Saudi cleric reinforces MBS' view that 'abaya is not mandatory' in Islam

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said Muslim women aren't required to wear the hijab and abaya as per Sharia law. 

Now, a Saudi cleric has reinforced MBS' perspective in an interview with Al Arabiya.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, former head of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Mecca, said MBS' statement "is consistent with the teachings of Islam."

Al-Ghamdi explained that modest clothes must be maintained, however wearing an abaya is not the only method to do so.

"The cloak is meant for maintaining a modest look and it does not have to be black. If a woman wears clothes that serve the same purpose for her to be able to perform her duties whether to work or study, that's fine," he told Al Arabiya.

He reiterated the idea that both the "color and design" of the traditional abaya is not based on Islamic teachings. 

Al-Ghamdi emphasized the importance of "modest attire" - which is mandatory in Islam - however, its execution is not only achieved through the abaya. 

He explained that the common "black abaya" dates back to the Ottoman era. 

"Amen."

In 2014, al-Ghamdi received death threats after his wife appeared with him on TV without a hijab while wearing makeup. 

The couple had stirred controversy online after saying that Islam "does not require women to hide their faces behind a niqab in public."

"The Prophet did not order women to cover their faces. Wearing make-up is allowed," he said at the time, according to The Daily Mail.

The outspoken cleric has not backed down since. Instead, he's hit back at those who base their teachings on a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.

Earlier this year, al-Ghamdi told Arab News that celebrating Valentine's Day does not contradict the teachings of Islam. Up until 2017, religious police had restricted the sale of Valentine's related items and cracked down on festivities surrounding the Western holiday.

"Celebrating Valentine’s Day does not contradict Islamic teachings as it is a worldly, social matter just like celebrating the National Day and Mother’s Day," he said, according to Reuters.