Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Is covering of the head (ḥijāb/ head veil or scarf) mandatory for muslim women? If so, at what age does it become mandatory? How can I convince a sister to start wearing ḥijāb?
Answer:
In the Name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for your question.
It is a religious requirement for mature women to veil with the ḥijāb in the presence of non-maḥrams, according to all classical Islamic jurists due to verses of the Qurʾān such as the following:
“And tell the believing women that they must lower their gazes and guard their private parts, and must not expose their adornment, except that which appears thereof, and must wrap their bosoms with their shawls, and must not expose their adornment, except to their husbands or their fathers or the fathers of their husbands, or to their sons or the sons of their husbands, or to their brothers or the sons of their brothers or the sons of their sisters, or to their women, or to those owned by their right hands, or male attendants having no (sexual) urge, or to the children who are not yet conscious of the nudity of women. And let them not stamp their feet in a way that the adornment they conceal is known. And repent to God, O believers, all of you, so that you may achieve success.” – (Qurʾān: 24:31).
Maturity is the time when this ruling of ḥijāb becomes mandatory on a sister. Puberty of females is determined by: menstruation, wet dream and pregnancy. If none of the above occur, the age of 17 is specified by numerous jurists.
I suggest you encourage the sister by expounding on the benefits of modesty and morality to her. Also take her to environments where she may be exposed to ḥijāb dawning muslim women of various ranks.
And Allāh Knows Best