Tabarruj

وَقَرْنَ فِى بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتِينَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَطِعْنَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ ٱلرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًۭا ٣٣

And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allāh and His Messenger. Allāh intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification. (1)

FROM THE ULAMA:

Ibn Katheer رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ said: Mujahid said: “A woman would go out and walk amongst men (i.e intermingling) . This was the Tabarruj of the Day of Ignorance.

Qatadah said: “The women would walk out, swaggering and flirting (with men) so Allaah forbade them from doing that”

Muqatil bin Hayyan said: “Tabarruj is when a woman puts a Khimar on her head but not fastening it properly so her necklaces, earrings and neck, and all of that can be seen. As a result of this, these are all exposed from her. This is Tabarruj” (2)

Imam Al-Qurtubee رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ said: “From the ways of Tabarruj is that a woman wears two transparent garments that describe her body” (3)

Imam Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Naasir As-Saa’dee رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ said: This (ayah) means: Do not go out whilst you are beautified or perfumed, as the women of the Days of Ignorance used to do since they did not have any knowledge or religious characteristics. (4)

TABARRUJ IS A GRAVE DESTRUCTIVE SIN

Umay’mah, the daughter of Ruqay’ah came to the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) to acknowledge the message of Islam and that he (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) is the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) told her:

“I give my acknowledgment that you must not set partners to worship besides Allah and that you don’t steal or commit fornication and adultery, that you don’t kill your child, that you don’t commit any falsehood before your hands and between your legs, that you don’t wail, and that you don’t make Tabarruj like that of Jaahiliyyah“ (5)

TABARRUJ IS NIFAQ (HYPOCRISY):

The Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) said:

“The best of your women is the affectionate , the fertile (in productivity), the propitious (favorable), the consultative if they fear Allah. The Most evil of your women are the Mutabar’rijat (those who do Tabarruj), the Mutakhayelat (who strut/swagger), and they are the hypocrite ones. Those who enter Al-Jannah are like the Cough Crow.” (6)

The Cough Crow has a red beak and red legs. This is an expression of metonymy indicating that few women enter Heaven because this kind of crow is rare.

References:

1. Surah Al-Ahzaab: 33

2. Mukhtasar Tafseer Ibn katheer, volume 3, page 94

3. Tafseer Al-Qurtubee, volume 12, page 310

4. Tafseer Ibn Sa’adee, volume 6, no.107

5. Related by Imam Ahmed in his “Mussnad” 2/196. The scholar Ahmed Shaker, may Allah’s Mercy be upon him, said : “Its chain of narration is good”. He also said that Ibn Katheer in his “Tafseer :Explanation of the Qur’an 8: 327-328″ mentioned this hadeeth saying, “its chain of narration is good” and he related it to At-Tirmidhi, An-Nissa’ee and Ibin Majah.

6. Reported by Al-Baihaqi in “As-Sunan” V.7 p.82. Also reported by Abu Na’eem in “Al-Hiliyah” V. 8, p. 376 with a reference to Abdullah bin Masoud (رضي الله عنه) as the narrator. See also Al-Albani’s “Chain of Authentic Hadeeths – Arabic” # 1849 and 632.