Q 1: As Bedouins, some of our women wear clothes that cover their `Awrah (private parts of the body that must be covered in public) but are a bit short or tight. What is your advice to them?
A: It is known that women must cover up and avoid Tabarruj (women dressed immodestly in violation of the Islamic dress code) and display of their beauty. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) states:
And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance
And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen: that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts.
and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers
O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allâh is Ever OftForgiving, Most Merciful.
The cloak mentioned in the previous Ayah (Qur'anic verse) is a loose outer garment covering a woman's body and head worn over the regular clothes to provide more concealment and prevent any Fitnah. That is how women should dress, whether they are Bedouins or urbanites to abide by the teachings of Islam. They should be keen on covering their `Awrah and on choosing suitable clothes that are not too tight and thus define their figure, or too loose and thus expose their `Awrah. Further, it is best for women to wear clothes that cover the head, face, and hands in the presence of an Ajnaby (man lawful for the woman to marry), even if he is a cousin, brotherinlaw, or the like. Similarly, during prayer, a woman is to cover all her body with the exception of her face, for it is Sunnah (a commendable act) to uncover the face so long as there are no Ajnaby men around her.
As for the two hands, there is no harm in uncovering them although covering them is preferable. During prayer, the feet should be covered according to the majority of scholars and it is not permissible to expose them. A woman can cover them with her garment or by wearing socks.