Question:
In women’s wedding gatherings and celebrations, certain styles of dress have become widespread that cause other women to feel disgusted upon seeing them. For example: a woman wears a dress that reveals part of her chest, while the area above it remains bare with nothing to cover it. What is the ruling on this? And what should my stance be if I see such clothing?
Answer:
The ruling on this is prohibition. It is not permissible for a woman to wear anything except loose, wide, and ample clothing. It is not lawful for her to wear tight-fitting clothes, nor to wear clothing that reveals her chest to the extent that parts of her breasts might be exposed. It is also not lawful for a woman to wear trousers (pants), as has begun to spread among women; trousers are only appropriate specifically with one’s husband, and on the condition that they are not designed in the style of men’s trousers. If they are designed in the style of men’s trousers, it becomes an act of imitating men, and the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family—cursed those women who imitate men.
I warn women against sliding into [the habit of wearing] these clothes, which lead to Fitnah (temptation/strife) or to the imitation of non-Muslim women. I say: fear Allah regarding yourselves, fear Allah regarding your offspring, and fear Allah regarding your society; for when punishment descends, it is not restricted [to the wrongdoers] but rather becomes collective.
We are now in this land, and praise be to Allah, in a state of security and prosperity. But will this security and prosperity remain alongside the disobedience of Allah? No, by the One who revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad. For Allah said in His Mighty Book: “And Allah puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allah (with ungratefulness). So Allah made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) which they (its people) used to do.” [An-Nahl: 112].
And Allah—Blessed and Exalted be He—said: “Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our Punishment by night while they are asleep? Or, did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our Punishment in the forenoon while they play? Did they then feel secure against the Plan of Allah. None feels secure from the Plan of Allah except the people who are the losers.” [Al-A’raf: 97-99].
And the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—said: “Two types of the people of Hell I have not yet seen: people with whips like the tails of cattle with which they strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, swaying and making others sway; they will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance, though its fragrance can be found from such-and-such a distance.” These tight, short, open, or thin garments fall under the general meaning of his statement “clothed yet naked,” as the people of knowledge have explicitly stated.
So, I warn our sisters against these garments, and I say: you must adhere to the guidance of the Salaf al-Salih (the Pious Predecessors).
The women of the Companions—as Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah stated—used to wear in their homes chemises, meaning garments that covered everything from the palms of the hands to the ankles. This was inside the home. As for when a woman went out, many of you are familiar with the Hadith of Umm Salamah; she sought permission from the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—when he granted them a concession to trail their hems, for her hem—meaning the edge of her garment—to extend to the length of a forearm below the feet, in order to ensure the feet remained covered.
We ask Allah the Almighty to guide us and you to His Straight Path, to grant our rulers success in all that is good and righteous, and to grant the heads of households—the men—success in providing proper guardianship over the women and children whom Allah has placed under their care. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.