Can parents force their daughter to wear hijab?
Question 1153
Question
Is it permissible for Muslim parents to make their daughter wear the hijab against her will, or punish her for not wearing it?
Summary of answer
Parents may not force their daughter to wear the hijab. The Quran forbids compulsion in religion (2:256) and asks even the Prophet ﷺ whether he would compel people to believe (10:99). Every act of devotion rests on intention (Sahih al-Bukhari 1), and a scarf worn under threat carries none. Covering the hair is itself a choice. Parents guide by example, gentle conversation, and trust, and a grown daughter decides for herself.
﴿لَآ إِكۡرَاهَ فِي ٱلدِّينِ﴾
There is no compulsion in religion.
Answer
الحمد لله Praise be to Allah.
Muslim parents love their daughters and want them close to Allah. Many were taught that putting a girl in hijab is part of raising her well, and some fear what relatives and the community will say if she goes without it. The answer of the Quran and the Sunnah is clear: forcing a daughter to wear the hijab is haram. Faith cannot be compelled, devotion lives in intention, and covering the hair is a woman’s own choice.
Can parents force their daughter to wear hijab in Islam?
The Quran states the principle in four Arabic words: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256). It goes further, and asks the Prophet ﷺ himself, who longed for every person to believe:
أَفَأَنتَ تُكۡرِهُ ٱلنَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُواْ مُؤۡمِنِينَ
“Would you then compel people until they become believers?”
If the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given no power to compel faith, no parent holds that power over a daughter. Every act of devotion is weighed by the intention behind it. The first hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari says:
«إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى»
“Deeds are only by intentions, and each person has only what they intended.”
A scarf worn out of fear of a father or mother is worn for that father or mother. It brings the daughter no nearer to Allah, and it places the weight of compulsion on the one who compels.
Is hijab even required?
The stronger view (al-rājiḥ) is that covering the hair is optional. The Quran asks for modesty from men and women and tells women to cover the bosom; it never names the hair. The evidence and the scholars who hold this view, Khaled Abou El Fadl among them, are set out in Is hijab mandatory?
Even the classical schools, which held covering the hair to be required of adult women, placed no religious duty on a girl before puberty. After puberty a young woman answers to Allah for her own choices, and the choice of what to wear on her head is hers. On the stricter view and on the stronger one alike, compulsion has no place. Harassing anyone over hijab is forbidden; see Is it haram to harass women about hijab?
What about the verse on protecting your family?
Some parents cite the command “Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire” (Quran 66:6). The early commentators explained this protection as teaching one’s family and guiding them to what is good. Others cite the hadith telling parents to instruct their children in prayer from the age of seven (Sunan Abi Dawud 495). That hadith concerns the prayer, a pillar of Islam, and even there it describes years of patient teaching.
The Prophet ﷺ showed what that teaching looked like in his own home. Aisha said that he never struck anything with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant (Sahih Muslim 2328a). Punishing, beating, confining, or shaming a daughter over her dress is haram; see Can Muslim parents hit their children?
How can parents guide a daughter toward faith and modesty?
The Quran describes the way to invite anyone to Allah:
ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِ
“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful counsel.”
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ الرِّفْقَ لاَ يَكُونُ فِي شَىْءٍ إِلاَّ زَانَهُ وَلاَ يُنْزَعُ مِنْ شَىْءٍ إِلاَّ شَانَهُ»
“Gentleness is never in anything without making it beautiful, and it is never taken from anything without making it ugly.”
- Live the faith you hope she will share. Daughters learn devotion from parents who pray with joy, speak kindly, and keep their promises.
- Talk and listen. Ask what she thinks about modesty, faith, and the hijab, and hear her answer to the end.
- Praise her faith in all its forms: her prayer, her honesty, her care for others.
- Leave the choice with her. A girl who chooses the hijab freely wears it with love; a daughter who chooses otherwise is still your daughter and still a believer.
- Keep shame out of it. Comparing her to cousins or threatening her with what people will say drives the heart away from faith.
What if my parents are forcing me to wear hijab?
If you are the daughter reading this, Allah asks you to keep company with your parents in kindness (31:15), and He does not ask you to accept compulsion. Speak to them calmly about your faith and your reasons, and ask a trusted relative, teacher, or imam to help. The limits of a parent’s authority are explained in Do I have to obey my parents in everything?, and the question of stopping is answered in Is it haram to take off the hijab? If you are threatened, locked in, or harmed, contact your local emergency number or a domestic violence hotline. Your safety comes first.
A closing duʿāʾ
The Quran gives parents a prayer for their children:
وَأَصۡلِحۡ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِيٓ
“And make my children righteous for me.”
Righteousness is Allah’s gift to give. A parent’s part is to love, to teach gently, and to trust a daughter to the One who made her.
And Allah knows best. والله أعلم
Frequently asked questions
At what age should a girl wear hijab?
There is no set age, because covering the hair is a woman's own choice. Even the classical schools placed no religious duty on a girl before puberty, and after puberty the decision is hers to make before Allah.
Is a forced hijab accepted by Allah?
Acts of devotion are judged by intention, and a scarf worn only out of fear of a parent is worn for that parent. The sin of compulsion falls on the one who compels.
Can parents punish their daughter for not wearing hijab?
No. Punishing, beating, confining, or shaming a daughter over her dress is haram, and the Prophet ﷺ never struck a woman or a servant. Harm of this kind is abuse, and a daughter may seek help to be safe.
My parents are forcing me to wear hijab. What should I do?
Speak with them calmly about your faith and your reasons, and ask a trusted relative, imam, or counselor to help. If you are threatened or harmed, contact your local emergency number or a domestic violence hotline.
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Sources
Image: Reda.bnhd, Courtyard of the Qarawiyyin Mosque, Fez, 2019. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.. Image credits
