THE OUTER GARMENT WORN IN PUBLIC MUST COVER ALL OF THE BODY EXCEPT THE FACE AND HANDS. Surah An-Noor, Verse 31:

THE OUTER GARMENT WORN IN PUBLIC MUST COVER ALL OF THE
BODY EXCEPT THE FACE AND HANDS.
Surah An-Noor, Verse 31:
ﻭَﻗُﻞ ﻟِّﻠْﻤُﺆْﻣِﻨَﺎﺕِ ﻳَﻐْﻀُﻀْﻦَ ﻣِﻦْ ﺃَﺑْﺼَﺎﺭِﻫِﻦَّ ﻭَﻳَﺤْﻔَﻈْﻦَ ﻓُﺮُﻭﺟَﻬُﻦَّ ﻭَﻟَﺎ ﻳُﺒْﺪِﻳﻦَ ﺯِﻳﻨَﺘَﻬُﻦَّ ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﻣَﺎ ﻇَﻬَﺮَ ﻣِﻨْﻬَﺎ
ﻭَﻟْﻴَﻀْﺮِﺑْﻦَ ﺑِﺨُﻤُﺮِﻫِﻦَّ ﻋَﻠَﻰٰ ﺟُﻴُﻮﺑِﻬِﻦَّ ﻭَﻟَﺎ ﻳُﺒْﺪِﻳﻦَ ﺯِﻳﻨَﺘَﻬُﻦَّ ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﻟِﺒُﻌُﻮﻟَﺘِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﺁﺑَﺎﺋِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﺁﺑَﺎﺀِ ﺑُﻌُﻮﻟَﺘِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ
ﺃَﺑْﻨَﺎﺋِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﺃَﺑْﻨَﺎﺀِ ﺑُﻌُﻮﻟَﺘِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﺇِﺧْﻮَﺍﻧِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﺑَﻨِﻲ ﺇِﺧْﻮَﺍﻧِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﺑَﻨِﻲ ﺃَﺧَﻮَﺍﺗِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﻧِﺴَﺎﺋِﻬِﻦَّ ﺃَﻭْ ﻣَﺎ ﻣَﻠَﻜَﺖْ
ﺃَﻳْﻤَﺎﻧُﻬُﻦَّ ﺃَﻭِ ﺍﻟﺘَّﺎﺑِﻌِﻴﻦَ ﻏَﻴْﺮِ ﺃُﻭﻟِﻲ ﺍﻟْﺈِﺭْﺑَﺔِ ﻣِﻦَ ﺍﻟﺮِّﺟَﺎﻝِ ﺃَﻭِ ﺍﻟﻄِّﻔْﻞِ ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﻈْﻬَﺮُﻭﺍ ﻋَﻠَﻰٰ ﻋَﻮْﺭَﺍﺕِ
ﺍﻟﻨِّﺴَﺎﺀِ ﻭَﻟَﺎ ﻳَﻀْﺮِﺑْﻦَ ﺑِﺄَﺭْﺟُﻠِﻬِﻦَّ ﻟِﻴُﻌْﻠَﻢَ ﻣَﺎ ﻳُﺨْﻔِﻴﻦَ ﻣِﻦ ﺯِﻳﻨَﺘِﻬِﻦَّ ﻭَﺗُﻮﺑُﻮﺍ ﺇِﻟَﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﺟَﻤِﻴﻌًﺎ ﺃَﻳُّﻪَ ﺍﻟْﻤُﺆْﻣِﻨُﻮﻥَ
ﻟَﻌَﻠَّﻜُﻢْ ﺗُﻔْﻠِﺤُﻮﻥَ
And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and
guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except
what appears thereof, and let them wear their head-coverings over their
bosoms, and not display their ornaments except to their husbands or
their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons
of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their
sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands
possess, or the male servants not having need (of women), or the
children who have not attained knowledge of what is hidden of women;
and let them not strike their feet so that what they hide of their
ornaments may be known; and turn to Allah all of you, O believers! so
that you may be successful.
Abu Dawud may Allah be pleased with him narrated that 'A'ishah may
Allah be pleased with her said:
Asma came to see the Messenger of Allah salalahu alaihi wassalam.
She was wearing a thin dress; the Prophet salalahu alayihi wasalam
turned away from her and said to her: "O Asma, once a woman
reaches the age of puberty no part of her body should be uncovered
except her face and hands."
"...And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of
their adornment."
Women in the time of the Prophet Muhammad swalalalahu alaihi
wassalam used to wear anklets, which they could employ to attract
attention by stamping their feet, making the anklets tinkle together.
This practice was now forbidden, but even more important for us,
these words make it absolutely clear that the legs and ankles are to be
covered.
Bin 'Umar may Allah be pleased with him narrated:
Let them lower their gaze Prophet Muhammad swalalalahu alaihi
wassalam said: "On the Day of Judgment Allah will not look upon one
who trails his garment along out of pride." Um Salamah then asked:
"What should women do with their garments?" The Prophet (saws)
said: "They may lower them a hand span." She said: "Their feet would
still be uncovered." The Prophet (saws) said: then lower them a
forearm's length, but no more."
[Tirmithi]
Abu Dawud may Allah be pleased with him related that after this ayah
was revealed the women of the Ansar appeared like crows (because of
the black cloaks which they wore).
Some outer garment, whether a cloak or a coat, must be worn by a
Muslim woman when she is in public, and even when she is in her
own house or that of a close relative, if she is in the presence of
strangers.
Proper covering cannot be achieved by wearing tight or transparent
apparel.
The Prophet salalahu alayihi wasalam said:
"There will be, in the last days of my Ummah (nation), women who are
dressed and undressed. Curse them: they are accursed."
[Al-Tabarani]
Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him related that the Prophet
salalahu alayihi wasalam referred to:
...women who are naked even though they are wearing clothes, go
astray and make others go astray, and they will not enter paradise nor
smell its fragrance, although it can be smelled from afar.
[At Tabarani]
The "dressed and yet undressed" women are those who wear
transparent or very tight clothes, or clothes which are cut in such a way
that they expose the body. Such clothes reveal more than they conceal.
The Prophet salalahu alayihi wasalam said:
Belief and the sense of shame are tied together; if one is lost the other
is lost."
[Al-Hakim]
It should be noted that a woman should wear a loose over-garment for
offering prayer. It should cover her whole body (as far as going out)
and should be such that it conceals the shape of her arms and legs, as
well as that of the rest of her body.
1. Muslim women are not to wear perfume in public.
Abu Musa narrated that the Prophet salalahu alayihi wasalam said:
Any woman who wears perfume and passes by some people who
smell her perfume is like one who commits fornication.
[at-Tirmidhi]
Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him said that:
A woman passed by him smelling strongly of scent. He called to her:
"O slave of the powerful, are you going to the mosque?" She said that
she was. He said: "Go back and wash it off. I heard the Messenger of
Allah (saws) say: 'Any woman who goes to the mosque wearing
perfume will not have her prayer accepted by Allah; first she should go
back home and have a bath [to wash it off].'"
[Ibn Majah]
It is inappropriate for a woman to wear perfume in the mosque, where
people are attending to the worship of Allah (swt); how much more
inappropriate it is that she should wear scent elsewhere, where people
are more liable to distraction. Scent attracts attention to a woman and
may thereby stimulate sexual desires; this is improper in the
marketplace and mosque.
2. The clothes of Muslim women should not resemble men's clothes.
Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him said that:
The Messenger of Allah salalahu alaihi wassalam cursed the man who
wears women's clothes and the woman who wears men's clothes.
[al-Bukhari]
Ibn Umar may Allah be pleased with him said that he heard the
Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam say:
He is not of us who imitates women nor is he of us who imitates men."
[Al Hakim]
Abdullah Ibn Umar may Allah be pleased with him reported that the
Prophet salalahu alayihi wasalam said:
Three people will not enter paradise, and Allah will not look at them on
the day of Judgment:
(1).The one who is disobedient to his parents,
(2).The woman who imitates men
(3). The ad-dayooth.( Ad-dayooth is the man who permits women for
whom he is responsible to engage in illicit sexual relations, or to
display their beauty to strange men, thereby stimulating their sexual
desires.)
[Ahmad]
3. The clothes of Muslim women should not resemble those of the
disbelievers.
Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 16:
ﺃَﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺄْﻥِ ﻟِﻠَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺁﻣَﻨُﻮﺍ ﺃَﻥ ﺗَﺨْﺸَﻊَ ﻗُﻠُﻮﺑُﻬُﻢْ ﻟِﺬِﻛْﺮِ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﻧَﺰَﻝَ ﻣِﻦَ ﺍﻟْﺤَﻖِّ ﻭَﻟَﺎ ﻳَﻜُﻮﻧُﻮﺍ ﻛَﺎﻟَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺃُﻭﺗُﻮﺍ
ﺍﻟْﻜِﺘَﺎﺏَ ﻣِﻦ ﻗَﺒْﻞُ ﻓَﻄَﺎﻝَ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻬِﻢُ ﺍﻟْﺄَﻣَﺪُ ﻓَﻘَﺴَﺖْ ﻗُﻠُﻮﺑُﻬُﻢْ ﻭَﻛَﺜِﻴﺮٌ ﻣِّﻨْﻬُﻢْ ﻓَﺎﺳِﻘُﻮﻥَ
Has not the time yet come for those who believe that their hearts
should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and what has come
down of the truth? And that they should not be like those who were
given the Book before, but the time became prolonged to them, so
their hearts hardened, and most of them are transgressors.
Those who refuse to submit to Allah's commands are rebels against
Him, and they are permitted to continue in their rebellion until their
hearts become hard.
The ayah and Hadeeth quoted above serve as a double warning to us:
we must take care to heed Allah's commands, revealed to us through
the Qur'an and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saws), lest we suffer the
fate of the recipients of previous revelations; we should also shun the
way of life of any believing people. If we adopt what is theirs, we
partake also of the quality of their hearts.
We pray to Allah to safeguard us from that, lest we become like them.
Given the condition of the disbeliever's' hearts, it is not surprising to
find that much of their clothing, particularly that of women, is
unsuitable for Muslims. It is designed to be attractive in itself and to
enhance and attract attention to women's natural beauty.
4. The clothing of Muslim women should not be ostentatious.
Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
He who dresses for ostentation in this world, Allah will dress him in a
dress of humiliation on the Day of Judgment and set it on fire.