The ruling on a woman wearing a baluto under her jilbab
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
May Allah reward you. This is a message from Yemen. It says: Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. We women in Yemen, when we go out of our homes, wear what is called a baluto, which covers the woman from her neck to below her legs. Then we wear over it what is called a jilbab, which covers the woman from her head to her knees. We cover the face with a niqab, or we let down a part of that jilbab over the face, so that nothing of the woman’s body is visible. With this, the conditions of hijab are fulfilled. The question is: We heard from one of the shaykhs that wearing the baluto is forbidden. Is this correct? And what is required of us if it is forbidden? If we wear the abaya instead of that baluto, it draws the attention of men, and we appear strange among the women. So what is your guidance? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the women who imitate men. Imitation includes imitation in clothing. So if this garment is what men wear, it is not permissible for a woman to wear it. Likewise, what is specific to women is not permissible for a man to wear. The criterion is imitation: the imitation of one gender by the other. The woman is required to cover herself with the clothing specific to women that men do not wear. This is what is required. Yes.
The questioner:
If this clothing mentioned, the baluto, is the dress of women in their society since ancient times.
The Shaykh:
If it is specific to women and men do not wear it, there is no harm in wearing it. Yes.
May Allah reward you. This is a message from Yemen. It says: Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. We women in Yemen, when we go out of our homes, wear what is called a baluto, which covers the woman from her neck to below her legs. Then we wear over it what is called a jilbab, which covers the woman from her head to her knees. We cover the face with a niqab, or we let down a part of that jilbab over the face, so that nothing of the woman’s body is visible. With this, the conditions of hijab are fulfilled. The question is: We heard from one of the shaykhs that wearing the baluto is forbidden. Is this correct? And what is required of us if it is forbidden? If we wear the abaya instead of that baluto, it draws the attention of men, and we appear strange among the women. So what is your guidance? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the women who imitate men. Imitation includes imitation in clothing. So if this garment is what men wear, it is not permissible for a woman to wear it. Likewise, what is specific to women is not permissible for a man to wear. The criterion is imitation: the imitation of one gender by the other. The woman is required to cover herself with the clothing specific to women that men do not wear. This is what is required. Yes.
The questioner:
If this clothing mentioned, the baluto, is the dress of women in their society since ancient times.
The Shaykh:
If it is specific to women and men do not wear it, there is no harm in wearing it. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 5424- حكم لبس المرأة للبالطو تحت جلبابها - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.