Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله وبركاته :

Is it Haraam if you dont wear Hijab when you are supposed to ? I mean can I wear it in a certain age ?

I`m hesitating about wearing a Hijab , I reached an age where im supposed to wear one. Is there anything i can do instead of wearing it? Im thinking of wearing it after a year or so (Inshalla) , but I still want to do something instead of wearing one 

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Answer:

What age to wear hijab

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 59:

O Prophet, enjoin your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons. It is expected that they will thus be recognized, and not molested. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah An-Noor verse 31:

And O Prophet, enjoin the believing women to restrain their gaze and guard their private parts and not to display their ‘zeenata hunna’ (beauty, adornment, etc.) except that which is displayed of itself, and to draw their veils over their bosoms and not to display their ‘zeenata hunna’ (beauty, adornment, etc.) except before their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons and the sons of their husbands, their brothers, their brothers sons, their sisters’ sons, their female associates, and those in their possession and male attendants incapable of sexual desire, and those boys who have not yet attained knowledge of sexual matters. Also forbid them to stamp their feet on the ground lest their hidden ornaments should be displayed.

Allah Subhanah has directed the Command towards the Prophet (saws) commanding him to enjoin his wives, his daughters and the believing women that when in the presence of non-mehram males, they should cast their outer garments over their full body. All the schools of thought in Islam are unanimous in their opinion that the casting of an outer garment or ‘jilbaab’ is absolutely obligatory upon every believing woman who has passed the age of puberty.

Your Question: …..Is there anything i can do instead of wearing it? Im thinking of wearing it after a year or so (Inshalla) , but I still want to do something instead of wearing one 

Respected sister, it is an ordained obligation and a duty unto every believing woman who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day and has passed the age of puberty to adorn herself with a ‘jilbaab’ when in the presence of non-mehram men.

A believing woman may do any number of good deeds in ‘addition’ to obeying the Command of her Lord to adorn herself with the ‘jilbaab’ when in the presence of non-mehram men…..but there is absolutely no room in Shariah for her to do anything ‘instead’ of wearing the ‘jilbaab’ which would obliterate or make up for the sin of exposing her ‘satr’ in front of her non-mehram males!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan