Imam Ibn Qudama rahimahullah wrote:
“Verily it is recommended for them [the women] to come out not perfumed and not wearing a clothing of fame/popularity nor adornment. They should come out in the clothing they wear when serving/working due to the statement of the Prophet(ﷺ):
لِيَخْرُجْنَ وَهُنَّ تَفِلاَت
“but they may go out (to the mosque) having no perfumed themselves”
[Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood no. 565]
They should not mix with the men, but be to the side of them”.
[al-Mughni (2/116)]
Imam al-‘Adheemabaadi rahimahullah explained the above Hadith saying:
“That is not perfumed. It is said a woman is ( تفلة) if her scent changes. That is what Ibn Abdul Barr said and others said. That is what Shawkaani said. In al-Ma’aalim it states: ( التفل) is a bad scent. A woman is said to be ( تفلة) if she is not perfumed and women are called ( تفلات) [end quote]. Verily, they were ordered that and prohibited from perfume as in the narration of Muslim ibn Zaynab so that they do not stir the men by their perfume. Connected to perfume is whatever takes its meaning from the things that stir the desires, like good clothing and jewelry whose traces are seen and luxurious adornment”.
[‘Awn al-Ma’bood]
However, some of the Salaf interpreted the word (تفلات ) to mean without perfume, instead of smelling bad.
حدثنا هشيم عن يونس عن الحسن قال : كن النساء يجمعن مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وكان يقال : لا تخرجن إلا تفلات لا يوجد منكن ريح طيب
Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah said: “The women used to gather with the Prophet (ﷺ) and it used to be said: Do not come out except (تفلات) a good scent should not be present with you”
[Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf and graded Saheeh by al-Albani in al-Ajwibah an-Nafi’ah pg. 48]
Shaikh Abdul-Muhsin al-‘Abbad hafidhuhallah explained it as:
“There is not with them a good scent. Verily,they come out in their usual scent which does not have perfume. Verily they come out of their houses without beautifying and perfuming. The intent of (التفلة) is without perfume. So she comes out with the scent that which upon her without using perfume”
[Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood no.78]
While a woman does not have to wear the clothing she wears while serving or working, she should wear a jilbab on the day of Eid.
Proof:
عَنْ أُمِّ عَطِيَّةَ، قَالَتْ أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نُخْرِجَ، الْحُيَّضَ يَوْمَ الْعِيدَيْنِ وَذَوَاتِ الْخُدُورِ، فَيَشْهَدْنَ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَدَعْوَتَهُمْ، وَيَعْتَزِلُ الْحُيَّضُ عَنْ مُصَلاَّهُنَّ. قَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِحْدَانَا لَيْسَ لَهَا جِلْبَابٌ. قَالَ “ لِتُلْبِسْهَا صَاحِبَتُهَا مِنْ جِلْبَابِهَا ”
Narrated Umm `Atiya:
We were ordered to bring out our menstruating women and veiled women in the religious gatherings and invocation of Muslims on the two `Id festivals. These menstruating women were to keep away from their Musalla. A woman asked, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) ‘ What about one who does not have a veil?” He said, “Let her share the veil of her companion.”
[Al-Bukhari no. 351]
Hafidh Ibn Hajr rahimahullah said:
“The intent is her sister who is a friend. It is possible to mean that she shares her thawb with her. What supports this is the version of the Hadith in Abu Dawood: Let her wear some of her clothing. That is if it is spacious. It is possible that the intent of his statement her clothing is type of clothing, so it returns to the first. It is taken from this Hadith the permissibility of two women being under or in one clothing when covering. It was said this was mentioned by way of exaggeration”.
[Fath ul-Baari ]
Mulla Ali Qaari rahimahullah said:
“In this Hadith is the recommendation of preparing a Jilbaab for a woman, the permissibility of borrowing clothing, and preventing a woman from going out without a Jilbaab”
[Mirqaatul Mafatih (5/32)]
So a woman should wear a Jilbab on the day of Eid and if she does not have one she should either borrow on from her friend or even wear the same Jilbab as that of her friend! This instruction and guidance of the Prophet (ﷺ) is lost nowadays. In fact, we see the Muslim women, young and old, doing the opposite by wearing all types of revealing clothing on the day of Eid, perfumed, and adorned. The Jilbab for many sisters has been replaced with a summer dress which does not meet the requirements of the Hijab. Let alone those who wear pants and other such clothing. Allahu Mustaan.
We ask Allah to guide our sisters back to the Sunnah and to the example of our pious predecessors. May Allah give them the courage to leave off all this fashion in favor of the clothing of taqwa.
And Allah Knows best
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
