Kinds of Dresses and Ornaments Permissible or Detestable for a Female Pilgrim in the State of al-’ Ihram

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A woman in the state of Ihram can wear whatever she wants of clothes except silk and al-Quffazayn (something women wear on their hands) and wearing veil is undesirable.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘They must hang something over their face.’ He asked, ‘How far down over the face?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It should be down over the nose so that she can see without her eyes being blocked.’”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a woman and about what she can wear in the state of Ihram. He (the Imam) said, ‘She can wear all kinds of clothes except what is dyed with saffron and al-Wars (a certain plant used in dying cloths). She must not wear al-Qafazin, ornaments for beautification before her husband, she must not use kohl, unless it is to cure an illness, she must not touch perfumes, must not wear jewelry or Artemisia (a certain aromatic plant); however printed clothes are not harmful.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that abu Ja‘far (a.s.), once said to a woman veiled in the state of Ihram, ‘Assume the state of Ihram with your face uncovered and allow your clothes to hang down from over your head; if you use veil, your color will not change.’ A man then asked, ‘How far down must she hang her clothes? Must she cover her eyes?’ I then asked, ‘Can it reach down to her mouth?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, it is permissible.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Women in the state of Ihram must not wear jewelry and dyed clothes, unless it (dye) is of saffron.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman: if she can wear an anklet, handgrips and earrings of gold and silver while at home she wore them before al-Hajj. Must she remove them or leave them as they are? He (the Imam) said, ‘It is unlawful to wear them in the state of Ihram; however, she can wear them in a way that men cannot see when she is riding or walking.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman who wears a turban al- Sabiriy with prints of silk on it in the state of Ihram. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, she can use it. It is not permissible only when both of its warp and weft are of silk.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘Abu Sa‘id asked me about al-Khamisah (shawl) which has its warp of silk to make her wear because of feeling cold and I instructed him to make her wear it.’”

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about what can a woman wear in the state of Ihram. He (the Imam) said, ‘She can wear all kinds of clothes except al-Qafazin, veil and silk. I then asked, ‘Can she wear al-Khazz (a certain kind of fabric), with its warp made of silk?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘As long as it is not pure silk, it is permissible.”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has narrated from his father (a.s.), who has said that a woman in the state of Ihram must not use veil over her face because Ihram of women is for her face and for men it is for their head.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman if she can use silk clothes in the state of Ihram. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, but she can use them in times other than her being in the state of Ihram.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), once when passing by a woman, who in the state of Ihram had covered her face with an air vent, himself removed it from her face.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about dyed cloths used by women in the state of Ihram. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful except ornaments visible on her front side as well as visible necklace.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman who is in the state of Ihram: if she can wear trousers. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, she can do so because she needs it for covering.’”