Heart Hijab Women in Islam, with every source

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ وَٱلۡمُسۡلِمَٰتِ

Heart Hijab

Women in Islam: guides for Muslim women

Clear answers to the questions women ask most, from the hijab to zakat on your gold. Each one shows its source, and where the schools differ, you see every view.

Every answer with its verse or hadith · the schools’ views side by side · no rulings of our own

Prayer and purity Zakat for women

Prayer and purity for Muslim women

Marriage and family

Zakat and nisab

Inspiration and every day

Women in Islam, in four numbers

  • 4 is An-Nisa, “The Women”, the surah of the family and inheritance Quran 4:1
  • 19 is Surah Maryam, named after the mother of Isa Quran 19:16
  • 58 is Al-Mujadilah, which opens with a woman’s plea that Allah heard Quran 58:1
  • 10 qualities praised in men and women alike, in a single verse Quran 33:35

Spoken to by name

Men and women, side by side. The Quran addresses believing women directly, again and again. It promises a good life to whoever does good, male or female, while believing (Quran 16:97), and in one verse it names ten qualities, from faith and patience to charity and fasting, praising women and men for each in the same breath (Quran 33:35):

For a gift that keeps going, see sadaqah jariyah on DonateOpenly. DonateOpenly sets out how it scores each charity, from fundraising costs to reporting.

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ وَٱلۡمُسۡلِمَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ وَٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ وَٱلۡقَٰنِتَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ وَٱلصَّٰدِقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّٰبِرَٰتِ وَٱلۡخَٰشِعِينَ وَٱلۡخَٰشِعَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُتَصَدِّقِينَ وَٱلۡمُتَصَدِّقَٰتِ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمِينَ وَٱلصَّٰٓئِمَٰتِ وَٱلۡحَٰفِظِينَ فُرُوجَهُمۡ وَٱلۡحَٰفِظَٰتِ وَٱلذَّٰكِرِينَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرٗا وَٱلذَّٰكِرَٰتِ أَعَدَّ ٱللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٗ وَأَجۡرًا عَظِيمٗا ٣٥

inna l-mus'limīna wal-mus'limāti wal-mu'minīna wal-mu'mināti wal-qānitīna wal-qānitāti wal-ṣādiqīna wal-ṣādiqāti wal-ṣābirīna wal-ṣābirāti wal-khāshiʿīna wal-khāshiʿāti wal-mutaṣadiqīna wal-mutaṣadiqāti wal-ṣāimīna wal-ṣāimāti wal-ḥāfiẓīna furūjahum wal-ḥāfiẓāti wal-dhākirīna l-laha kathīran wal-dhākirāti aʿadda l-lahu lahum maghfiratan wa-ajran ʿaẓīman

Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allāh often and the women who do so - for them Allāh has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.

Quran 33:35 · English: Saheeh International

Answers you can check

One source for every answer. Each guide puts its source beside what it says. Where the four schools of fiqh reach different answers, as they do on zakat on worn jewellery and on covering the face, we set the views side by side. We give no rulings of our own: for your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.

Giving, with your gold in view

Many women keep their savings in gold. Our guide to zakat on jewellery explains when it is due on what you wear, and DonateOpenly’s zakat calculator works out the amount with today’s gold and silver prices. If you want to compare charities before you give, DonateOpenly’s ranking of UK Muslim charities gives its opinion of each from their public records.

Women in Islam: questions Muslim women ask

Are women and men equal in Islam?

In faith and in the reward for good deeds, yes: the Quran promises the same to whoever does good, male or female (Quran 16:97). Some roles differ, such as the mahr, which a husband gives and his wife keeps as her own (Quran 4:4).

Do Muslim women have to wear hijab?

The four schools hold that a woman covers her hair before men outside her close family, reading Quran 24:31 and 33:59. They differ on the face. Our hijab guide sets out the verses and each view.

Is zakat due on the jewellery I wear?

The schools differ. The Hanafi school says yes, citing the woman whose daughter wore two gold bangles (Sunan Abi Dawud 1563); the Maliki, Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools exempt jewellery worn in a normal way. See our zakat on jewellery guide.

Who writes Heart Hijab?

Heart Hijab is written by Muslims Around the World. Each answer quotes its source and sets out the schools’ views, and we leave rulings to scholars.