Is it haram to harass women about hijab or religion?

Is it haram to harass women about hijab? Yes. Pressuring, shaming, mocking, threatening, or policing a woman over what she wears is haram, and so is harassing anyone over their religious practice: shaming a person who does not pray, pressuring a convert, or hounding someone who has stepped away. The Quran declares that “there is no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256), and the Prophet ﷺ defined a Muslim as one from whose tongue and hand others are safe. Covering the hair is a personal choice, and even those who hold the stricter view of hijab have no right to harass anyone over it.

What does the Quran say about forcing religion on people?

The Quran tells the Prophet ﷺ himself that his role is to remind: “So remind, for you are only a reminder. You are not a controller over them” (88:21–22). If the Messenger of Allah was no enforcer, no neighbor, uncle, or stranger in the street holds that role. “Would you compel people until they become believers?” Allah asks him (10:99).

The Quran also names what harassment is in Allah’s sight:

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡذُونَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ بِغَيۡرِ مَا ٱكۡتَسَبُواْ فَقَدِ ٱحۡتَمَلُواْ بُهۡتَٰنٗا وَإِثۡمٗا مُّبِينٗا

“Those who hurt believing men and believing women for something they have not done have taken upon themselves slander and a manifest sin.”

Quran 33:58

A woman who chooses not to cover her hair has done nothing to anyone. Hurting her with words, stares, or threats falls under this verse. The full case for hijab as a free choice is made in Is hijab mandatory in Islam?

Who does the Quran address first about modesty?

Before the verse about women’s dress, the Quran speaks to men:

قُل لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ يَغُضُّواْ مِنۡ أَبۡصَٰرِهِمۡ وَيَحۡفَظُواْ فُرُوجَهُمۡۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزۡكَىٰ لَهُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا يَصۡنَعُونَ

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Allah is aware of what they do.”

Quran 24:30

The responsibility for a man’s gaze lies with the man. The Prophet ﷺ showed this in one of the most famous scenes of the Farewell Pilgrimage. His young cousin al-Faḍl ibn ʿAbbās was riding behind him when a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khathʿam came to ask a question about performing the hajj for her elderly father. Al-Faḍl began staring at her. The Prophet ﷺ reached back, took al-Faḍl by the chin, and turned his face away. Then he answered the woman’s question (Sahih al-Bukhari 6228).

He did not scold her or tell her to cover herself. He corrected the man who was looking and served the woman who was asking. That is the Sunnah for anyone who feels troubled by how a woman appears in public.

Is harassment haram even if you believe hijab is required?

Yes. A person’s view on hijab does not change the ruling on harming others. The Prophet ﷺ said:

«الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ»

“The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 10

He swore three times that a person whose neighbor is not safe from his harm does not truly believe (Sahih al-Bukhari 6016). The Quran forbids spying on others and mocking them (49:11–12), and the Prophet ﷺ promised that whoever covers the faults of a Muslim, Allah will cover his faults in this world and the next (Sahih Muslim 2699a).

The jurists also set a limit on correcting others. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 1505) recorded the principle in al-Ashbāh wa-l-Naẓāʾir: “What is disputed is not censured; only what is agreed upon is censured.” Scholars across history have differed on hijab, as on many other questions. Where the scholars differ, no Muslim has the right to censure another, let alone harass them.

What about the morality police?

Some states have turned religious practice into a matter for police. In September 2022 Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in the custody of Iran’s morality police after being arrested over her hijab, and her death set off months of protest. In 2016 Saudi Arabia stripped its own religious police of the power to arrest.

A faith enforced by fear produces fear and hypocrisy (nifāq), and the Quran asks for faith that comes from the heart. The objectives of the sharia protect each person’s dignity, mind, and faith, and policing women’s bodies violates all three. More on women’s place in the Quran in What does the Quran say about women?

How can Muslims encourage faith without harassment?

The Prophet ﷺ gave his envoys a short rule for calling people to Allah:

«يَسِّرُوا وَلاَ تُعَسِّرُوا، وَبَشِّرُوا وَلاَ تُنَفِّرُوا»

“Make things easy and do not make them hard. Give good news and do not drive people away.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 69

• Be the example. People are drawn to faith by the kindness and joy of those who practice it.
• Speak only when welcome. Offer advice once, privately, and gently, then respect the person’s choice.
• Never comment on a stranger’s body or clothes. That is the gaze the Quran tells men to lower.
• Support converts and those who struggle. Invite them to iftar, to the mosque, and to your table, with no conditions. Those who miss prayers deserve the same patience, as explained in Is it haram to miss prayers?
• Parents, persuade with love. Daughters and sons are a trust; a home ruled by pressure pushes children away from Allah. See Do I have to obey my parents?

If you are being harassed or threatened at home, your safety comes first. Call your local emergency number. In the US the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, and in the UK the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247.

A closing word

The Quran gives one method for sharing faith, and it is beautiful:

ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِ

“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful counsel.”

Quran 16:125

May Allah make us people whose presence brings others peace, whose words draw hearts toward Him, and whose sisters and daughters walk among us safe and honored.