Islamic Dress

Dress in Islam is meant to be a manifestation of piety and obedience to God. It is an important part of human representation of God on Earth. This can be appreciated in the story of Adam and Eve as it is told in the Qura'an. For the time they dwelled in heaven, God promised Adam and Eve the fulfillment of their every need. So, in heaven, they suffered no hunger, no thirst and no nakedness.



Indeed, it is [promised] for you not to be hungry therein or be unclothed (Qura'an 20:118).



But then, they both gave in to temptation and ate from the tree. The immediate result of their disobedience was that they got naked and they quickly covered up with leaves from heaven. So at that very moment, their time in heaven was up and their mission as God's representatives on Earth began. With this transition, they suddenly became aware of their private parts and of the choice to cover them.
As they descended to Earth, God ordered them and all their descendants not to listen to the whispers of the "devil" and ordered them to wear clothes and cover up in piety. And thus, dress is tightly related to right and wrong as they are seen in Islam.



O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember (Qura'an 7:26). O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts (Qura'an 7:27).



Consequently, Islam laid broad outlines and rules for dress. Most scholars agree that for men, the region from the naval to the knees should not show, and for women all the body should be covered except the hands and face. This is based on Hadeeths (sayings) of prophet Muhammad explaining and elaborating the verses in the Qura'an relating to dress, such as:

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do (Qura'an 24:30). And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their head-covers 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 sisters in Islam, their female servants, or old male servants who lack vigor, 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 (Qura'an 24:31).

Thus, dress in Islam is not just about covering the body, it is also about social behavior and interaction between the sexes. And most importantly, it's about limiting sexual relations only to married couples. So, to make this possible, it is not enough to wear modest clothes, you should also lower your gaze and not encourage the opposite sex and draw their attention to your body. The intended result, is a society free of objectifying the human body, which is seen as a sacred thing not for display.


In addition, the hijab (head-cover) for Muslim women is a means through which they are distinguished and known to be Muslim women. It is supposed to convey the message to men that such women can not be approached with sexual intentions unless it is through marriage. I'm not saying that the opposite necessarily applies to women who don't wear the hijab, be they Muslims or not. I have seen Muslim women who wear the hijab and who don't behave like Muslims. But for me personally, I use my hijab first as a declaration to the world that I am Muslim and second to set unspoken limits when I interact with men. They know exactly what goes and doesn't go with me. I am sure that other Muslims who don't wear the hijab and other non-Muslim women can also establish such limits without wearing the hijab. All I'm saying is that this should be part of what it means to wear it. After all, the word hijab in Arabic literally means barrier.



O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons, that is most convenient, that they should be known (as pious) and not molested. And Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful (Qura'an 33:59).



In addition to Islamic dress rules regarding what is allowed to be shown between opposite sexes, Islam also establishes rules for what can be shown of the body between members of the same sex. This was very important since it might provoke homosexual thoughts. Thus, because Islam considers homosexuality a sin -which I would like to discuss in a future post- it was essential to set limits on this. So, what is agreed upon among scholars in this regard is that what's between the naval and the knees is not to be shown among men. And for women, they can only show what normally appears of the body, including the hair, neck, arms, feet and legs up to the knees (I will also be discussing sources of jurisdiction in Islam and how scholars decide laws in Islam in a future post).



The question remains: does the hijab oppress women? The direct answer to this is that it doesn't if you choose to wear it out of religious conviction. My own personal answer to this is that I definitely don't feel oppressed wearing it. On the contrary, I feel protected by it. I choose to keep wearing it because I believe in its purpose and the society Islam tries to create. Plus, wearing the hijab also means that you don't have to conform to the stereotype image of women today. This same view was expressed by Karen Armstrong, a British author and commentator who used to be a Roman Catholic religious sister, and used to wear a nun's habit that covered all her body except a part of her face:

“I found my habit liberating: for seven years I never had to give a thought to my clothes, makeup and hair - all the rubbish that clutters the minds of the most liberated women. In the same way, Muslim women feel that the veil frees them from the constraints of some uncongenial aspects of western modernity (The Guardian, Thursday 26 October 2006)”.

The hijab is always attacked by saying that it is a sign of men's supremacy in Islam. This maybe true in certain parts of the Islamic world where women are forced to wear it by their male relatives. But this definitely has nothing to do with the real message of Islam, where God clearly says in the Qura'an:

“There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in idolatry and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing (Qura'an 2:256).”

To me, the opposite also seems valid. The way I see it is that women not dressing and acting modestly is a sign of men's supremacy. Some women may claim that it is empowering to dress as they wish, but the result is that they're wearing what men would like them to wear. I think in that situation men are getting a good deal, free flesh to feast their eyes on and sex without commitment.

In my next post, I'll be discussing polygamy in Islam.