235. It’s Hard To Take Off My Hijaab When I’M At Work/School?

By Asma Bint Shameem

QUESTION 1

It’s hard to take off my hijaab when I’m at work/school. Can I WIPE over it when making wudhu?

ANSWER

Although it’s BETTER that you take off your hijaab and do wudhu ‘properly’, sometimes in situations where it’s DIFFICULT to take the hijaab off to make wudhu, it’s ALLOWED to leave it on and just wipe over it. 

PROOF:

Al-Mughirah radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“The Prophet wiped over his forehead, his turban, and his leather socks.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

And Bilal radhi Allaahu anhu said:

The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam wiped over leather socks and head coverings (in wudhu).” 

(Muslim)

The ulama say that the Hijaab is similar to the turban as both are head-coverings. So if the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam wiped over his turban in wudhu, similarly it’s allowed for women to wipe over their Hijaabs. 

Besides, we also know that “Umm Salamah and some other Sahaabiyaat used to wipe over their Hijaabs for wudhu.”

(Imaam Ahmad and Ibn al-Mundhir)

Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“Since it is permitted for men to wipe over clothing on the head, so is it permissible for women as it is for men. As it is permissible clothing for the head, which is usually difficult to remove, it is similar to the turban of men. Moreover, her hijaab covers more than the turban of men, it is more difficult to take off, and her need of (the concession) is greater than leather socks.” (Sharḥ ‘Umdat al-Fiqh 1/266)

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said regarding wiping over the Hijaab while making wudhu:

“Whatever the case, if there is some difficulty, either because the weather is cold or because it is difficult to take it off and put it on again, then there is nothing wrong with wiping (over the Hijaab) in such cases. 

*Otherwise it is better not to do that.”* 

(Fataawa al-Tahaarah, p. 171)

QUESTION #2

If I wipe over my Hijaab, do I have to stick my hand under the Hijaab and wipe the front of my head and my ears?

ANSWER

As long as the Hijaab covers the entire head and ears, you can just wipe over the Hijaab and you don’t *‘have’* to put your hands under the Hijaab to wipe these parts. 

However, if you do wipe the front of the head and ears, that’s *Sunnah and it’s better*. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

“It is also Sunnah to wipe whatever part of the head is uncovered, such as the forelock, the sides of the head and the ears.”

(Fataawa al-Tahaarah, p. 170)

Reality check

Having said that, we also need to think about one thing:

Is it really that difficult, living in the US or anywhere else for that matter, to find an all women’s bathroom?

*No not at all!*

There are bathrooms _every_ where we go that are totally private and separate for the women. 

And we can easily, _easily_ take our Hijaab off and make proper wudhu and wipe over the head. 

So why be lazy?

Yes, the permissibility to wipe over the Hijaab is there. 

And it’s allowed IF there’s some difficulty in taking it off or if we’re in a big hurry, or it’s really cold, etc. 

But if there’s really no ‘reason’ to wipe over the Hijaab, then it’s *much better* that we do wudhu properly and wipe directly over the head. 

The ulama at Islamqa said:

“...Not every head covering may be wiped over; rather if the head is covered with something that might be problematic to take off, as in the case of a woman who fears that her hair may be seen, or she has covered her head to which she has applied henna, or it is very cold and she fears some harm (if she takes off her head cover), and other similar excuses.” 

Another point to note:

it’s not necessary that we have wudhu first before we put the Hijaab on, in order for us to wipe over it later, unlike the situation of socks that we have to put on, in a state of tahaarah in order to wipe over them later. 

And Allaah knows best