Questions about the trade of women’s tailors, and what is the Shari'ah criterion for what is permissible for them to sew?
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Abu Layla : Our teacher, of course, I had asked you previously about the tailors, and these—may Allah reward them with good—meaning, we have some of our brother tailors who want to... new ones, they want to know the halal and haram regarding this trade of theirs, and especially since they are tailors for women; so one, of course, asks: is it permissible for the tailor to make outfits like a dress, a skirt, and a blouse? And it is well known these days how the skirt is and what the existing models are.
The Shaykh : These brothers and others must gain knowledge of the religion, including knowing that assisting in sin is a sin; these dresses and these skirts, they are supposed to know more about them than I do; and IThe Shaykh : The claim is, are these clothes, these dresses and skirts, when the majority of women wear them, are they wearing something lawful or something contrary to the Shari'ah? What I say, and they know better, is that they will not be wearing lawful clothing; because at best, the one wearing the short skirt that reaches the knees in front of women of her own sex, the women and girls, then a fortiori it is not permissible for them to wear that in front of their cousins, their maternal cousins, who are mahram; so it is not easy for someone like me, someone like me, to rule on every dress that the tailor so-and-so sews whether it is assisting in sin or not assisting in sin; this is difficult for me, but they must know that these dresses are going to be worn by the woman for whom it was tailored on her body only in front of her husband only, because in front of her husband, if Allah wills, she will sit naked as Allah created her; but no, mostly these clothes are not for the husband, but rather so that the woman appears before her female counterparts in her most beautiful adornment; so based on that, on this principle, the group must measure these matters from this; so the dress in such-and-such a form, for example, fitted and short to the knees, this is clear that it is not permissible; a long, loose, wide dress, then it is permissible, within the limit that she does not go out to the street with it if the dress is decorated and adorned; and therefore the matter cannot be given in details; because I am not an expert on the dresses that they are going to tailor; but they should take the principle and proceed on it; assisting in sin is a sin, so the dress that they want to tailor, if they know that this is assisting in sin, then their tailoring it is a sin; and peace.
Abu Layla : Okay, our teacher, in some shops now, or some companies that have tailoring, some of them work on the balutwa, which is now known as the jilbab; but among them, first, some are from the disbelievers and some are from the Muslims, they have women who are clothed yet naked in this company; so is it permissible for him to work with these people? Of course, they specialize in making this balutwa, which is now known as the jilbab.
The Shaykh : I mean, is this from the clothing of women?
Abu Layla : This is from the clothing of women.
The Shaykh : And it is not lawful clothing.
Abu Layla: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the previous statement applies.
Abu Layla : His work with them, my teacher, if it were, for example, work that he needs to apply; but now the question is, is it permissible for him to work with these people?
The Shaykh : You got the answer, is he assisting in sin or not? You are asking me, is he assisting in sin or not?Abu Layla : If the work that he wants to do does not assist in sin; but the managers are concerned with sins, they do not commit them, they do not employ them.
The Shaykh : How does it not assist? They want to tailor jilbabs?
Abu Layla : Yes, they want to tailor jilbabs.
The Shaykh : Are these jilbabs lawful?
Abu Layla : Mostly now, the jilbabs in the market are all tight.
The Shaykh : I gave you the answer, everything that assists in sin is in sin; as for their work, if the environment is polluted with mixing between young men and young women, then it is clear that it is not permissible, even if what they want to tailor is lawful.
Abu Layla : Can we take from your answer that the owners of the commercial shops who buy these revealing and colored dresses also have a great sin, my teacher, in selling these clothes?
The Shaykh : Whoever assists in sin, it is a sin, we have nothing else.
The Shaykh : These brothers and others must gain knowledge of the religion, including knowing that assisting in sin is a sin; these dresses and these skirts, they are supposed to know more about them than I do; and IThe Shaykh : The claim is, are these clothes, these dresses and skirts, when the majority of women wear them, are they wearing something lawful or something contrary to the Shari'ah? What I say, and they know better, is that they will not be wearing lawful clothing; because at best, the one wearing the short skirt that reaches the knees in front of women of her own sex, the women and girls, then a fortiori it is not permissible for them to wear that in front of their cousins, their maternal cousins, who are mahram; so it is not easy for someone like me, someone like me, to rule on every dress that the tailor so-and-so sews whether it is assisting in sin or not assisting in sin; this is difficult for me, but they must know that these dresses are going to be worn by the woman for whom it was tailored on her body only in front of her husband only, because in front of her husband, if Allah wills, she will sit naked as Allah created her; but no, mostly these clothes are not for the husband, but rather so that the woman appears before her female counterparts in her most beautiful adornment; so based on that, on this principle, the group must measure these matters from this; so the dress in such-and-such a form, for example, fitted and short to the knees, this is clear that it is not permissible; a long, loose, wide dress, then it is permissible, within the limit that she does not go out to the street with it if the dress is decorated and adorned; and therefore the matter cannot be given in details; because I am not an expert on the dresses that they are going to tailor; but they should take the principle and proceed on it; assisting in sin is a sin, so the dress that they want to tailor, if they know that this is assisting in sin, then their tailoring it is a sin; and peace.
Abu Layla : Okay, our teacher, in some shops now, or some companies that have tailoring, some of them work on the balutwa, which is now known as the jilbab; but among them, first, some are from the disbelievers and some are from the Muslims, they have women who are clothed yet naked in this company; so is it permissible for him to work with these people? Of course, they specialize in making this balutwa, which is now known as the jilbab.
The Shaykh : I mean, is this from the clothing of women?
Abu Layla : This is from the clothing of women.
The Shaykh : And it is not lawful clothing.
Abu Layla: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the previous statement applies.
Abu Layla : His work with them, my teacher, if it were, for example, work that he needs to apply; but now the question is, is it permissible for him to work with these people?
The Shaykh : You got the answer, is he assisting in sin or not? You are asking me, is he assisting in sin or not?Abu Layla : If the work that he wants to do does not assist in sin; but the managers are concerned with sins, they do not commit them, they do not employ them.
The Shaykh : How does it not assist? They want to tailor jilbabs?
Abu Layla : Yes, they want to tailor jilbabs.
The Shaykh : Are these jilbabs lawful?
Abu Layla : Mostly now, the jilbabs in the market are all tight.
The Shaykh : I gave you the answer, everything that assists in sin is in sin; as for their work, if the environment is polluted with mixing between young men and young women, then it is clear that it is not permissible, even if what they want to tailor is lawful.
Abu Layla : Can we take from your answer that the owners of the commercial shops who buy these revealing and colored dresses also have a great sin, my teacher, in selling these clothes?
The Shaykh : Whoever assists in sin, it is a sin, we have nothing else.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.