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being the main incentive for covering, some conclusions other than sensual perfection, would be resulted from the covering. One of them being safeguarding the healthiness of human society, to the meaning that woman and man can, in social intercourses, establish relations as two human beings having human request from each other, and so they won't go after satisfying their sexual instincts in collective life.
The other benefit that is derived from them "bashfulness and chastity" being to preserve the genuineness of the family. Since the family, which is composed of a woman and a man living together as legal spouses, can insure the permanency and safety of mankind offspring, which is one of original and essential aims of the family, through legitimately satisfying the sexual instincts. Observing continence and woman's and man's adherence to bashfulness and chastity, and restricting the satisfying of sexual instincts within a legal environment, all this will have great impact upon stability and healthiness of the family.
General Conditions of Covering
The extent of covering in every school and society depends on many things such as way of looking at man, the family, range of admittance of social participation of woman, rate of influence of both sexes on each other... etc.
Proposing the issue of covering in the Islamic religion had the same rule, as in this school has admitted certain ultramaterial and bestial maturities for man, female and male, as man being not the only material creature that must strive to insure his desired needs in life, but there are several other arenas of life, much broader and deeper than life itself, can be sensed.
In these arenas, other characteristics insuring the perfection, like learning and knowledge, worship and benediction, selfedification... and continence also is one of them. Hence covering has connection with individual perfection.
According to the Islamic Law "Shari'ah", the family being the
primary and essential nucleus of human society. As the first step in education is taken inside the family, and father and mother being the first educator and teacher for the child. So safeguarding and preserving this centre being among the firmed and indisputable principles of the Islamic Shari'ah, and as a reference was made to this in discussion of purpose of covering, so mantle has a certain role in protecting and safeguarding this centre.
Admitting the woman's social participation, which was set forth in the previous chapter, should be considered in determining the covering. Hence it is improper to oblige the woman to cover her face since with closed eyes she cannot practice social activities as required. So do the other factors.
Taking into consideration all that is said before, we can say: There are certain limits and conditions for covering stated in Islam, with no emphasis made on special certain shape and form. As clothes and covering being not among confirmed worshipping matters, and affected by norms and customs. If clothes had those general conditions and covered those limits, so no obstruction or restriction would be for them, and this would differ according to change of circumstances and situations.
Ibn Taymiyyah has an excellent statement in this regard, thus:
"To follow the example of the Prophet"S" sometimes concerning something done and some other time regarding some farther thing, means that the Messenger of Allah"S" sometimes does some act for the sake of a thing farther than this work. In this case the legitimacy of that aim not that special act would be farther. For instance, the Messenger"S" was using oil for keeping his hair healthy, can we say that all people have to do the same for safeguarding their hair, and if another method be proper in some region with regard to water and atmosphere, it should be adopted and applied. The same is true in regard of food; for instance the Messenger of Allah"S" used to eat dates and barleybread, then does following his guide mean people everywhere should do the same? No definitely it is not true, as the Prophet's companions and Fuqaha have used and eaten
the foods of the regions they conquered, putting on the clothes of those places. If anyone should imitate others in costumes and food, it was proper for the companions to follow the example of the Prophet in these fields. Likewise, the Prophet and Sahabah used to wear a wrapper and cloak, so wasn't it better for others to follow them and do the same. The religious authorities have different opinions regarding this issue, but I think it is unnecessary to refer to this subject."192
The limits and conditions that should be considered in regard of clothes are as follows:
1. All the body except the face and two hands up to the wrist, should be covered.
2. Fame clothes should be abstained from.
3. Women's clothes should be totally different from those of men.
4. Transparent clothes "incarnating the body" should be abstained from.
Following is a brief explanation of these five principles:
Limits of Clothing
It is known among Fuqaha that the woman should keep her body covered from the eyes of foreigners "unconsanguine men", except the face and two hands up to the wrist. Of course some "Fuqaha" go farther and believe that all the body even the face should be covered. And a few of them held the view to "covering" less than this limit "of the body".
There are skilfully made articles in Persian and Arabic about these fields, that strongly defended the wellknown opinion, giving firm and strong evidences for proving this view, regarding the two other views unacceptable. 193Taking all this into
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192. Fatawa ibn Tamiyyah, vol. XXII, pp. 324-326.
193. Mas'alah Hijaab, of Murtaza Mutahhari, pp. 181-219; As-Sitr Wan-Nazar, of Mohammed Mahdi shams Ad-Deen, pp. 79-225.
