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Is the story true in which a father uses it as evidence that his son, Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was sitting with his daughter Hafsa when one of the Companions saw him and said to him, "O Umar, fear Allah, Satan is the third of you"? And is it a religious obligation for fathers to command their daughters to wear the hijab in front of them?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A father ordering his daughter to wear the hijab in his presence contradicts the original ruling, because Islamic law permits a woman to display her adornment to her mahareem, as Allah Almighty says: "And not display their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers..." (Surat An-Nur, verse 31). Such an order is considered extremism and exaggeration, for piety lies not in violating the Sharia but in conforming to it. However, a woman might be obliged to wear the hijab in front of her mahram if there is suspicion or if he is tempted by her, based on the hadith: "Whoever commits intercourse with a mahram, kill him." This is a rare case. As for the story of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, it has no basis, and the hadith "No man should be alone with a woman, for the third of them is Satan" refers to an ajnabiyyah (non-mahram woman).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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