At what age should girls be covered with Hijab?
The age at which girls should begin to wear the hijab is a topic of discussion in Islamic scholarship, and different views exist regarding this matter. According to some narrations, the age of maturity is significant in determining when a girl should start wearing the hijab.
In one narration from Al-Kafi, it is stated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) declared the limit for a woman to be entered upon by her husband is when she reaches nine years of age.
Al-Kafi 3:364. This indicates that the age of nine is considered a critical point of maturity for girls in terms of social and religious obligations.
Additionally, the Qur'an emphasizes modesty and the covering of women in general, which applies to all believing women; for instance, Surah Al-Ahzaab advises: O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed.
33:59.
These sources suggest that the practice of wearing the hijab is tied to the onset of maturity, which is commonly understood to be around the age of nine in the Shia tradition. However, the broader context of modesty in the Qur'an applies to all women, regardless of age, reinforcing the importance of hijab as a sign of faith and dignity.
Sources
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33:59 · Al-Ahzaab
33:59 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَٰجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَآءِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَٰبِيبِهِنَّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰٓ أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
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Al-Kafi 3:364
Al-Kafi · Book 3, Hadith 364
I wrote to him asking about miscarriage and what is to be done with it. He replied: The miscarriage is buried with its blood in its place. — OR — Regarding a man who gave another man money to perform his pilgrimage, but something happened to the second man, he said, 'If the second man set out and something happened in the way, then it suffices for the first. Otherwise, it does not suffice.' — OR — The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) declared the limit for a woman to be entered upon by her husband is when she reaches nine years of age. — OR — I asked him about a man who falsely accuses another man but then pardons him and later wishes to lash him after the pardon. He said: He has no right to lash him after the pardon.
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