What Is Proper Ihram Clothing (1)

Undoubtedly, Hajj can be considered as the most unique and dreamy event in Muslims' lives; such an event which causes a hundred thousand people from all around the world to travel to the holy lands of Mecca and Medina every year, and reach Miqat (pilgrimage boundary) with all its difficulties and hardships, and get prepared to perform the pilgrimage of Hajj to respond to call of Allah.

 
As all worships in Islam have certain principles and arrangements, the rite of Hajj has also some fundamental sequences and principles one of which is the clothing of ihram; a condition, which in case of observance, not only leads to acceptance of Hajj, but also results in unanimity and uniformity, and consequently in disappearance of the apparent superiority. Indeed, one of the philosophies of Hajj is that people would take off their sin-contaminated clothing and put on a clean pure one which transforms all their apparent superiority and excellence to simplicity and uniformity.

Conditions of Ihram clothing for women
There is no restriction with respect to the type of ihram clothing for women; therefore, they can change to Ihram in their normal dress. However, to mention some point in this regard and observing them seems necessary.
 

· To observe hijab

The first and the most important point about ihram clothing for women is to observe Islamic hijab; hence, wearing scarves, long dresses, and trousers are good choices. The scarf should be such that it can cover all parts of the chin, throat and hair and just the face is allowed to be shown. Unlike other cases where Islam lays strong emphasis on maintaining hijab, and in many cultures covering the face, except the eyes is common for women, they ought not to completely cover their faces in pilgrimage of Hajj. In other words, although women may wear mask and niqab, they are prohibited to do so during Hajj. The philosophy of such an order and recommendation is to test devotion in woman and abstinence in man.

Women had better put on dresses and trousers which are not too tight and close-fitting. Tight clothes not only cause trouble and problem to the hijab of pilgrim, but also harden the rite performance. In this regard, be careful to wear dresses woven with natural cotton.

Another important consideration is to consider thickness of the cloth of dresses. Given that climate condition of Saudi Arabia is mostly tropical and the weather is warm even in cold seasons, some pilgrims may be inclined to wear thin clothing.

Do note to choose your dresses in such a way that their thinness would not make your body apparent. Because considering that many of Hajj rites are involved in physical activities, it is possible to sweat; consequently the thin dresses may stick to the body and cause the redness of skin to become apparent. Therefore, so long as there is no restriction concerning women's clothing, the best thing to do is to wear cotton underwear.

Beside mentioned types of clothing, it is mandatory for women to cover the ankle to the toes by putting on thick stockings. Furthermore, due to lack of restriction in choosing the type of shoes for women, they can put on their ideal pair of shoes. Proper shoes to perform the rites of Hajj are comfortable light-weight shoes with medium heels.