 -4 6
' A cco rd in g to A l-A lb a m . th is m e a n in g o f " k h irm a r" w a s e xp la in e d in su ch a u th o ritie s
as Ib n -u l-A th e e r's A n - N ih a y a h a n d T a fs e e r u l H a fiz Ib n - K a th ir and o th e rs A l A lb a m
re p o rts th a t he k n o w s of no d iffe re n c e o n th is p o in t See A l-A ib a n i. Ibid, pp 3 3 34
' :T his H a dith appears in M u sn a d A h m a d , also in A l Bayhaqi. a nd is c o n firm e d m o th e r
so u rce s of H a d ith s u ch as S u n a n A b i Daw ood S ee A l-A lb a m . Ibid, p 5 9 -6 3

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indicated th a t if th e w o m a n 's dress m eets the Islam ic standards it

suffices (w ith o u t a cloak) even for the va lid ity of prayers.12
THE T H IR D R E Q U IR E M E N T : Thickness
The dress should be th ick enough so as not to show the color of the
skin it covers, or the shape of the body w h ic h it is supposed to hide.
The purpose o f 'a ya h (24:31) is to hide the M u slim w o m e n 's body
except m a d h a h a ra m in h a (the face and hands). It is obvious that this
purpose cannot be served if th e dress is th in enough so as to reveal
the color of th e skin or the shape or beauty of the body. This is
eloq u e n tly explained by Prophet M u h am m ad (pbuh): "In later
(generations) of my u m m a h th e re w ill be w om en w h o w ill be dressed
but naked. On top of th e ir heads(w hat looks) like cam el hum ps. Curse
them for they are tru ly cursed. In another version he added that they
" w ill not e n te r in to paradise or (even) get a sm ell of it. 13
A t one occasion A sm a ' (daughter of A bu-B akr) w as visitin g her
sister A is h a h ,w ife of th e Prophet. W h e n he noted that A sm a'sd re ss
w as not th ic k enough he turned his face aw ay in anger and said, " If
the w om an reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be
seen, but this, and he pointed to his face and h is h a n d s ."u
THE FOURTH R E Q U IR E M E N T : O ve ra ll A p pearance
The dress should not be such that it attracts m en's a tte n tio n to the
w o m a n 's beauty. The Q u r'a n clearly prescribes the requirem ents of
the w o m a n 's dress for the purpose of concealing z e e n a h
(adornm ent). H ow could such zeenah be concealed if the dress is
designed in a w ay th a t it a ttra cts m en's eyes to the wom an?
This is w h y the Q u r'a n addressing the Prophet s w ives as the
exam ples fo r M u s lim w om en says
y-

^ *

1JSee S ayy'd Sabrq's F iq h u s -S u n n a h . D a r-u l-K ita b -il-'A ra b i. B e iru t. Lebanon, 1969.
vol 1. p 1 27.
,3A i-T a b a ra n i and S a h ih M u s lim See a l-A lb a n i. o p c it , p 56
, :A t a n o th e r occasion w h e n th e Prophet {pbuh} sa w a bride in a th in d re ss he said, "s h e
is not a w o m a n w h o believes in S u ra t-u n -N o o r w h o w e a rs th is. ' S u ra t-u n Noor is the
S u ra h w h e re th e m ain re q u ire m e n ts of the M u s lim w o m a n s dress are o u tlin e d . S till
o n a n o th e r occasion som e w o m e n fro m th e trib e of Bam T am eem cam e to visit
'A ish a h m th in clo th e s. Upon seeing them , th e P rophet (pbuh) said. " I f you are
believers, then these are not believers' clothing ' See Yusuf A l Q aradawi. op cit. p. 160

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"B edizen not yourselves w ith the bedizenm ent of the Tim e of
Ignorance. . . " 15
A d d itio n a l R e q u ire m e n ts '6
In addition to the above four m ain and clearly spelled out
requirem ents, the re are other re q u ire m ents w hose specific
applications m ay vary w ith tim e and location. These include:
1. The dress should not be sim ila r to w h a t is know n as a male
costum e. Ibn A bbas narrated that "T h e Prophet (pbuh) cursed the
men w h o act like w o m e n and the w o m e n w h o act like m e n ."17
2. It should not be s im ila r to w h a t is kn o w n as the costum e of
unbelievers. This requ ire m e n t is derived from the general ru le of
S hari'a h th a t M u s lim s should have th e ir d is tin c t personality and
sh o u ld d iffe re n tia te th e ir p ra c tic e s an d a ppearan ce fro m
u nbe lie ve rs.18
3. It should not be a dress of fame, pride and va n ity Such fame
m ay be sought by w e a rin g an excessively fancy dress as a status
symbol or an excessively ragged dress to gain o th e rs' a d m iration of
one s selflessness. Both m otives are im proper by Islam ic standards.
The Prophet (pbuh) says:
"W h o e ve r w ears a dress of fame in th is w orld, A lla h w ill clothe
him w ith a dress of h u m ilia tio n in the day of resurrection, then
set it a fir e ." 19

'The te rm used in th e Q u r'a n is lo b a r r u j w h ic h m ea n s d isp la yin g o f b e a uty A n o th e r

d e riv a tiv e of la b a r r u j is b u ro o j w h ic h is used in th e Q u r'a n |e q 4 77. 15 16. 2 5 61.
8 5 1) B urooj m e a n s to w e rs b e cause o f th e ir cle a r v is ib ility . C lear V is ib ility " of th e
w o m a n m ay re s u lt fro m th e type of dress, the w a y sh e w a lks, or th e w a y she behaves
'^A cco rd in g to A l-A lb a n i. a fu rth e r re q u ire m e n t is th a t th e d re ss Should n o t be
p e rfu m e d In fact, th is re q u ire m e n t exte nd s beyond d re ss There a re several a h adeeth
w h ic h m ake it c le a rly fo rb id d e n for a M u slim w o m a n to w e a r p e rfu m e s w h e n sh e goes
o u t o f her hom e even if she iS go in g to th e m osque See A l A lb a m . op C 't. pp 6 4 -6 6
A l B u kh a ri. A b u -D a w o o d . A h m a d . A d d a n m i. For th is a nd o th e r a h a de e th o n the
sam e s u b je ct see A l-A ib a m . Ibid, pp 6 6 -6 9
*For a n e x c e lle n t d is c u ssio n of th is p rin cip le on th e basis o f Q u ra n and S u n n a h . see
A l A lb a n i. Ibid, pp 78 109
'For th is and o th e r v e rsio n s o f th e hadeeth see A I-A lb a m . Ibid, pp 110-111

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R E Q U IR E M E N T S OF M U S L IM M E N S C LO T H IN G
It should be noted th a t th e basic requirem ents of the M u slim
w om an s dress apply as w e ll to the M u s lim m an's clothing w ith the
differe n ce being m a in ly in degree. This can best be understood by
looking in to w h a t Islam d e fin e s as 'a w ra h w h ic h refers to the part of
the body that should be covered at all tim es unless there is an
expressed exception The covering of 'a w ra h is also a condition for
the va lid ity of prayers for both men and w om en.
It has been agreed am ong ju ris ts on the basis of the Q ur'a n and
S unnah th a t " a w r a h for the w om an is defined as the w h o le body
except for the face and hands For th e man. the 'a w ra h is defined as
the area betw een th e navel and the knees.20
W ith in the d e fin itio n of 'a w ra h for m en and w om en, a ll the four
basic re q u ire m e n ts discussed in this paper are essentially the same
1. M an should fu lly cover his 'a w ra h .
2. M e n 's clothes should be loose enough so as not to describe
w h a t he is covering (his 'a w ra h ).
3
They sould be thick enough so as not to describe the color of the
skm or the parts required to be covered
4
They should not be designed in a w ay to a ttract attention. The
basic rule of m odesty and avoiding "s h o w o ff" applies to all believers
m en and w om en.
The three other additional requirem ent discussed under the
M u slim w o m a n 's code of dress apply to m en's clothes as w ell:
1. They should not be s im ila r to w h a t is know s as the fem ale
dress.
2. They should not be s im ila r to w h a t could be identified as the
dress of unbelievers.
3. They should not be clothes of fame, pride, and vanity.
In addition to the above lim ita tio n s on the M u slim m an's clothes,
men are not a llo w e d to w e a r silk and gold. This does not apply to
wom en.

^ D iffe re n c e e xists, h o w e ver, am o n g ju ris ts w h e th e r th e kn e e s and th e th ig h s sh o u ld

be in c lu d e d in th e d e fim tiO n o l th e m an's a w r a h For a good d iscu ssio n o n th e
evidence relate d to both vie w s, see Sayyid S abiq's F iq h - u s -S u n n a h . op cit. vol 1. pp
125 127

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C O N C L U S IO N
There are surely m any oth e r issues p e rta in ing to the subjects that
are not covered in th is paper. Its main focus is on the docum ented
in ju n c tio n s of A lla h (subhanahu w at'a la) as derived from His w ord
(the Q u r'a n) and as explained by the chosen M essenger. M uham m ad
(peace be upon him). These in ju n ctio n s are to be com plied w ith by all
M u slim m en and w om en; and in case of transgression, they w ill be
held accountable in the hereafter. T ruly husbands, fathers, and
m others do have an obligation to rem ind, exhort and help each other
achieve the pleasure of A lla h and to avoid His w ra th . In the final
analysis, how ever, it is not coercion or force w h ic h is likely to bring
about obedience to A lla h . It is but. the love of A llah, the acceptance of
His guidance as th e suprem e Truth even if c o n trary to one's personal
opinions, th a t w ill bring about the change.

MAJOR REFERENCES
Al-Q ur'an, Translation of m eanings by A Yusuf A ll and M .M . Pickthall.
A l-H ad ith , as cited.
A l-A lb a n i.

M uham m ad N. H i j a b u l M a r ' a t - i l - M
3rd P rinting, A I-M a k ta b -u l-ls la m i.
1389 A H. (1969).

u s lim a h

Al-Qaradawi, Yusuf. A l - H a
Cairo. 1396 A H. (1976).

M aktabat W ahbah,

W assunah,

la l W a /h a r a m F il- ls la m .

Beirut,

F H - K ita b

Lebanon,

Sabiq. Sayyid, F i q h u s - S u n n a h , 2nd P rinting, D a ru l-K ita b -il-A ra b i,

Beirut, Lebanon. 1392 A H. (1973).

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For Muslim men and women,For believing men and women.

For devout men and women.
For true men and women.
For men and women who are

ir

Patient and constant, for men

And women who humble themselves.
For men and women who give
In charity, for men and women
Who fast (and deny themselves).
For men and women who
Guard their chastity, and
For men and women who
Engage much in God's praise,For them has God prepared
Forgiveness and great reward.

Qur'an. Al Ah/ab 33:35

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