Answered by Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan
Question: Assalam alaykum,
Can a Muslim girl become a fashion designer?
Answer:Wa alaykum al-Salam
In principle, it is permissible for a Muslim female to become a fashion designer. This is based on the maxim that “the default ruling of all things is permissibility” and will only be considered impermissible with evidence.
That being said, the Muslim designer should ensure that she designs such clothing that covers the awrah appropriately. Designing clothing that uncovers the awrah, when it is either known or highly probable, that the female purchasing the garment will wear it in front of strange men, will be impermissible.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said in Surah al-Ma’idah, “… And support each other in righteousness and piety, but do not support each other sin and aggression.”
The Messenger sallaLlahu alayhi wasallam said, “Whosoever calls to guidance will have the reward similar to all those who follow him [in that guidance] without their reward diminishing in any way and whosoever calls to misguidance, he will have the sins similar to all those who follow him [in that misguidance] without their sins decreasing in any way.” [Muslim]
Thus the designing of impermissible, licentious clothing, depending on circumstances, may earn her perpetual sin. On the flip side, if she was to produce such designs that are modest, but at the same time “fashionable”, whereby her clothing serves as a intermediary between prohibited clothing and the fully fledged abaya, then this would be desired and may earn her perpetual reward.
And Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan
Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.