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Message: <blockquote data-quote="subqi" data-source="post: 7555990" data-attributes="member: 26609">And say to the believing women 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, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' 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 0 you believers! Turn all toward Allah that you may attain bliss.Surat-un-Nur (24) 30-31 These 'ayahs contain, among other things, two main injunctions:A Muslim woman should not display her beauty, and adornment (zeenah) except for "that which must ordinarily appear of it" 3 (ma dhahara minha), or "that which is apparent." 4The word zeenah 5 lends itself to two related meanings:Natural or bodily beauty, 6Acquired adornment such as rings, bracelets, and clothes. The part of zeenah, exempted from the above injunction, was interpreted in two ways:The face and the hands. This is the interpretation of the majority of the jurists, past and present. 7 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). 8 This interpretation is based on the authority of Prophet Muhammad (Allah's blessing be upon him), especially the hadith in which he says: ". . . If the woman reaches the age of puberty. No part of her body) should be seen but this - and he pointed to his face and hands."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. 9The headcovers (knumur) should be drawn over the neck slits (joyoob). Khumur is the plural of the Arabic word "khimar" which means a headcover. 10 Juyoob is the plural of the Arabic word "jaiyb" (a derivative of jawb or cutting) 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 could also be drawn over the neck and to be extended so as to cover the bosom.The Second Requirement: LoosenessThe dress must be loose enough so as not to describe the shape of a woman's body. This is consistent with the intent of the 'ayahs cited above (24: 30-31) and is surely a crucial aspect of hiding zeenah. Even moderately-tight clothes which cover the whole body do describe the shape of such attractive parts of the woman's body as the bustline, the waist, the buttocks, the back and the thighs. If these are not part of the natural beauty or zeenah what else is?Prophet Muhammad pubh once received a thick garment as a gift. He gave it to Osamah b Zayd, who in turn gave it to his wife. When asked by the Prophet why he did not wear it, Osamah indicated that he gave it to his wife. The Prophet then said to Osamah "ask her to use a gholalah  under it (the garment) for I fear that it (the garment) may describe the size of her bones." 11 The word gholalah in Arabic means a thick fabric worn under the dress to prevent it from describing the shape of the body.A highly desirable way of concealing the shape of the body is to wear a cloak over the garment. The Prophet pubh, however, indicated that if the women's dress meets the Islamic standards it suffices (without a cloak) even for the validity of prayers. 12The Third Requirement: ThicknessThe dress should be thick enough so as not to show the color of the skin it covers, or the shape of the body which it is supposed to hide.The purpose of 'ayah (24:31) is to hide the Muslim women's body except ma dhahara minha (the face and hands). It is obvious that this purpose cannot be served if the dress is thin enough so as to reveal the color of the skin or the shape or beauty of the body. This is eloquently explained by Prophet Muhammad pbuh: "In later (generations) of my urnmah there will be women who will be dressed but naked. On top of their heads (what looks) like camel humps. Curse them for they are truly cursed." In another version he added that they "will not enter into paradise or (even) get a smell of it." 13At one occasion Asma' (daughter of Abu-Bakr) was visiting her sister 'A'ishah, wife of the Prophet. When he noted that Asma's dress was not thick enough he turned his face away in anger and said, "If the woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen, but this, and he pointed to his face and his hands."14The Fourth Requirement: Overall AppearanceThe dress should not be such that it attracts men's attention to the woman's beauty. The Qur'an clearly prescribes the requirements of the woman's dress for the purpose of concealing zeenah (adornment). How could such zeenah be concealed if the dress is designed in a way that it attracts men's eyes to the woman?This is why the Qur'an addressing the Prophet's wives as the examples for Muslim women says:     "Bedizen not yourselves with the bedizenment of the Time of Ignorance.. ."15 Additional Requirements 16In addition to the above four main and clearly spelled out requirements, there are other requirements whose specific applications may vary with time and location. These include:The dress should not be similar to what is known as a male costume. lbn 'Abbas narrated that "The Prophet cursed the men who act like women and the women who act like men. 17It should not be similar to what is known as the costume of unbelievers. This requirement is derived from the general rule of Shari'ah that Muslims should have their distinct personality and should differentiate their practices and appearance from unbelievers. 18The dress should not be similar to what is known as a male costume. lbn 'Abbas narrated that "The Prophet cursed the men who act like women and the women who act like men. 17It should not be a dress of fame, pride and vanity. Such fame may be sought by wearing an excessively fancy dress as a status symbol or an excessively ragged dress to gain others' admiration of one's selflessness. Both motives are improper by Islamic standards. The Prophet pbuh says:"Whoever wears a dress of fame in this world, Allah will clothe him with a dress of humiliation in the day of resurrection, then set it afire."19</blockquote>

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