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Prohibition of adornment and unveiling 
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon the best of His Creatures, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, Companions and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
The greatest blessing given by Allah to mankind is the blessing of Islam and guidance to follow the Shari`ah (Islamic law) conveyed by the best of creation. The Shari`ah ensures goodness and happiness in this world, as well as success and safety on the Day of Resurrection for those who follow it strictly.
Islam came to preserve and maintain women's dignity, define their noble position, and protect them from anything that may tarnish their dignity. Thus, it prohibited women to sit in Khulwah (being alone with a member of the opposite sex) with a non-Mahram (not a spouse or permanently unmarriageable relative); travel without a Mahram (spouse or permanently unmarriageable relative); expose her beauty which is dispraised as one of the customs of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance), as it leads to Fitnah (temptation) and the spread of obscenities. Allah states,
And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance
Displaying themselves means revealing their charms. It is also prohibited for them to freely intermix with non-Mahram men or be soft in speech, in order to defend against the means leading to Fitnah and enticement to commit immoral acts. Allah states,
O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allâh), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner. The disease here refers to lust.
A woman is also asked to be modest in her dress and to wear Hijab (veil), as it protects her and purifies everyone's hearts. Allah (Exalted be He) states,
O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allâh is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. |
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Allah (Glorified be He) also states,
And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen: that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts.They (may Allah be pleased with them) obeyed the orders of Allah and His Messenger, and they hurried to wear Hijab and cover up in front of non-Mahrams. It is narrated by
Abu Dawud with a good Sanad (chain of narrators), on the authority of
Um Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said,
When this Ayah (Qur'anic verse) was revealed, the women of Al-Ansar (the Helpers, inhabitants of Madinah who supported the Prophet) went out wearing black as if they carried ravens on their heads.
It is narrated by
Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and
Ibn Majah on the authority of
the Mother of the Believers, `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said,
Riders would pass us when we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while we were in the state of Ihram (ritual state for Hajj and `Umrah). When they came by us, we would let down our outer garments from our heads over our faces, and when they had passed on, we would uncover our faces. The Mother of the Believers, `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) is the best of women in religion, knowledge, morals and manners. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about her,
The merit of `Aishah over other women is like the merit of Tharid (a dish of sopped bread, meat and broth) over all other kinds of food. It is authentically reported that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked women to attend Salat-ul-`Eid (the Festival Prayer), they said, "O Messenger of Allah! One of us might not have a Jilbab (loose outer garment with no front opening)." He (peace be upon him) said,
Let her sister give her one of her Jilbabs to wear. (Related by
Al-Bukhari and
Muslim). It can be deduced from this Hadith that the women of Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) used to wear Jilbabs when going out. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not allow them to go out without a Jilbab, in order to block the means leading to Fitnah, protect them from corruption and purify the hearts of the people, although they lived in the best of centuries, and the men and women were honorable Mu'mins (believers). It is authentically reported in the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim), on the authority of
`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said,
Some women used to attend the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while they were covered with their woolen clothes. After finishing Salah (Prayer), they would return to their homes without being recognized by anyone because of darkness. This Hadith indicates that wearing Hijab and covering up was common among the women of Sahabah who were the best and most highly-principled,
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during the most faithful of centuries who performed the best deeds according to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). They were a good model to be followed by the later generations in their deeds.
Taking this into consideration, it is deduced that what some women do nowadays of dressing up, neglecting Hijab, revealing their charms to non-Mahrams, and going out while wearing makeup and perfume is contradictory to the evidence mentioned in Shari`ah and the way of the Salaf (righteous predecessors). It is a Munkar (that which is unacceptable or disapproved of by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect) that should be changed by the rulers, scholars and those responsible for Hisbah (regulation of economic, commercial, and public matters), each according to his own capacity. They have to prevent this Munkar and compel women to cover up in front of men, dress modestly, and keep from mixing up with them in the markets.
One of the disapproved matters innovated by people today is making a stage for the bride, where her husband sits with her in the presence of adorned women. Some of his or her male relatives might be present as well. There is no doubt that this custom leads to great evil and enables men to watch fully adorned, charming women. This leads to terrible consequences, so it should be banned to avoid the means leading to Fitnah and protect the society of women from what contradicts the sanctified Shari`ah.
My advice to all Muslims in these countries is to fear Allah as He should be feared, abide by His Shari`ah in all things, and beware of all the prohibitions made by Allah. Muslims must keep away from all the means leading to evil and corruption, whether in weddings or elsewhere, in order to seek Allah's (Glorified and Exalted be He) Pleasure and avoid things that invoke His Anger and Punishment.
May Allah make us and all the Muslims follow His Noble Book, abide by the guidance of His Prophet (peace be upon him), protect us from temptations and following desires, clarify for us the truth and make us follow it, and clarify for us falsehood and make us avoid it. He is the Best to be sought for help. May Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon His Slave and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.