Al Khimaar & Al Jilbaab

[abo mussaab]

There are three main areas regarding the Muslim woman's dress code in Islaam:

1. Concealing the parts of the body that the Islaamic law has determined (al-'Awrah)
2. What to wear in public
3. The dazzling display (at-Tabarruj)

The judgement of al-'Awrah (the private parts)

In Islaam, the Sharee'ah has defined the 'Awrah (private part) of a woman to be her whole body except from her face and her hands. Therefore, her neck, arms, hair, feet, and legs are all part of her 'Awrah and must be covered in public, from foreign men (Muslim or non-Muslim) and non-Mahaarim (plural for Mahram i.e. a male guardian by Sharee'ah). Allaah (swt) says in the Qur'aan: "They should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof." (an-Noor, 24: 31)

What 'must ordinarily appear' is the face and the hands, as this used to be the case with Muslim women whether during prayer or Hajj or in front of the Messenger of Allaah (saw) who kept silent about this matter which proves that he did not object. Another evidence comes from the Messenger of Allaah (saw) who said to Asmaa: 'O Asmaa, when a woman reaches puberty, no part of her body should be revealed except for this and this (pointing to the face and hands).'

Apart from what is allowed to be seen by the Sharee'ah (the face and hands) the colour of the skin of a woman should not be seen through her clothes, for example transparent material. And the evidence on this issue is derived from what 'Aa-ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) narrated: "Asmaa the daughter of Abou Bakr entered the house of the Messenger of Allaah (saw) to visit her sister and she was wearing a transparent garment, so the Prophet (saw) turned his head and said: 'O Asmaa! If a woman reaches puberty it is not right for her to reveal any part of her body except this and this (pointing to the hands and face).'''

So the transparency of the clothes was considered by the Prophet (saw) to be revealing and invalid as a cover for the 'Awrah. Another evidence comes from what Usaamah bin Zayd (ra) narrated when the Prophet (saw) asked him about what he did with the Kobtya (a thin dress); Usaamah said that he gave it to his wife to wear. Upon this the Prophet (saw) said: 'tell her to wear some lining underneath the Kobtya (thin dress), for I fear that her figure may otherwise still be seen.' This saying clearly demonstrates the Prophet's serious concern about thin clothes which do not properly cover the woman's curves.

The judgement of what a woman should wear

Islaam has commanded the Muslim woman to dress as follows when outside her home:

1. The Khimaar, (the veil or the head cover), this is what the scholars call the upper garment
2. The Jilbaab, (the wide dress), and this is what the scholars call the lower garment

As far as the upper garment is concerned, Islaam has commanded the Muslim woman to wear a 'Khimaar' (a veil or a head cover) if she is to go outside to the public arena. The Khimaar should cover the whole head, the whole neck (including the ears), the collar bone and the woman's chest.

As for the Jilbaab or the lower garment, Islaam has commanded the Muslim woman to wear this over her everyday clothing; therefore the Jilbaab must be wide enough to the extent where a woman is able to wear an outfit underneath it. The Jilbaab should cover the whole of her body down to the feet. If she has not got a Jilbaab, she has to exhaust the effort to borrow one from a neighbour or a relative; otherwise it would not be right for her to go outside to the public arena without to comply by Sharee'ah rules.

The Muslim woman should also observe other recommendations and interdictions before stepping out of the home. For example, asking the husband or parent(s) for permission, the Muslim woman's dress must not imitate the disbelievers or men for that matter, not to apply make-up to dazzle herself, not to display her beauty before any foreign men (i.e. sparkly watches, bracelets, nose studs, rings etc.), to cover the 'Awrah (no transparent or thin clothing), and not to p