All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear sister in Islam, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

Islam does not prohibit women from going out to fulfill their needs, but it lays down a proper code of behavior, which is primarily intended to safeguard the modesty, dignity and honor of men and women.

In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

It is important to remember that the purpose of hijab in Islam is not to cut women out from participating in the activities of the society or to keep men and women utterly segregated or to make it hard for women to function normally in life. Rather the purpose of hijab is to help women maintain their dignity and honor as free persons and to help them fulfill their obligations smoothly and comfortably.

So the requirements of hijab are never oppressive or restrictive in any way; here are the requisites of hijab or proper Islamic attire for women:

1. It should cover her whole body except face and hands.

2. It should be loose-fitting.

3. It should not be transparent or revealing.

4. It should not be an attire specifically worn by men only.

So long as your attire fulfills the above conditions, you don’t have to worry. Remember Allah has not revealed religion to make life difficult; rather it is intended to make it easy and comfortable for us. Allah says: (He has not laid upon you in religion any hardship) (Al-Hajj 22: 78). (Allah wishes to lighten the burden for you; for certainly man has been created weak!) (An-Nisaa’ 4: 28).

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam.ca