A Statement on the Dress of Women in the Presence of Their Mahrams and Other Women
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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows:
The women of the believers in the early period of Islam reached the pinnacle of purity, modesty, shyness, and decency, by the blessing of faith in Allah and His Messenger, and by following the Qur'an and the Sunnah. In that era, women wore covering garments, and no exposure or indecency was known among them when they gathered with one another or with their mahrams. The practice of the women of the Ummah followed this sound Sunnah—may Allah be praised—from generation to generation until recently. Then, corruption entered the dress and morals of many women for various reasons, which is not the place to detail here. Given the numerous inquiries received by the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta regarding the limits of a woman looking at another woman and the dress required of her, the Committee clarifies to all Muslim women that it is obligatory for a woman to possess the character of shyness, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made part of faith and a branch of it. From the shyness commanded by the Shari'ah and custom: a woman covers herself, is modest, and adopts the morals that distance her from situations of fitnah and places of suspicion. The apparent meaning of the Qur'an indicates that a woman does not display to another woman except what she displays to her mahrams, namely what is customarily uncovered in the home and during work, as the Exalted said:
[An-Nur 24:31] the verse, and if this is the text of the Qur'an and what the Sunnah indicates, then it is what the women of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the women of the Companions, and the women of the Ummah who followed them with excellence up to our present time have practiced. What custom has established as being exposed to those mentioned in the noble verse is what usually appears from a woman in the home and in her work, and from which it is difficult for her to guard herself; such as the exposure of the head, hands, neck, and feet. As for expanding on exposure, in addition to the fact that there is no evidence from the Book or the Sunnah indicating its permissibility, it is also a path to the temptation of women and being tempted by them from their own sex, and this exists among them. It is also a bad example for other women, as well as imitating the disbelieving women and the licentious prostitutes in their clothing. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Sunan Abi Dawud 4031Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani) It was narrated by the Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud , and in (Sahih Muslim ) from Abdullah ibn Amr , and in (Sahih Muslim ) as well, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 2128, and the meaning of "clothed yet naked" is: that a woman wears what does not cover her, so she is clothed, but in reality she is naked, like one who wears a thin garment that reveals her skin, or a tight garment that shows the contours of her body, or a short garment that does not cover some of her limbs. Therefore, what is incumbent upon Muslim women is: adhering to the guidance that the Mothers of the Believers and the women of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the women of this Ummah who followed them with excellence practiced, and striving to cover up and be modest, for that is further from the causes of temptation and protects the self from what the urges of desire provoke, which lead to lewd acts. It is also obligatory upon Muslim women to be cautious of falling into what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden from clothing that imitates the disbelieving women and the prostitutes; in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, hoping for the reward of Allah, and fearing His punishment. It is also obligatory upon every Muslim to fear Allah regarding those under his guardianship from
women, so that he does not leave them wearing what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden from indecent, revealing, and seductive dresses. Let him know that he is a shepherd and responsible for his flock on the Day of Resurrection. We ask Allah to rectify the conditions of the Muslims, and to guide us all to the straight path. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Near, the Responsive. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his Companions.
The women of the believers in the early period of Islam reached the pinnacle of purity, modesty, shyness, and decency, by the blessing of faith in Allah and His Messenger, and by following the Qur'an and the Sunnah. In that era, women wore covering garments, and no exposure or indecency was known among them when they gathered with one another or with their mahrams. The practice of the women of the Ummah followed this sound Sunnah—may Allah be praised—from generation to generation until recently. Then, corruption entered the dress and morals of many women for various reasons, which is not the place to detail here. Given the numerous inquiries received by the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta regarding the limits of a woman looking at another woman and the dress required of her, the Committee clarifies to all Muslim women that it is obligatory for a woman to possess the character of shyness, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made part of faith and a branch of it. From the shyness commanded by the Shari'ah and custom: a woman covers herself, is modest, and adopts the morals that distance her from situations of fitnah and places of suspicion. The apparent meaning of the Qur'an indicates that a woman does not display to another woman except what she displays to her mahrams, namely what is customarily uncovered in the home and during work, as the Exalted said:
except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women
وَلاَ يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّHe who copies any people is one of them.
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهمThat the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw two yellow garments on him, and he said: "Indeed, these are from the garments of the disbelievers, so do not wear them."
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم رأى عليه ثوبين معصفرين، فقال: إن هذه من ثياب الكفار فلا تلبسهاTwo are the types of the denizens of Hell whom I did not see: people having flogs like the tails of the ox with them and they would be beating people, and the women who would be dressed but appear to be naked, who would be inclined (to evil) and make their husbands incline towards it. Their heads would be like the humps of the bukht camel inclined to one side. They will not enter Paradise and they would not smell its odour whereas its odour would be smelt from such and such distance.
صنفان من أهل النار لم أرهما: قوم معهم سياط كأذناب البقر يضربون بها الناس، ونساء كاسيات عاريات مائلات مميلات رؤوسهن كأسنمة البخت المائلة، لا يدخلن الجنة ولا يجدن ريحها، وإن ريحها ليوجد من مسيرة كذا وكذاwomen, so that he does not leave them wearing what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden from indecent, revealing, and seductive dresses. Let him know that he is a shepherd and responsible for his flock on the Day of Resurrection. We ask Allah to rectify the conditions of the Muslims, and to guide us all to the straight path. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Near, the Responsive. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.