Series of Questions Addressed to Scholar Sheikh Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah,

Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir through his Facebook Page The Answer to the Question Covering the Feet

To: Umm Sadeen al-Maqdisiyyah (Translated)

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu... I ask Allah (swt) that He accepts your worship, bless us with victory, stability, and steadfastness, and help you and honor you with a second Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood, in which you will be the sixth Rashid Khalifah.

He is the guardian of that, indeed He is Able.

Our honorable scholar, it was mentioned in the book, The Social System in Islam, in the fourth copy (1424 AH - 2003 CE) under the subject, looking to women, in the issue of the characteristics of the dress that a woman wears over her clothes, on page (49-50) in the Arabic edition: "It is stipulated that the Jilbab is draped down to the floor until it conceals the feet because Allah says in the Ayah: : ﴿يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ﴾ "to draw their cloaks (Jalabeeb) all over their bodies." [Al- Ahzab: 59] i.e. they should drape their Jilbabs because the preposition ‘min' here is not partative but explanatory. In other words they should drape their cover (Mula'a) and draping (Milhafa) down towards the floor. Since it has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah said:

«من جرَّ ثوبه خيلاء لم ينظر الله إليه يوم القيامة، فقالت أم سلمة: فكيف يصنع النساء بذيولهن؟ قال: يرخين شبراً، قالت؟ إذن ينكشف أقدامهن. قال: يرخين ذراعاً لا يزدن»

'On the Day of Judgement, Allah will not look with mercy towards the one that trails his garment behind him/herself inhaughty pride'. Umm Salama asked: ‘What are the women to do with the hems of their dresses?' He answered: ‘Let them increase their hems the length of a hand span'. She enquired: ‘Then their feet will be uncovered!' He then replied: ‘Let them increase a fore arm's length and no more'".

This clearly shows that the garment which is worn over one's clothes i.e. the cover (Mula'a) and draping (Milhafa) - should be draped down towards the floor until it covers the feet. Even if the feet were to be concealed by wearing socks or shoes, that will not substitute the draping of the garment down towards the floor in the manner which indicates that it has been draped. It is not necessary to cover the feet (by the draping of the garment) if the feet are concealed (by wearing shoes and socks)."

I felt that there is contradiction in this paragraph, when he said: "This clearly shows that the garment which is worn over one's clothes i.e. the cover (Mula'a) and sheet (Milhafa) - should be draped down towards the floor until it covers the feet", and in his saying: "It is not necessary to cover the feet (by the draping of the garment) if the feet are concealed (by wearing shoes and socks)." How can we understand this issue? Does the woman have to cover her feet with her cloak (jilbab), or covering them with socks substitutes the covering of the cloak (jilbab)?

Another thing, our honorable scholar, and please forgive me for my elaboration...

Regarding the Hadith that is narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«من جرَّ ثوبه خيلاء لم ينظر الله إليه يوم القيامة، فقالت أم سلمة: فكيف يصنع النساء بذيولهن؟ قال: يرخين شبراً، قالت؟ إذن ينكشف أقدامهن. قال: يرخين ذراعاً لا يزدن»

'On the Day of Judgement, Allah will not look with mercy towards the one that trails his garment behind him/herself in haughty pride'. Umm Salama asked: ‘What are the women to do with the hems of their dresses?' He answered: ‘Let them increase their hems the length of a hand span'. She enquired: ‘Then their feet will be uncovered!' He then replied: ‘Let them increase a fore arm's length and no more'", narrated by at-Tirmidhi.

From where was Umm Salama's measurement for the thing? Was it from the joint or from the middle of the foot?

How long should a woman drape down her cloak (jilbab)? Should she allow it to drag on the ground, or cover all the feet, or cover only the ankle of the foot, or covering with socks is a substitute or what??

May Allah bless you and your efforts... Wassalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
Umm Sadeen, Baitul Maqdus

Answer:

Wa Alaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu...

A) The women, especially those in the desert, used to walk with bare feet or wear a sole or something of the like that does not cover the feet completely, so the feet of the woman will be uncovered, unless she drapes down her dress to the ground so that her feet would not be uncovered while walking. When the Messenger of Allah (saw) has forbidden from trailing the garment behind oneself, Umm Salama noticed that if the dress of a woman is not draped to the ground, then her feet will be uncovered when she walks and moves her feet while walking. This is because the foot is uncovered, as the woman walks with bare feet or wears a sole that does not cover the feet... She asked the Messenger (saw), "What are the women to do with the hems of their dresses?", because the jilbabs or cloaks of women used to drape down to the ground so that their feet won't be uncovered... The Messenger (saw) made it permissible for women to increase their hems the length of a hand span and then a forearm's length over the feet, so that if she walked with bare feet, they won't be uncovered as long as the dress is draped down the feet to the ground... The subject was: (draping the dress for the sake of covering the feet...), that means that the question was about covering the feet; in other words, draping the cloak (jilbab) down to the ground under the feet was for the sake of covering the feet. Hence, the Shar'i cause for trailing the dress on the ground more than what is needed for draping is covering the feet. The cause is related to the effect in its appearance and absence; hence, if the feet are covered, then the dress should not be trailed on the ground, but it is sufficient to achieve the meaning of drawing down that is draping, which is mentioned in the Ayah:

﴿يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ﴾

"to draw their cloaks (Jalabeeb) all over their bodies." [Al- Ahzab: 59]. It means that the dress should be draped down till it reaches the covered feet.

B) As to from where did Umm Salama measure a hand span or a forearm's length, the issue was "trailing the dress on the ground", this is what Umm Salama inquired about. She noticed that if the dress was not trailed on the ground, then the feet will be uncovered while walking; this is right, if the dress was not trailed on the ground, and the woman walks with bare feet or wearing a sole that does not cover all of the feet, then parts of the feet will appear when the woman moves her feet while walking... So the Messenger (saw) has given her permission to drape her dress to the ground a hand span because the Hadith is about trailing the dress, and the word "trailing" means on the ground, so it infers to the hand span of the dress that is trailed on the ground that is from the bottom of the foot.

I repeat that this is for the sake that feet might be uncovered while walking; if the feet were covered by socks, it is enough to drape down the cloak (jilbab) to the upper part of the foot that is covered with socks, that means it is enough to drape it down to the heels as long as all of the foot is covered.

Your brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah

Link to the answer from the Ameer's Facebook page