Is wandering of a woman without a headscarf an obstacle for her worshipping?

Is wandering of a woman without a headscarf an obstacle for her worshipping?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Since it is an order of Allah (SWT) for women to wear headscarves, a woman becomes responsible by quitting an obligatory act if she does not wear a headscarf. On the other hand, by performing prescribed prayers, she becomes free of its responsibility and gets the reward of performing prayers.

It is out of question that the daily prayers of a woman who veils herself as Allah (SWT) orders while performing prayer but takes out her headscarf while going out be unacceptable.

The following fatwa is included in Khulasatul-Ajwiba regarding the issue:

"The prayers and other deeds of worshipping of a person who commits sins are valid and he gets rewards for them."(1)

On the other hand, as the verse “…things that are good remove those that are evil”(2) points out, prescribed prayers and similar acts of worship, and good deeds cause man to be forgiven of the sins he has committed. Besides, it is a reality that prescribed prayers keep man away from evil. The following verse points to this fact:

“Worship preserveth from lewdness and iniquity."(3)

However, it cannot be said that worship will immediately keep man away from every kind of evil. In the course of time, “as a wonder and fertility of prescribed prayer”, many people cannot get involved in sins and they keep away from them. For, someone who comes before the presence of Allah (SWT) five times a day in a humble position by making ablution (wudu) cannot do the things that his Lord has prohibited.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the prayers of a woman who goes out without a headscarf will not be accepted. She will feel herself constrained to do that and wear a headscarf in the course of time.

Footnotes:

(1) Hud, 114.
(2) Khulasatul-Ajwiba p. 8.
(3) al-Ankabut, 45.

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