Wearing Skin-colored Clothing

Ustadh Salman Younas is asked to clarify the rulings on covering one’s awra in cases where one is wearing skin-colored clothing.

Question:

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

What is the permissibility of wearing skin-colored clothing? For example, I am a women and prefer covering of the feet as awra. However, I have shoes that would normally show my feet if not worn with socks. Can I wear socks that are opaque but skin-colored in order to not have the shoes look odd against white or black socks?

Also, how would this apply to wearing skin-color long sleeve shirts underneath otherwise transparent dresses? Is this halal? Is this a form of deception?

Please note that even though I choose to cover my feet, I would like the answer to this question according to the Hanafi madhhab.

Jazakum Allah khayr.

Answer:

Wa alaykum assaalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

As long as the clothing covers your nakedness (awra) in a manner where an onlooker cannot see the underlying skin in normal conditions, you would be considered as having covered your nakedness. This would be the case even if the clothing you are wearing is ‘skin colored’.

For certain parts of the body (such as the chest), it is also imperative to cover in a manner where the limbs are not clearly defined. In the case of the feet, however, this does not apply since socks inevitably define the shape of the feet.

Salman

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.