بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ
الرَّحِيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
Requirements
in dress
The first
requirement : Extent of Covering
The dress must cover the whole body
except for the areas specifically
exempted. The Qu`an states in Surat ul Nur
24;30-31 (( Say to the believing men that
they should lower their gaze and guard
their modesty : that will make for greater
purity for them : And Allah is well
acquainted with all that they do. And say
to the believing woman that they should
lower their gaze and guard their modesty ;
that they should not display their beauty
and ornaments except what (must ordinarily
) appear thereof; that they should draw
their veils over their bosoms and not
display their beauty except to their
husbands, thei fathers , their husbands` s
fathers , their sons , their husbands ` s
sons , their brothers or their brothers` s
sons , or their sisters` s sons , or their
women, or the slaves whom their right
hands possess, or male servants free of
physical needs or small children who have
no sense of the shame of sex , and that
they should not strike their feet in order
to draw attention to their hidden
ornaments. And O you believers! Turn all
toward Allah that you may attain bliss ))
These Ayats contain , among other thing ,
two main injunctions:
1-A Muslim woman should not display her
beauty and adornment (zeenah)except for
that which must ordinarily appear of it
,or that which is apparent. .
The word "zeenah " (all that which
beautifies) lends itself to two related
meanings : a) natural or bodily beauty,
and b) acquired adornment such as rings
bracelets , and clothes. The part of
zeenah, exempted from the above
injunction, was interpreted in two ways:
a. The face and the hands. This is the
interpretation of the majority of the
jurists, past and present ( and as the
statements of Malik, Ash-shafiy ,Abu
Hanifa and Ibn Hanbal ) This
interpretation is confirmed by Ijma (consensus)that
a muslim woman is allowed by Islam to
uncover her face and hands during
pilgrimage and even during the prayers,
while the rest of her body is regarded as
awrah (that which should be covered) This
interpretation is based on the authority
of Prophet Muhammad (All` s blessing be
upon him) .
b. Whatever appears of the woman`s body
owing to uncontrollable factors such as
the blowing of the wind ,or out of
necessity such as the bracelets or even
the outer clothes themselves.
2- The headcovers (khumur) should be drawn
over the neck slits (juyuoob) .
Khumur is the plural of the Arabic word "khimar"
which means a headcovers , Juyoob is the
plural of the Arabic word "Jaiyb" refers
to the neck slit (of the dress) . This
means that the headcover should be drawn
so as to cover not only the hair,but it
should also be drawn over the neck and to
be extended so as to cover the bosom.
THE SECOND REQUIREMENT : LOOSENESS (Will
be continued )