The 'Awrah of the Woman and the Obligatory Islamic Attire for Her

The Shaykh : As for the woman, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has commanded her, by the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an, to cover her entire body except for the face and the hands. This is a dispensation from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), according to the opinion of some Muslim scholars, while other scholars forbid even uncovering the face for the woman. However, the correct view is what we have mentioned, which is that the face is not 'awrah and the hands are not 'awrah. This is what we have deduced in our book, "The Hijab of the Muslim Woman in the Book and the Pure Sunnah." But it is obligatory for the Muslim woman to be content and pleased with what Allah has permitted her to uncover of the face, and not to exceed that, whether in quantity or quality. By quantity, I mean that she should not uncover more than her face and hands. This is because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: , . This is the apparent meaning. In terms of quantity, she should not increase the uncovering beyond the face and hands. As for quality, it is not permissible for the woman to wear transparent clothing or clothing that is form-fitting. Transparent clothing reveals the color of the skin, and form-fitting clothing outlines the body part. For example, a woman who does not wear the long jilbab that covers the tops of the feet, but instead wears a short jilbab with stockings, is in a situation where the stocking outlines the leg, whether from below or above. In other words, the shorter the garment, the longer the outlining, and vice versa. Therefore, among the conditions of the jilbab that is obligatory for the Muslim woman are many characteristics that I mentioned in the aforementioned book. The most important of these is that it must be loose and wide, not form-fitting, and not transparent or thin enough to reveal the skin. This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers, including the believing women.