Is it the same for a woman to leave her khimar off or to place it on her head in front of her mahrams?
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The questioner : Is it the same for a woman to leave her khimar off or to place it on her head in front of her mahrams?
The Shaykh : Both are equal in this matter. However, I say that permissibility covers the matter where both sides are equal, and it also covers what is better to do than to leave, so that is also permissible. Therefore, I want to clarify a little here after saying that both are permissible. But without a doubt, it is better for the Muslim woman to accustom herself to wearing her khimar in her own home. She may live without being naked on the pretext that there is no stranger present. This may be true, as there may be no stranger other than her husband, for example, or her son, or even her daughter. But these, except for the husband, are not permitted to see any part of her mother's body. She should accustom herself to the obligatory covering at the least. We have spoken about this more than once... meaning she should accustom herself to the better covering, wear long clothing, and wear the shirt they call today the robe with long sleeves. If she shortens it and it is necessary, then to the elbows. And she should accustom herself to covering her head and hair. This is not on the basis of obligation, but on the basis of recommendation. This is what I see in this issue.
The Shaykh : Both are equal in this matter. However, I say that permissibility covers the matter where both sides are equal, and it also covers what is better to do than to leave, so that is also permissible. Therefore, I want to clarify a little here after saying that both are permissible. But without a doubt, it is better for the Muslim woman to accustom herself to wearing her khimar in her own home. She may live without being naked on the pretext that there is no stranger present. This may be true, as there may be no stranger other than her husband, for example, or her son, or even her daughter. But these, except for the husband, are not permitted to see any part of her mother's body. She should accustom herself to the obligatory covering at the least. We have spoken about this more than once... meaning she should accustom herself to the better covering, wear long clothing, and wear the shirt they call today the robe with long sleeves. If she shortens it and it is necessary, then to the elbows. And she should accustom herself to covering her head and hair. This is not on the basis of obligation, but on the basis of recommendation. This is what I see in this issue.