The evidence of the Setter is silent regarding the type of clothing, and the evidence in which expressions such as jilbab and khumr are mentioned refers to the common clothing at that time; therefore, anything that covers the hair can be considered as a form of hijab; of course, regardless of whether it is an ornament or not, arousing lust or not, a garment of fame or not, and…; because each of these has specific titles and has its own specific ruling.
Note: Using wigs for women has long been customary. With the increase in popularity of the performing arts, however, this device was also considered as one of the makeup tools for actors. By using wigs, male and female actors no longer needed to grow their hair or change its color. This made wigs one of the easiest ways to change the actors’ appearance. However, regarding women, the question arises as to whether or not it is permissible for them to use this device? The reason for its non-permissibility is whether it is considered an adornment or not, or whether it is not considered a head covering. For this reason, Hujjat al-lslam wa al-muslimin Muh. Umumi, a lecturer at the higher levels of the Qum Seminary and the director of the Darul-Huda Fiqh School, has analyzed the jurisprudence of this issue in an oral note. He believes that if wigs are not conventionally considered an adornment, there is no problem in using them.
Regarding the sufficiency of using wigs for women as a head veil, I must first point out two points:
a) We will examine this issue without discussing the issue of covering the face and the shroud; Because, as is clear, it is consistent with the obligation and non-obligatory nature of covering the face and shroud.
b) The answer to this question should be clarified in its place: is adornment in front of a non-mahram forbidden, meaning that it is an intentional title or is it simply a statement of adornment that is placed on the body, even if it is devoid of the intention of adornment, forbidden?
Is a wig considered a head covering?
The evidence for covering is silent regarding the type of covering, and the evidence in which expressions such as jilbab and khimr are mentioned refers to the common covering at that time; therefore, anything that covers the hair of the head can be considered in compliance with the commandment of hijab; of course, regardless of whether it is an adornment or not, whether it is arousing lust or not, whether it is a garment of fame or not, and so on; because each of these has specific titles and has its own specific ruling.
For example, let’s assume that a woman is completely covered and her head is covered with a helmet, in this case, the head is covered and the hijab of the hair is fulfilled.
Permissibility or prohibition?
However, regarding the ruling on the prohibition or permissibility of using a wig for women, it should be said: If the wig is a decoration and adornment or a dress of fame, it is subject to the ruling of these titles. For example, if we consider the dress of fame to be forbidden, if a woman is exposed to view with a strange wig and colors that make her stand out, it is not permissible, even if all her hair is covered with this wig.
Wig as an ornament
Considering that a wig may be, ultimately ugly and disgusting, a complete cover for the hair of the head, it cannot be said that a wig is always an ornament; but what is common and prevalent is that the use of a wig is for beauty; Therefore, in cases where it is considered an adornment according to custom, it is forbidden to display it in front of a non-mahram.
Of course, it should be noted that if, due to the frequent use of wigs by women, such as for eyebrow plucking and facial correction, the term “decoration” no longer applies to it, there will be no problem in using it, but only if it does not apply to adornment or other forbidden terms such as being arousing lust.
This note is part of the electronic magazine “Principles of the Jurisprudence of Performance,” which was produced in cooperation with the School of Jurisprudence of Art and the Ijtihad Network website.