I did not understand how it is that a Muslim woman must be covered from her chest up to her knees only?
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Assalam-o-alaikum!
I
asked you a question earlier about the necessity of covering the head even in
front of non-mehrams (except husband), and your answer was very prompt.
However,
I did not understand how it is that a Muslim woman must be covered from her
chest up to her knees only? I`ve heard this for the first time, and it doesn`t
conform with the dress code being adopted by internationally-recognized Islamic
organizations like Al-Huda (that base all their actions on the Authentic
sources of Islamic law).
Can
you please provide me some references, so that I may confirm your statements
with other scholars?
Can
you please also tell me whether Dr Israr, in his statement that women must
cover up in front of male Mehrams (except husbands), is right or wrong? Or is
this some gray area where the scolars have difference of opinion, like the
necessity/obligation of covering the face. A friend of mine has also been
trying to convince me that head-covering in front of Mehrams is necessary,
"just like we cover up in Salah" i.e. she says that the Satr of a
woman is the dress she has to adopt for Salah.
I
apologize for pestering you with such small questions, but for me to get the
best opinion on the matter, it has become unavoidable.
Kindly
enlighten me.
Assalam-o-alaikum!
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Satr of women with mehrams
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Beloved sister in Islam, never ever hesitate or apologize
for asking any questions in the deen; for the deen or ‘way of life’ called
Al-Islam is based on the Perfect Wisdom and Knowledge of the All Knowing Lord,
and every single command of the All Wise Lord is abundant in common-sense and
logic. Asking any type of questions in
Islam to gain more knowledge, or to confirm the Truth so that one’s heart is
more content, or to understand and thus follow with more conviction the
dictates of the deen is not only permissible, but absolutely encouraged in
Islam. It is the right of the brother
or sister to ask anything they wish to clarify in the deen; and it is the
responsibility and duty of the good scholars to address the question asked to
the best of their knowledge and ability, and in the most polite and humble
manner.
What is discouraged in Islam is if one asks questions for
the sake of asking, or arguing to ridicule the Truth with absolutely no
intention of obeying or following when the Truth is made clear to them,
etc. But if one asks questions to
clarify and seek knowledge so that one may better follow the deen; such seeking
of the Knowledge of Truth is absolutely encouraged in Islam
Your Question: Or is
this some gray area where the scolars have difference of opinion, like the
necessity/obligation of covering the face.
Beloved Sister in Islam, the scholars of the four major
schools of thought are unanimous in their opinion that the absolutely minimum
‘satr’ of the believing woman, or her body parts which she is not to expose to
absolutely anyone (except her husband) is from the beginning of her breasts to
her knees (inclusive). The eminent
scholars are absolutely unanimous on this opinion and there is no difference of
opinion in this regard.
Even regarding the covering of the face of the believing
woman when in the presence of non-mehram adult males, the majority of the
scholars are of the opinion that the covering of the face or leaving it exposed
is not a decision between what is right and wrong, but between that which is
good and that what is best!
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 24 Surah Nur verse 31:
(O Prophet) enjoin the
believing woman to restrain their gaze and guard their modesty, and not to
display their adornment except that which is displayed of itself,
and to draw their veils over their bosoms,
and not to display their adornments except before their husbands, their fathers, …….and also forbid them to
stamp their feet on the ground lest their hidden ornaments should be displayed.
There are two opinions amongst
the scholars in Islam as to what does the phrase ‘except
that which is displayed of itself’ mean and include. One opinion is that it means the face and
the hands may be left uncovered, and the other opinion is that the face also
has to be covered, and only the hands may be left uncovered.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood
Hadith 4092 Narrated by Aisha, Ummul
Mu'minin
Asma, daughter of
AbuBakr, entered upon the Messenger of Allah (saws) wearing thin clothes. The
Messenger of Allah (saws) turned his attention from her and said: ‘O Asma',
when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she
displays her parts of body except this and this’, and he pointed to her face
and hands.
The most accepted opinion is
that if the women covers everything except her face and her hands, she would be following the Command of
Allah; and if she chooses to cover her
face, then it would be considered
purest and closest to the Command of Allah Subhanah.
The difference between the
covering and leaving uncovered the face of a believing woman in ‘hijaab’ is not
one between right and wrong, but rather between what is best and what is good. If the believing woman covers her whole body
and chooses to leave her face uncovered, it is good, acceptable and in
accordance with the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah; but if she covers her
whole body including her face with a ‘niqaab’, it would be best and closest to
the Command of her Lord.
Your Question: A
friend of mine has also been trying to convince me that head-covering in front
of Mehrams is necessary, "just like we cover up in Salah" i.e. she
says that the Satr of a woman is the dress she has to adopt for Salah.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 24 Surah An-Noor verse 31:
And O Prophet, enjoin the believing women to restrain their
gaze and guard their private parts and not to display their adornment except
that which is displayed of itself (their face and hands), and to draw their veils over their bosoms
and not to display their adornment except before their
husbands, their fathers, the fathers of
their husbands, their sons and the sons of their husbands, their brothers, their brothers sons, their sisters’ sons, their female associates, and those in their
possession and male attendants incapable of sexual desire, and those boys who have not yet attained
knowledge of sexual matters. Also
forbid them to stamp their feet on the ground lest their hidden ornaments
should be displayed.
Beloved Sister in Islam, the above guidance of the Lord in
His Glorious Quran regarding the proper attire of the believing woman is
absolutely self-explanatory….she is not to display her adornment and beauty and
draw her veil over herself in the presence of all…..EXCEPT those who are listed
above:
It is absolutely unreasonable, unacceptable, and inaccurate
for one to determine that it is an obligation in Islam on the believing women
to cover herself up completely in the presence of the ten parties listed above just
as she would if she were in the presence of non-mehrams or in prayer,
especially when the Lord Most High Himself has listed the ten parties in the
presence of whom her ‘hijaab’ may be relaxed!
……and to draw their
veils over their bosoms and not to display their adornment except before their husbands, their fathers, ……etc.
Your Question: Can
you please also tell me whether Dr Israr, in his statement that women must
cover up in front of male Mehrams (except husbands), is right or wrong?
Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, without a doubt, our
respected brother and teacher Dr. Israr Ahmad, is amongst the most recognized
and eminent scholars of our times; and we, along with millions of muslims who
strive to study the deen, have immense respect and admiration for the selfless
work he has done in the Cause of Allah, his immense knowledge, and his rulings
on matters of the deen.
Firstly, it is absolutely inconceivable to us that a
scholar of the stature of Dr. Israr Ahmad would possibly give such a ruling
that a believing woman is to cover herself completely in front of her mehrams
and non-mehrams alike, when the above quoted verse of the Glorious Quran, and
the opinion of all the eminent and major jurists in Islam declares
otherwise! In our humble opinion, it is
possible that the person who claims that this ruling was given by Dr. Israr
Ahmad misheard or probably misunderstood the context of the ruling. And Allah Alone Knows Best.
Secondly, when the Glorious Quran is so clear in the
matter regarding the differentiation of the dress-code of the believing woman
when she is in the presence of her mehrams and her non-mehrams, if anyone
declares an opinion which is against the absolutely clear guidance of the Quran,
their opinion obviously cannot be accepted.
Your Question: However,
I did not understand how it is that a Muslim woman must be covered from her
chest up to her knees only?
All the scholars of all the four major schools of thought
are unanimous that the absolute minimum ‘satr’ of the believing men constitutes
from the beginning of his navel to the end of his knees (inclusive); and the
‘satr’ of the believing women constitutes from the beginning of her chest to
the end of her knees (inclusive). It is
absolutely unlawful for the believing men and the believing women to expose the
body parts which constitute their absolutely minimum ‘satr’ to anyone in
creation, except their spouse in marriage; for there is absolutely no ‘satr’ or
‘hijaab’ between a couple united in the sacred bond of marriage in Islam.
Now just because there is no prescribed ‘satr’ or ‘hijaab’
between a husband and a wife in Islam, it does not at all mean that every time
a husband and a wife are alone, they must be naked!!!! Similarly, when the ‘satr’ of the believing
woman amongst her mehrams is prescribed as between the beginning of her chest
and her knees (inclusive), it does not at all mean or imply that she must
expose those allowable parts beyond her ‘satr’ every time she is in the
presence of her mehram relatives!
The absolute minimum ‘satr’ of the believing men is the
body parts between their navel and their knees (inclusive); but it does not
mean or imply that when they sit amongst their parents, or uncles, or sisters,
etc. they strip down to their minimum legal ‘satr’ allowed, exposing everything
except what is between their navel and their knees! But modesty and etiquette dictates that one dress and behave
appropriately when in the presence of others, especially elders.
Thus when a believing woman is amongst her mehram
relatives, or her womenfolk, or amongst children, she has the option to relax
her ‘hijaab’, if she chooses and wishes to do so; and as long as her dress and
adornment does not expose her absolute minimum prescribed ‘satr’, she may adorn
herself any which way she feels is appropriate to her gathering.
But under absolutely no circumstances is she allowed to
expose her prescribed minimum ‘satr’ or her body parts between her chest and
her knees (inclusive) to anyone in creation including her mehrams, except her
husband.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
