Source Attribution
This excerpt is taken from the book “Aḥkām o Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah” by Shaykh Mubashir Aḥmad Rabbānī.
Question
Should women wear a dupatta (head covering) even inside their homes?
Answer
Regarding a Muslim woman, the ruling of Islamic Sharīʿah is that she should remain within the limits of modesty and concealment. She has not been given permission to move about freely in an open manner.
It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh bin Masʿūd رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
المرأة عورة فإذا خرجت استشرفها الشيطان
“A woman is ʿawrah (to be concealed); when she goes out, Satan looks at her with desire.”
(Imām al-Albānī رحمه الله declared this ḥadīth authentic.)
From this authentic ḥadīth, it becomes clear that a woman is something worthy of concealment, and therefore she has been described as ʿawrah in herself.
Hence, Muslim women should cover their entire bodies, except the face and hands, as keeping them uncovered is a necessity for household chores, and this is preferable.
However, if within the four walls of the home the head covering slips off, there is no sin. But in front of non-maḥram men, it is not permissible to keep even the face and hands uncovered.
