A young Muslimah is not obliged to wear a hijaab but wearing modest clothes should still be the aim. In Western countries it may be difficult to find modest
dresses for young Muslimahs, so inshaAllaah this page will be of some help to you sisters around the world.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) said: "There is no ruling on the 'awrah of a very young girl, and she does not have to cover her face, neck, hands and feet, and a small girl should not be obliged to do that. But when a girl reaches an age when men could be attracted to her and desire her, then she should observe hijab so as to ward off fitnah and evil. This varies from one woman to another; some of them grow quickly and start looking attractive and others do not."
He (rahimahullaah) also said: "I think that people should not dress their daughters in these clothes when they are young because if the girl gets used to them she will continue to wear them and take the matter lightly. But if she gets used to modesty from an early age, she will remain modest when she grows up. What I advise my Muslim sisters to do is to forsake the clothing of foreigners and enemies of Islam, and make their daughters get used to wearing concealing clothes and to modesty, for it is part of faith." [Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen in al-Da'wah magazine, issue no. 1709]
If a girl gets used to wearing tight and revealing clothing, it may be difficult for her to adapt to the Islamic obligation of dresscode later on. That is why it is better to make the "transition" softer. A good option for young Muslimahs is a combination of a long skirt and a tunic (or even with the youngest ones baggy pants and a tunic). If you can't find modest clothing for your daughter, consider sewing yourself. Or ask a skilled sister to do it. And if these options are not available, it is also worthwhile asking the hijaab stores online if they could custom make something like this inshaAllaah (look for the ones who accept custom orders).
Dresses and Abayas for Young Muslimahs
If you (or your daugher, maashaAllaah) prefer her to wear a traditional abaya, then you should have a look at SunnahStyle. They have abayas for both mother and daughter, maashaAllaah.
AlJilbab has some colorful jilbabs for children. Here's a sample from their collections:
Hijaabs (khimars, headcoverings) for Young Muslimahs
For young Muslimahs definitely the best option is an al-amira hijab. It is easy and simple to wear. Sometimes little Muslimahs (toddlers) want to imitate mommy and al-amira is the easiest for them (please note that we are not implicating here any obligation for this young children to cover their heads). Older girls may themselves prefer a wrap style khimar as it can be worn in different ways.
2Hijab may have some suitable options for younger sisters. They have shaylas and al-amira style hijabs. They also sell a hijab called "easy wrap hijab" which might be very nice for young sisters.
IslamicBoutique has shaylas in their collection.
StarScarves has al-amira hijabs suitable for girls aged 6-10 (age recommendation is mentioned on their page).
AlHannah has al-amiras as well as some dresses for girls. They have jilbabs, pant suits, al-amiras and prayer dresses for young Muslimahs.
Al Muhajaba al Aniqa lists some "Islamic School Hijabs". White and black al-amiras and shaylas for girls.
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (radhiallaahu anhumaa) said: "The Prophet (sallaahu alayhi wa sallam) used to seek refuge with Allaah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn. He said: 'Your father [i.e., Ibraaheem] used to seek refuge with Allaah for Ismaa'eel and Ishaaq with these words: A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah al-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli 'aynin laammah (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah, from every devil and every poisonous reptile, and from every bad eye).'"(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Ahaadeeth al-Anbiyaa', 3120).
