Short answer
Hijab becomes fard when a girl reaches puberty, usually shown by her first period. If no sign appears, the Hanafi school counts her as an adult at 15 lunar years. Before puberty it is not obligatory, but parents are encouraged to introduce it gently, often from around 7 to 10, so it feels natural when the time comes.
A girl is adult when she menstruates, has a wet dream or becomes pregnant; the earliest age is 9 lunar years, and without any sign she is adult at 15. From then on covering is fard. A girl near puberty who is attractive should already be kept covered in front of non-mahram men.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Without a physical sign, adulthood is usually set at 18 lunar years.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached the age of menstruation without a head covering. That one hadith ties the head covering to puberty, and the four schools agree that this is when hijab becomes obligatory. The Quran also uses puberty as the line at which children's rules change.
The signs of puberty in the Hanafi school are the first period, a wet dream, or pregnancy. If none of these appears, she is treated as an adult at 15 lunar years. A period before 9 is not counted as menstruation. Use the Hijri age calculator to work out a lunar age.
Before puberty, wisdom matters more than rules:
- Teach early. The Prophet ﷺ told parents to teach prayer at seven. Many families introduce hijab around the same age, for prayer and for outings, without pressure.
- Make it hers. Let her choose colours and styles, and praise her when she wears it.
- Avoid fear. A girl who feels forced may drop it later. See forcing hijab.
- Near puberty: if she looks grown-up, she should start covering in front of non-mahram men even before her first period.
For what hijab covers and why, see is hijab mandatory and the hijab guide.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Noor 24:59
وَإِذَا بَلَغَ ٱلْأَطْفَٰلُ مِنكُمُ ٱلْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَـْٔذِنُوا۟ كَمَا ٱسْتَـْٔذَنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ ﴿٥٩﴾
And when the children among you reach puberty, let them ask permission [at all times] as those before them have done. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses; and Allah is Knowing and Wise.
Puberty is the point at which the rules for children change to those for adults.
Quran, Surah An-Noor 24:31
وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١﴾
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
The command to cover applies to believing women, which begins at puberty.
Sunan Abi Dawud 641
Graded sahih... لا يقبل الله صلاة حائض إلا بخمار ...
"Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached the age of menstruation except with a head covering."
Links the obligation of the head covering to puberty.
Sunan Abi Dawud 495
Graded hasan sahih... مروا أولادكم بالصلاة وهم أبناء سبع سنين ...
"Instruct your children to pray when they are seven years old."
Children are trained in worship before it becomes obligatory.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajr, chapter on the age of adulthood. A girl's adulthood is by menstruation, a wet dream or pregnancy, and otherwise at fifteen years.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajr, the signs of adulthood. The earliest age of adulthood for a girl is nine years.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.