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The Requirements of the
Muslim Woman's Dress
Muslim
women are required in Islam to cover themselves whenever they are
outside of their homes or in the presence of non-mahrem men. This
provides many benefits to the Muslim woman herself as well as to the
society as a whole. Allah willing, I plan on discussing many of these
benefits in future articles. This article, however, will simply
describe the physical requirements of hijab. My hope is that it will
serve as a reference for Muslim women as well as a basic introduction
to hijab for non-Muslims.
The
word hijab is derived from the Arabic root hajaba, which means to hide
from view or to conceal. Many people use it to refer to the headscarf
which Muslim women wear (as in: I bought this hijab for $10 yesterday),
but hijab is much more than a headscarf: it is an entire way of
dressing, behaving and believing. It is acceptable to name the scarf
hijab so long as it does not lead to the wrong impression that a
headscarf is the only requirement of true hijab. After all, anyone can
wear a headscarf (gypsies, fashion models, etc.), but it takes much
more than that to fufill the conditions of Islamic dress.
1.
Proper hijab (concealment for the Muslim woman) dictates that the
entire body must be covered, although the face and hands may be
exposed. Some women choose to cover themselves further by means of a
face veil and gloves, and this is perfectly fine.
2.
The clothing must be long and loose-fitting so that the shape of the
woman is not outlined in her garments. The preferred coverings include
the jelbab and the abaya which are floor-length cloaks which come in
various types of fabric and may be worn over a woman's regular house
clothing. Pants are unacceptable unless they are worn underneath the
outer garments.
3.
Garments should not be transparent as to reveal the color of a woman's
skin or to expose the hair or body in any way. With regards to the
headscarf, it must cover all of the hair and be long enough to cover
the woman's ears, neck and chest. Women should take care to ensure that
the scarf is securely fastened, usually with pins, and that her hair is
arranged so that it will not slip out of her scarf.
4.
Colors and styles should be as plain as possible so that unnecessary
attention is not drawn to the woman. In addition, the clothing should
not be excessively rich and fancy in order to gain admiration nor
excessively poor and ragged in order to gain sympathy. Modesty is the
main goal.
5.
Jewelry must not be displayed, and it is especially important that it
does not make noise as a woman walks (an ankle-bracelet with bells, for
example). Women in pre-Islamic Arabia used to wear such bracelets and
stamp their feet in the markets in order to entice and attract men.
6. The dress should not
resemble the garments of men, nor should it imitate the dress of
non-Muslims.
7.
Make-up (unless it is completely covered by a face-veil) and perfume
are strictly prohibited for Muslim women when outdoors or in the
presence of non-mahrem men.
8.
A Muslim woman who wears hijab should also strive to make her actions
consistent with her dress with regards to Islamic guidelines for
speech, manners and behavior.
Hijab:
The Muslim Woman's Dress
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