• Women: Dress code and covering the faces
May I point out some statements given in the answers by you which do not seem to tally with each other. They concern the way Muslim women should dress in public. At one point, you say that a woman's dress must not be an attraction and that its colors should not be such as will attract the attention of other people. This is perfectly understandable. However, you have said on several occasions that a woman's face need not be covered. In my humble view, both dress and face can be highly attractive. Indeed, the face can be much more so. I request clarification.
I must admit that the question of whether a Muslim woman should cover her face or not is a thorny one, not because we do not have clear instructions by the Prophet about it, but because people choose to take inflexible stands on it.
However, it is not up to any person to impose on another something which Allah has not required of him as a duty. There may be all the right arguments supporting the view that what is advocated by some people is of benefit to the individual and the community. But the fact that Allah has not chosen to make it compulsory means that no one can make it so. Any Muslim who chooses not to do it violates no rule or principle of Islam.
Having considered the question of women's dress in all its aspects and having read all the arguments supporting the view that a woman must cover her face, I can state categorically, without any equivocation, that Muslim women are not required by their religion to cover their faces. That is my clear belief and I can say that this is what I have learned from great and famous scholars, past and contemporary.
When we describe the dress of a Muslim woman and outline what is required, we also state clearly that the dress itself must not be eye-catching. The very concept of propriety, which must always be observed by Muslim women, makes it clear that the outfit of a Muslim woman must not be eye-catching. In other words, when she passes by, she should not make other people's faces turn to look at her.
You are confusing this requirement with a woman having an attractive face. It is the simple fact that she cannot do anything about how Allah has created her. If she is attractive she should thank Allah for that. But we do not read anywhere in Islamic teachings that a woman with an attractive face must cover her face. What we read is that a Muslim woman should maintain the normal Islamic standards of propriety. Whether she is attractive or not, the fact that she maintains these standards is sufficient to ensure that she is treated with respect and that people recognize that there is a virtuous woman who implements a profound faith. May I say that there are some women who look more attractive when they cover their head than when they put their head-dress off. Could we say to such women that they should not cover their heads? It is not the attraction which makes the rule. The rule is there to be implemented by all women. They should not take a positive action in order to attract men to look at them. That is what is meant by having a dress which is not eye-catching. But a woman's face is the one which Allah gave her. She must not wear makeup when she goes out in public so that she does not positively attract the attention of others. Similarly, she does not wear an eye-catching dress. When she has observed the rules, that is all that is required of her. I hope this clarification is satisfactory.
• Women: Dress code for old womenMy mother feels that since she has passed the childbearing age, she is exempt from the strict rules of Islamic dress. She particularly feels that she is no longer required to cover her hair. Is this opinion correct or not? I personally think that the Hadith which explains the part of our bodies which we must cover includes women in her age group. She is willing to start covering her head if that is required of her. May I add that she does dress modestly.
Perhaps your mother is referring [not to a Hadith but] to verse 60 of Surah 24 "Light" or An-Noor, which states: "As for elderly women who are unlikely to be married, no blame on them if they lay aside their clothing without displaying anything attractive. But to abstain from that is better for them. Allah hears all and knows all." It is important to know the full meaning of this verse. First of all, it speaks of elderly women whom no man would normally think of marrying in normal circumstances. It does not speak of women who have simply passed the childbearing age. Very few women give birth to children after the age of 45. At that age, a woman may still be sought in marriage.
The verse speaks of clothes, not the head cover. The majority of commentators of the Qur'an and leading scholars agree that what is meant here is the outer dress with which women are commanded to cover their bodies. The relaxation simply allows a woman not to have a top dress which covers all her body, provided, however, that by so doing she does not reveal any part of her body which is required to cover, like all Muslim women. An elderly women may not reveal that before her own relatives. What this relaxation gives her is to appear in front of men in her ordinary clothes, without having to put on a top coat or dress. So, provided that an elderly woman dresses modestly and does not use anything attractive, she may appear in front of men without a top dress.
We have to note here that the Qur'anic verse follows this relaxation with a statement which points out that it is much more preferable for elderly women not to use this relaxation. It says, to abstain from that is better for them. The significance is obvious. As for using cosmetics, this remains within the well-known restrictions, that the cosmetic used must not change a woman's appearance and must not be noticeable. It should be only intended to improve one's appearance without being eye-catching.
One or two scholars express the opinion which supports your mother's view, namely, that a woman who has attained to such an old age may put her head cover aside. On reflection, this opinion does not appear to be weighty. We have to remember also that if a woman uncovers her hair during prayers, her prayers are invalid, whether she is young or old, of marriageable age or not.
May I advise that you should try to persuade your mother gradually that when she covers her hair she does what the overwhelming majority of Islamic scholars agree that she should do.
• Women: Dressed up seductively
The Prophet is quoted to have condemned the women who, "Although clothed, are yet naked, seducing and being seduced, their hairstyle is like the tilted humps of camels. These will not enter paradise nor will its fragrance even reach them, although its fragrance reaches a very great distance." Could you please explain why is this particular hairstyle censured by the Prophet?
It is not merely a specific hairstyle that is censured by the Prophet. It is the fact that a woman tries to attract the attention of other people when she goes out or appears in public. This is what is meant by the description by the Prophet of such women as "clothed are yet naked."
They certainly wear clothes, but their attire is meant to be attractive, or even seductive. In this way, they help promote indecency in society.
As you are well aware, a Muslim woman should dress in a decent and modest fashion. Her dress should cover all her body with the exception of her face and forearms. When a woman reveals any other part of her body in front of men, she violates Islamic teachings.