Is it permissible in the Shari'ah for a Muslim woman to wear European clothing that covers the body, provided that she veils herself from non-Mahram men?

The questioner : Is it permissible in the Shari'ah for a Muslim woman to wear European clothing that covers the body, provided that she veils herself from non-Mahram men? Is it permissible for her to wear undergarments designed by disbelievers? What is the Shari'ah ruling on a woman following the latest European fashions, if that is the correct term, in clothing, footwear, and adornment? What is the ruling on furnishing homes with European furniture, whether in its manufacture or design?

The Shaykh : As for the Muslim woman wearing the clothing of disbelieving women in her home, that is not prescribed and is not permissible, because it involves imitating disbelieving women. In my opinion, this applies if she appears in such European clothing in front of her female relatives, friends, or the like, especially if it is evident that she is keen to follow the fashions. Whenever a new fashion emerges among them, she picks it up from them and wears it; this indicates her extreme concern with imitating disbelievers, whom she is not permitted to imitate.
This actually reminds me of a joke I read that indicates the extent of the weakness of women's minds and the concern of some men to fulfill their desires. The joke says that a friend saw a friend of his on the road walking quickly, carrying something in his hand. He asked him, "What makes you walk so fast?" He said, "My wife tasked me with buying her a dress, which is the one in my hand, so I am hurrying to bring it to her before it becomes outdated by a new fashion and she refuses it!"
This concern, as is observed among Muslim women—much to our deep regret—is a warning that they, men and women alike, are fulfilling what the Messenger (peace be upon him) warned some of the Companions about. They asked him to make for them a Dhat Anwat, just as the polytheists had a Dhat Anwat. He (peace be upon him) said: الله أكبر ! هذه السُّنن - أو السَّنن - لقد قلتم كما قال قوم موسى لموسى : اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ Allahu Akbar! These are the sunnahs—or the sunnahs—you have said what the people of Musa said to Musa: "Make for us a god as they have gods.".
Therefore, following the ways of the disbelievers is something the Messenger warned his Ummah about so that they would not fall into such a state. Along with the many hadiths I mentioned the good ones of in my book "The Hijab of the Muslim Woman in the Book and the Sunnah," they all converge on the prohibition of imitating disbelievers. This prohibition applies to women just as it applies to men. Among this is his saying (peace be upon him): . So, any attire that is specific to disbelievers is not permissible for a Muslim to adorn himself with, in order to avoid imitating those who differ from us. Rather, there is a greater matter, indicating the Wise Lawgiver's concern for Muslims to maintain their Muslim identity. It is not only that they should not intentionally imitate disbelievers, but that they should intentionally differ from them in their customs, and even in things that cannot be said with certainty to be their customs, because they are not of their own choosing. Rather, that is what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) made a sunnah for the disbelievers, even in things that are not of their customs or traditions. They grow old just as Muslims grow old, but they do not dye their hair. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the Muslims to differ from them by dyeing their hair. Therefore, he said: . If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered differing from what is of the nature of all humans, and not specifically of their customs—namely, gray hair—and ordered differing from them in dyeing, then it is even more so that a Muslim should not imitate what is of their customs, which they have chosen as a methodology for their lives.
As for the second part of the question, which is furnishing the house with types of adornment such as curtains, cushions, chairs, and what is called today sofas, and boasting about them and being extravagant; all of this is something a Muslim should not fall into, even if Allah has blessed him with abundant wealth. This is because extravagance is a type of the prohibited indulgence, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . It is established in "Sahih Muslim" that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon Aisha and saw that she had covered the walls with curtains, he (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked it and said: . The least that can be said about such furnishing, as asked about, is that it is disliked, and it may reach the level of being forbidden.
Yes.