Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Women in ihram are allowed to wear their normal clothes or attires. Women, however, are not allowed to wear either face-veils or hand-gloves. Menstruating women shall assume Ihram after a bath and recite talbiyah and engage in dhikr and du’a.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Hajj rules for men and women
As far as most of the rituals and regulations of Hajj are concerned, there are basically no major differences between males and females.
The spirit of Hajj is turning to Allah wholeheartedly in humble and passionate yearning and ardent love and devotion. This spirit should always rule the hearts of all pilgrims regardless of gender differences.
Men and women during Hajj also share equally in the various taboos and restrictions: Both must refrain from on all forms of intimate sexual contacts with spouses, including foreplays, kissing, and lustful touching; they also must shun all vain talks, wrangling and quarrels.
Likewise, both males and females must absolutely avoid use of any kind of perfumes/scents, clipping nails, removing, plucking, trimming, or shaving of hair, etc.
It is, however, permissible for both males and females during ihram to bathe or take showers, or wash.
Likewise, they are permitted to use ordinary shampoos, soaps or creams, lotions, etc. so long as these are not scented.
Hajj rules for women
Specific issues or regulations that concern women exclusively during Hajj can be listed as follows:
- Unlike men, women are allowed to wear their normal clothes or attires regardless of whether they are sewn or not. There are no restrictions whatsoever on the kind of clothes they can wear during Ihram so long as they are not dyed in saffron or scented. Thus, it is permissible for them to wear even clothes with colors or designs; although women pilgrims may do well in keeping it simple and avoid attractive designs and colors. After all, it should be noted, the hallmark of hajj is simplicity and humility before the Creator of all beings.
- Women, again as opposed to men, are also allowed to wear shoes, slippers or sandals as they choose.
- Women, however, are not allowed to wear either face-veils or hand-gloves during Ihram; they must not cover their faces while in a state of ihram.
- Women who are menstruating shall assume Ihram after a bath and recite talbiyah and engage in dhikr and du’a. However, they must not offer prayer.
- Menstruating women shall practice all of the rituals of hajj with the sole exception of Tawaf (going around the House). As far as performing Tawaf is concerned, they should postpone it until such time that they are free of menses and have purified themselves through ghusl (bathing).
- If, however, because of special circumstances beyond their control, they find themselves unable to stay in Makkah (for instance, they have no choice but to leave with the group because of inability to change or reschedule travel plans), then they are allowed to perform Tawaf while still menstruating after cleaning themselves and wearing pads, etc.
- The above ruling is given by Imam Ibn Taymiyyah. It has been based on a valid principle of Islamic jurisprudence which states that any condition—upon which the validity of a certain act of worship is dependent– can be waived if a person cannot fulfill the same; and the Ibadat thus performed will be considered as valid without it. An example for this is covering oneself during Prayer: Thus, if a person finds himself unable to cover his `awrah (what must be covered) because he could not find anything to wear, then he must still pray without covering himself and his Prayer will still be considered as valid, although in ordinary circumstances such a Prayer will be considered as null and void. The same rule applies to a menstruating woman who must leave Makkah because of special circumstances beyond her control; the normal condition of purification from menses for the validity of Tawaf shall be waived in her case, and her Hajj will be considered as perfectly valid.
- Finally, rules for women are relatively more relaxed in regard to throwing of pebbles at the stone- pillars: Thus, women as well as those who are weak and elderly are allowed to leave Muzdalifah early before Fajr in order to perform the rite of throwing pebbles at the stone –pillar before the crowd arrives in Mina.
In conclusion, I must point out that while it is important to pay due attention to the formal aspects of Hajj, one must never lose sight of the inner dimensions of Hajj. In order to better appreciate these aspects of Hajj, one is best advised to read the following excellent works: 1) Inner Dimensions of Islamic worship by Imam Ghazzali; 2) Four Pillars by Mawlana Sayyid Abu al-Hasan Ali Nadvi.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Source: AsktheScholar.com