Question
I have read your response to the above question, and maybe I missed something, but I’m still not certain that covering the head is obligatory. If I understand you correctly, you’ve said that it can be inferred from Al-Noor 24:31 that it is natural and desirable, but this is not necessarily obligatory.
To what degree must Muslim women dress in order to be recognized as pious and modest women? A woman wearing long sleeves and long skirt in the summer would obviously stand out in North America.
Also, should I (as a Muslim woman) decide to cover my head, do I have to wear the Khimaar or hijaab or whatever (I mean generally the Arabic type of dressing)? Could I just wear a hat/tam/whatever that covers my hair? Someone once told me that the way the Arabic is worded in Al-Noor 24: 31, there can be no substitute for the Khimaar. As a non-Arabic speaker I am confused… why should God expect us all to dress like the Arabic people? (Not that I have a problem with that, but I could have sworn God liked the diversity between peoples).
One more thing, I understand the traditional view is either that nothing but the face and hands must be visible, and the more strict one is that only one or both eyes can be visible. Is it possible to subscribe to another view? Are there any reputable scholars who disagree with these?
I have read introductory books on Islam written by people who have degrees in Islamic studies (don’t know if they are Muslim or not), showing pictures of women wearing basically just a scarf wrapped around their heads and tied in the back, leaving the neck and sometimes the ears uncovered. Yet the captions say that she is Islamically correct. So I wondered.
Sorry to ramble on for so long, but I’ve heard so many views on this and all the answers on the “Danish Sera1” website seem so logical to me that you’ve probably got a lot of good points to make.
Thanks in advance for any reply.
Answer
It is not the dress that the Arabs wore which has been made obligatory in Islam.
The Qur’an , in Al-Noor 24: 27, 30 – 31, has prescribed the etiquette for men as well as women for times when they have to interact with each other.
The directives of the Qur’an are as follows:
First of all, the Qur’an says – to men and women alike – that if they have to visit someone, they must seek permission for entrance in their house, and this permission should be sought only if they are familiar and acquainted with the inhabitants of the house. They should enter only if they are given permission to do so.
Once they are allowed to enter, men should follow these directives:
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Refrain from staring at women; and
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wear a decent dress that adequately guards their private parts;
Women (who already had their heads, arms and legs covered2) should observe the following directives:
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Refrain from staring at men;
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wear a decent dress that guards their private parts;
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refrain from showing off their jewelry apparels and make up etc., except that which inevitably shows; and
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spread their head covering (Khimaar) on their bosoms.
The reason for these directives is not “to be recognized as pious and modest women”, as you have derived. On the contrary, according to the Qur’an adhering to these directives shall contribute toward the “cleansing the heart”. Like all other directives of the Qur’an , this directive also is for purifying the heart of all such inclinations, which might stain and soil it. Such purification and cleansing is a mandatory requirement for qualifying for the everlasting bliss – the Jannah – of our Lord.
After fully understanding these points, let us now turn to your questions:
Your first question is:
To what degree must Muslim women dress in order to be recognized as pious and modest women? A woman wearing long sleeves and long skirt in the summer would obviously stand out in North America…
The directives of the Shari`ah for women have been explained in the foregoing explanation. These directives should be observed under all circumstances, where a man and a woman have to interact with each other.
Whether in North America or the Saudi Arabia , the directives of the Shari`ah, as the individual understands them, must be followed. It is very tragic that revealing dresses have become a part of modern day culture. However, irrespective of the acceptability or otherwise of the society, an individual – man or a woman – should have the commitment and courage to hold the directives of God dearer to himself/herself than any thing else, even if such an attitude means “standing out” in the society.
Your second question/comment is:
Also, should I (as a Muslim woman) decide to cover my head, do I have to wear the Khimaar or hijaab or whatever (I mean generally the Arabic type of dressing)? Could I just wear a hat/tam/whatever that covers my hair? Someone once told me that the way the Arabic is worded in Al-Noor 24: 31, there can be no substitute for the Khimaar. As a non-Arabic speaker I am confused… why should God expect us all to dress like the Arabic people (not that I have a problem with that, but I could have sworn God liked the diversity between peoples.
As a Muslim woman, one should wear the Khimaar (a piece of cloth used as head covering, which is long and wide enough to be spread on the bosom when the time so requires). The style in which such Khimaar is worn may differ from that which has been adopted by the Arabs or other eastern nations. The basic theme is that wearing a “Khimaar” is a part of the Shari`ah, not the Arab culture.
In view of the above I do not think (anyone may, obviously, differ with me) that a “hat/tam/whatever” can be used as a substitute for “Khimaar”3
God does not expect us to dress like the Arabs. God expects all women – whether Arab or non-Arab – to cover themselves as has been prescribed. The style of covering may, however, differ between cultures.
Your third question is:
One more thing, I understand the traditional view is either that nothing but the face and hands must be visible, and the more strict one is that only one or both eyes can be visible. Is it possible to subscribe to another view? Are there any reputable scholars who disagree with these?
I have given the related directives of the Shari`ah. There could, obviously, be individual differences in practically following these directives. But as I see it, the second point of view that you have mentioned has taken things far ahead of the directives of the Shari`ah, and therefore, in my opinion, is not acceptable. A Muslim scholar, should restrict himself to teaching the directives of the Shari`ah – he must refrain from making his own Shari`ah. The first point which you have stated seems to be more in coherence with the directive of the Shari`ah.
I really do not know if there is any “reputable” scholar who has disagreed with the first point of view that you have stated. What I do know is that this opinion seems to be more in coherence with the Qur’an . Moreover, such directive has also been ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh).
Your fourth comment is:
I have read introductory books on Islam written by people who have degrees in Islamic studies (don’t know if they are Muslim or not), showing pictures of women wearing basically just a scarf wrapped around their heads and tied in the back, leaving the neck and sometimes the ears uncovered. Yet the captions say that she is Islamically correct. So I wondered.
As I have already stated, there can be practical individual differences in following the directives of the Shari`ah. The best thing for you to do would be to carefully study the directives given in the referred verses of the Qur’an , keeping in mind that they primarily addressed women who usually kept their heads, arms and legs covered, and see what you derive from these verses. You should follow what in your opinion is the correct application of these verses. All that would be required from you after that is that you keep your mind and heart open for the arguments of those who have a different opinion than your own.
Finally, you write:
Sorry to ramble on for so long, but I’ve heard so many views on this and all the answers on the “Danish Sera” website seem so logical to me that you’ve probably got a lot of good points to make.
I thank you for your encouraging remarks on my work. But I assure you that my concentration is not to make a logical presentation of Islam. It is my firm belief that if Islam is truly a divine religion, nothing in its directives can be illogical.
One must always remember that all the directives of the Qur’an and the Sunnah are to purify our hearts and thereby qualify us for the eternal Jannah of the Merciful. These directives are not to make this present life more comfortable, but to make the life hereafter, which is our permanent abode more comfortable.
22nd December 1998
- In the beginning we had started our web-site under the title of ‘Danish Sera’, which was later changed to ‘Understanding Islam’. [↩]
- The noble Arabic Muslim women, who are the first addressees of the related verses of the Qur’an kept their arms, legs and head covered. [↩]
- Obviously, a hat or a tam cannot be covered over ones bosom. [↩]