I got this off the Internet.  (I’ve modified it slightly for readability.):“God, the Most Merciful, gave us three basic rules for the dress code for women in Islam:

“2.Whenever you dress, cover your chest (bosoms).

“3.Lengthen your garment.

“While these three BASIC rules may not sound enough for those who do not trust God, the TRUE believers know that God is ENOUGH.  God could have given us more details to the point of having graphs, designs and color rules, but He, the Most Merciful, wants to give us exactly these very basic rules and leave the rest for us.  After these three basic rules every woman is more aware of her circumstances and can adjust her dress for her situation.  Any addition to these basic Quranic rules is an attempt to correct God or improve on His merciful design.

“What better than to quote God’s words in description of this trait of the human race:

“‘We have cited in this Quran every kind of example, but the human being is the most argumentative creature.’ (18:54)

“We have no obligation to follow but God’s rules, just as His messenger did all the time.  Innovations and fabrications that added thousands of rules to the women’s dress code are nothing but idol-worship and should be refused.

“STAY WITH GOD.  That is where the winners go.

“May God bless us with His mercy and guidance.”

My reason for being interested in the passage above is as follows:

I have heard people make statements about what is (supposedly) obligatory dress for Muslim women, statements in which these people claim to have very specific information about the guidelines and the permissible range of choices prescribed in the Islamic religious system.  However, people can be a bit vague about where these guidelines are located.  Maybe the fault is mine, for not pressing them hard enough to give me “chapter and verse.”

In any case, it is easy to throw around religious claims.  It is more challenging to cite passages of Qur’an and Hadith and then to explain how you interpret these passage to arrive at the desired conclusion.

I cannot verify the 100% accuracy of the quoted material above.  However, if it is indeed the case that the Qur’anic injunctions regarding women’s dress are that sparse and that open to interpretation, then I would say the following:

The position that the absolute minimum for women’s public dress is a loose-fitting black garment called abaya and a head cover with a face opening, seems much less authoritative than some would maintain.