The criterion for a woman’s clothing and the ruling on covering the face.

The Shaykh : Let us speak about this. The clothing that covers the private parts, in the case of women, encompasses the entire body. Therefore, it is not permissible for a woman to expose any part of her body to men who are not her mahram (relatives one may not marry). Her entire body is 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), including the face, which is 'awrah with regard to being looked at. Thus, it is not permissible for a woman to uncover her face before anyone other than her mahram. This is what the Book and the Sunnah indicate, even though there is scholarly disagreement on this issue. However, the truth is more deserving of being followed. The Imams themselves (may Allah have mercy on them) explicitly stated that if their opinions contradict the Book and the Sunnah, then it is obligatory to take what? The Book and the Sunnah, and to set aside the other opinions. If we look at the wisdom behind the obligation for a woman to cover her entire body, we know with certainty that the face must be covered, and it must. The wisdom behind a woman covering her entire body is to avoid fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), to avoid fitnah. This is because a woman is a source of fitnah for men. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Therefore, it is obligatory for a woman to cover her entire body. If we were to ask a questioner: Which is a greater source of fitnah, a woman uncovering her face or uncovering her foot? The answer—answer, everyone—would be that uncovering her face is without doubt the greater. Because the face is the place of desire and the place of fitnah. For this reason, if you wanted to propose to a woman, would you ask the intermediary between you and her: What is the color of her face? Is her face beautiful? Or would you ask: What is the color of her foot? Is her foot beautiful? Yes. No, Shaykh. Pay attention: if you ask someone to propose to you for a woman, would you say: What did you see of her foot? Is her big toe large or not? Is her little toe large or not? Is her nail long or not? Would you say that? No. You would say: Is her face beautiful or not? Is it oval or round? Are her eyes blue or not? And so on. How is it possible that the wise Shari'ah, which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has perfected, would permit a woman to uncover her face while obligating her to cover her foot? This is absolutely impossible. So either we say that it is permissible to uncover the face, hands, feet, lower legs, and forearms, or we say that it is permissible to uncover the beautiful parts? Which is further from fitnah, the first or the second? The second. Therefore, it is obligatory for every person who is jealous of his family to require them to cover their faces in the presence of foreign men. And this issue, as I said first, is one of scholarly disagreement, but the truth is more deserving of being followed. And what the Book and the Sunnah indicate, it is obligatory to take it. Look now: if a beautiful woman with an uncovered face passes by, do the foolish follow her or do they let her pass in peace? The first or the second? The first, and this is a known thing, and there are many complaints about it. So we say: If you want safety from this, cover your face. Then, did the women who were told there is no harm in uncovering the face limit themselves to uncovering the face without embellishment? Perhaps some of them limited themselves to this, and some of them embellished the face with kohl, makeup, reddening the lips, plucking the eyebrows, and so on. Then, did the woman limit herself to uncovering the face only, or did she uncover the face, neck, upper chest, and head? I was greatly surprised by a woman who asks, saying: If my braid—did she add?—if my braid comes out of the khimar (the head covering). Do you know what a braid is? What is it? Hair. The braid comes out of the khimar. Is this permissible? She is asking while her face is uncovered like this? Allah is the helper. She asks about a hair from her head that came out from under the khimar, and leaves this beautiful, lovely face. So it is obligatory for the woman to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and not to uncover her face except to her husband or her mahram. Just as it is obligatory for the woman to avoid strong-smelling perfume that is smelled by those around her, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And incense is the most insignificant of perfumes and the least in status. And yet, she was prevented from attending the mosque because of this incense. So what about one who perfumes herself with the best of perfumes and goes out to the market without caring? This—I mean a woman going out perfumed—is among the forbidden matters in which she must fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding herself. And if she wants to perfume herself for her husband, as she claims, let her stay in her house. And the woman must know her status and that she is a respected and honored woman. There is no respect or honor greater than the respect and honor Islam has for her. And how is her respect and honor achieved? Is it by going out to the markets as she pleases and in whatever manner she pleases, or by staying in her house, serving her husband, caring for her children, and attending to the needs of the house? The second or the first? The second, without doubt. This is the woman’s role. Among the women today, some go out to the markets as if they were men; you find them walking with a stride of strength and striking the ground, without caring. Then they return to the house, to their husband’s house, as if they are equal to their husband, meaning on par with him. Where is the enjoyment of the wife if she believes she is equal to you? A person cannot enjoy and take pleasure in her while she is in this state. Let the woman be a woman truly, as befits her. And among the reprehensible matters is what some women go out in: the advanced clothing which is in fact degraded, inherited from whom? From European women or others who imitate European women. Clothing that is not truly clothing; it is a revealing garment. And the warning came from this, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
The meaning of "clothed yet naked": The scholars said: This includes three types of clothing:
The first: Tight clothing. You find a woman wearing tight clothing where the size of her bones is visible, the size of her buttocks, the size of her thighs, the size of her chest. So she is clothed, but in reality, she is naked.
The second type: That the clothing is short. The prescribed length for a woman’s clothing is that it reaches her ankle in her house, but in the market, let her cover her foot as well. If she does not do so, she is clothed yet naked.
The third type: That the clothing is thin, and the skin is seen through it. So she is clothed yet naked, and she falls under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): .
As for , the meaning is that she leads others away from the truth due to the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) she is characterized by, whether by smell, coquettishness, swaying in her walk, submission in speech, or the like.
means those who lead away from the path of truth due to the causes of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) that occur from them. Let the woman fear Allah and know her status, and that the Islamic religion has surrounded her with great walls that prevent her from fitnah.