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What is the ruling on wearing the Malaysian khimar that girls wrap around their heads, covering the chest and beyond? Is it considered to define the body? And what is the ruling on tying the niqab over the khimar in a way that defines the size of the head?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A woman must wear the modest, lawful attire that neither describes nor reveals. The headscarf (khimar) must cover the bosom and chest. If the Malaysian headscarf is long enough to cover the bosom and chest, then there is no harm in it. However, if it is short or leads to revealing the woman's size when she moves, then it is not sufficient for covering. The hijab is for covering and preventing temptation, not for adornment. It is permissible to tie the niqab over the wide headscarf, but it is better to tie it underneath. However, if the headscarf is not wide and the woman wears a jilbab or an abaya worn on the shoulders, with her head and face covered, this will reveal the size of the shoulders, neck, and chest and is not considered covering. It is not permissible to wear an abaya on the shoulders in markets and among people due to the temptation it causes and the way it highlights body details.

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

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