Question:
I am not an aalimah.
I always found it difficult to understand when women would wear tights under their abayas.
I see that it has become a norm amongst the aalimahs and the wives and daughters of ulema.
I am in no way fault finding….I want to know is there a specific ruling regarding this or have I just been extremely hard regarding this issue.
In my own family ,despite been repeatedly advised and told not to wear the tights ,a number of girls ,after studying aalimah course, resorted to wearing tights underneath their abayas.
Is it allowed and maybe I am wrong all along?
This issue pains me as the new generation of aalims n aalimahs are supposed to be our future flag bearers of deen…n there seems to be no more role models with regards simplicity and haya.
Answer:
Firstly, we should ask Allah to put the love of the Ulema in our hearts and make lots of Duaa for their wellbeing and guidance.
The purpose of clothing is to cover the body and Satr of a person. However, the types of clothing found nowadays differ from modest to immodest. If a woman has such clothing which is regarded as immodest, then she should abstain from wearing it in front of anyone except her husband. Regarding tights, if it is worn for her husband at home, there will be no problem with it (provided that they are not such tights that are exclusive and peculiar to the fashion of the Kuffaar). Similarly, if these tights are worn under an Abaya in such a way that the shape of her body cannot be seen, then it will be permissible although it will be better to abstain. If the tights are worn in such a way where the shape/contours of the body can be seen (in spite of it being worn under the Abaya), then it will not be permissible for her to wear it at all. Similarly, even if the shape of the body may not be seen through the Abaya, in the case where the Abaya is removed and these tights (that show the contours of the body) are exposed to people other than her husband, this too would not be permitted. We also agree with you that men and women alike should adopt Hayaa and simplicity in their clothing, as that is what Shari’ah advocates.
In conclusion, Hayaa, is an integral part of Deen and we should try to the best of our ability to adopt those types of clothing that exude Hayaa and are closest to the Sunnah. For this reason, women should abstain from wearing tight fitting clothing especially when it generally results in emulating the Kuffar in their dress.
Checked and Approved By:
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
فتاویٰ دار العلوم زکریا ج7 ص102-104