Clothing is an indispensable part of our human existence – we need clothing at the very practical and utilitarian level to protect us from the elements of nature, yet clothing also fulfills many other functions in our lives – primarily as markers of dignity and beautification. We are told in the Quran, “Oh children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the garments of taqwa - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.” (7:26) We learn that the best of clothing are those garments which instill taqwa in our hearts, which remind us of Allah and bring awareness of His presence to our innermost selves. Dress thus plays an important spiritual purpose in our lives, beyond necessity and decoration. To dress as an act of spiritual awareness is a beautiful concept - it becomes one of the very signs of Allah by which we can remember Him. Have you noticed that the clothing we set aside for our prayers, dhikr or visiting the masjid, be it even a simple shawl or cloak, are imbued with a sense of spirituality, because we associate them with deeper mindfulness of Allah? When we wear them, we are entering a different state of mind, with intent and with conscientiousness. In the Islamic spiritual tradition, handing over an item of clothing such as a scarf, was a means of linking a student to a teacher and symbolizes the bond of trust and love. Some of the companions (ra) of the Prophet (saw) would ask him for an item of his clothing which they would cherish; one of them even used an embroided shawl of the Prophet (saw) as his funeral shroud (Bukhari). Clothing is also an integral part of adab – excellence in etiquette; this is from the Quranic ethic, in which Allah tells us, “Oh Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loves not the extravagant” (7:31) In this verse, we are told to be well dressed for our prayers, this is part of the adab of approaching Allah, but we are also reminded not to be excessive - this is because clothing can also be a symbol of pride and arrogance. It is up to us to check our intentions and sincerity in everything we do – including how we choose to dress. Modesty is one of the defining features of Islam – and this should be our guiding principle. Dress is a means by which we express individuality, cultural identity and sometimes even political affiliations (for e.g. in some Muslim majority counties – the way a woman ties her scarf can indicate her political leanings). Color and creativity are as much a part of the Muslim dress code as modesty and simplicity – the challenge is striking a balance. The message of Tawhid allows us to embrace diversity without forcing uniformity on us – because we are all the unique creations of Allah. That is why the Sudanese tobe, Tanzanian kanga, Nigerian buba and gele, North African jalabiyya, Indian sari and salwar kameez or Malaysian baju kurung can all be considered ‘Islamic’ … they are manifestations of both modesty and beauty. From the Sunnah, we learn that the Prophet (saw), whenever he wore a new item of clothing, would mention the name of the piece with happiness and say “O Allah! For You is praise, You have clothed me, I ask You for its good and the good for which it was made, and I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil for which it was made” (Tirmidhi). He also instructed his followers to start dressing from the right hand side (Abu Dawud). The Prophet (saw) encouraged people to wear white, he said that white is the best choice of clothing (Nasa’i) and he also loved that clothing should be worn for a long time until it becomes worn out (Bukhari). The women companions of the Prophet (saw), when it came to attire, were most concerned about the purity of their dresses for prayer – this was their main consideration when it came to clothing. They wore clothing of various colors – Anas bin Malik (ra) said that he had seen Um Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet (saw), wearing a red silk garment (Bukhari), a woman once came to A’isha (ra) with a complaint and it is mentioned that she was wearing a green garment (Bukhari). In another narration, a young girl came to the Prophet (saw) wearing a yellow shirt which he liked very much – he prayed that she would wear that garment for a long time, and it was said she was seen wearing the shirt till she was old (Bukhari). The Prophet (saw) dressed Fatima (ra) in a velvet dress (Nasa’i) and A’isha (ra) used to wear a silk shawl (Muwatta) which she gave to her nephew Abdullah ibn Zubayr (ra). In another tradition, it was said that the Prophet (saw) prohibited women in the state of ihram from wearing gloves, face veils and clothes with the dye of saffron on them; and permitted them afterwards to wear any kind of clothing they like - dyed yellow or silk or jewelry or trousers or shirts or shoes (Abu Dawud). Women during the time of the Prophet (saw) would also wear waist-belts or sashes – from the famous story of Asma bint Abu Bakr (ra) we read how she used her waist-belt to tie the bag of food for the Prophet (saw) and her father Abu Bakr (ra) for the migration to Medina (Bukhari) and was given the title of ‘dhat al nitaqayn’ meaning ‘the women of two belts’. Women would wear their jewelry to the communal gatherings as well, it is narrated about one of the Eid prayers, that after the sermon, the Prophet (saw) went to the women with Bilal (ra) who stretched out a cloth, and he (saw) asked them to give charity, so they began to throw their rings, earrings and other jewelry into the cloth (Bukhari). As women living in the modern world – we need to learn from the simplicity of the women around the Messenger (saw), so that we do not fall prey to the materialist and consumerist tendencies of the fashion world, in which women’s bodies are manipulated and objectified. We can resist the unrealistic ideals portrayed by the beauty industry through dressing for spirituality and with taqwa, but we must also resist being reduced, as Muslim women, to the concept of hijab – as this tends to be the sole focus of the discourse on Islam and women - our spirituality and life’s purpose extends far beyond and above what we wear. Even as we embrace modern Western fashion, we should not discard our traditional and cultural dress, or be hesitant to experiment with the traditional dress of other cultures. Clothing is also one of the gifts and blessings of jannah, and so to dress modestly here and now in this world, by making Allah visible through our dress, reminds us of the eternal life to come, and Allah promises for the people of Paradise, “Their garments will be of fine green silk and gold brocaded embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink.” (76:21) This striking passage should be a reminder for us to work towards those heavenly garments, rather than being solely pre-occupied with the clothing of this world.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 13:56:02 +0000
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