In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

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

Sister, first of all, we’d like to say that we are impressed by your question, which emanates from a thoughtful heart. May Allah Almighty help us all adhere to the principles of this true religion, Islam, and enable us to be among the dwellers of Paradise in the Hereafter. Ameen.

Hijab is a religious obligation for Muslim women. It is a religious ordinance that is supported by both the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Thus, hijab is a duty that Allah Almighty prescribes for the Muslim woman, and she has to carry out that duty in compliance with the Command of Allah by showing her sincere faith in Allah through wearing the hijab.

The Islamic dress code for women is not only covering the head or wearing a long dress. Hijab is the proper Islamic dress code, which is primarily intended to safeguard the modesty, dignity, and honor of men and women. It is incorrect to use the word hijab to refer only to the headscarf.

In her response to your question, the prominent Muslim scholar and da`iyah Zeinab Mostafa states:

Dear daughter, thank you very much for your important question.

The Islamic dress is not covering the head and wearing long sleeves or a long dress down to the ankles. It is a great meaning for the Islamic identity of the Muslim woman.

Allah Most High mentioned in Surat An-Nur the main requirements of the Islamic dress. This general description in the Qur'an has been explained in detail in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Islamic dress should be:

- wide and loose and not tight to the point of shaping the body

- not transparent or see-through

- not carrying a symbol of un-Islamic faiths

- not having sheer flagrancy that tempts

- not displaying excessive ostentation or showing off

- not to be a dress that is exclusive for men

If you see these requirements, you can determine what the moderate Islamic dress would look like and what the meaning of hijab really is.

As for these women who are putting on makeup and wearing tight jeans, they may have not understood the meaning and the core of Islamic dress.