Question: The ruling on the cab (الكاب ) which is a well-known women’s clothing?
Shaikh: The clothing is well-known with the women, however explain it to us?
Questioner: It resembles a dress
Shaikh: Is it worn from the head or the shoulders?
Questioner: No, the shoulders until the feet
Shaikh: It leaves the head and neck uncovered?
Questioner: It leaves the head and the neck uncovered
Shaikh: Does it have another clothing?
Questioner: However it is prominent and distinct
Shaikh: “The origin is that there is no harm with the cab (الكاب ) because it is concealing. However, I see that a door has been opened for the women in blind-following other than us. This does not come to us except when the people come to us or we go to them. So we take the customs of other than ours, which does not have a beneficial distinction from our customs. It is an affair which always makes a person tired and always following behind another. So as long as our clothing is the abayah, which is concealing for a woman and protecting, then it is necessary to wear it. This is because perhaps this year she permits wearing of the cab (الكاب ) and in the next year, she says: give me pants. Then in the third and fourth year she requests short revealing clothing and what resembles that. So that which I see is that we protect the women from taking these customs and we say: who benefits from this? If a woman wears the abayah then it becomes like the cab (الكاب ): it is more concealing, better, and honorable for a person. A person honoring him/herself with a custom that does not oppose the legislation and there is no sin in it rather than taking other customs, this is what desired from a person who is firm”
[Liqaa Baba al-Maftooh no. 4]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
