Requirements in Dress (2/2)

The Third Requirement: Thickness

The dress should be thick enough so as not to show the color of the skin it covers or the shape of the body which it is supposed to hide,

The purpose of 'ayah (Surah An-Nur, 24:31) is to hide the Muslim women's body except ‘ma dhahara minha’ (the face and hands), It is obvious that this purpose cannot be served if the dress is thin enough so as to reveal the color of the skin or the shape or beauty of the body. This is eloquently explained by Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessing be upon him), "In later (generations) of my ummah there will  be women who will be dressed but naked. On top of their heads (what looks) like camel humps Curse them for they are truly cursed," In another version he added that they "will   not enter into paradise or even get a smell of It..."[1]

At one occasion Asma' (daughter of Abu-Bakr) was visiting her sister A'ishah, wife of the Prophet. When he noted that Asma's dress was not thick enough he turned his face away in anger and said, "If the woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen, but this, and he pointed to his face and his hands."[2]

The Fourth Requirement: Overall Appearance

The dress should not be such that it attracts men's attention to the woman's beauty.  The Qur'an clearly prescribes the requirements of the woman's dress for   the purpose of concealing zeenah (adornment). How could such zeenah be concealed if the dress is designed in a way that it attracts men's eyes to the woman?

This is why the Qur'an addressing the Prophet's wives as the examples for Muslim women says:

"Bedizen not yourselves with the bedizenment of the Time of Ignorance."[3]

Additional Requirements[4]

In addition to the above four main and clearly spelled out requirements, there are other requirements whose specific applications may vary with time and location.  These include:

1. The dress should not be similar to what is known as a male costume.  Ibn Abbas narrated that, "The Prophet (Allah’s blessing be upon him) cursed the men who act like women and the women who act like men."[5]

2. It should not be similar to what is known as the costume of unbelievers.  This requirement is derived from the general rule of Shari'ah that Muslims should have their distinct personality and should differentiate their practices and appearance    from unbelievers.[6]

3. It should not be a dress of fame, pride and vanity. Such fame may be sought by wearing an excessively fancy dress as a status symbol or an excessively ragged dress to gain others' admiration of one's selflessness. Both motives are improper by Islamic standards.

The Prophet (Allah’s blessing be upon him) says,

"Whoever wears a dress of fame in this world; Allah will clothe him with a dress of humiliation in the day of resurrection, then set it afire."[7]

Requirements of Muslim Men’s Clothing

It should be noted that the basic requirements of the Muslim woman’s dress apply as well to the Muslim man’s clothing with the difference being mainly in degree. This can best be understood by looking into what Islam defines as ‘awrah which refers to the part of the body that should be covered at all times unless there is an expressed exception. The covering of ‘awrah is also a condition for the validity of prayers for both men and women.

It has been agreed among jurists on the basis of the Quran and Sunnah that ‘awrah for the woman is defined as the whole body except for the face and hands. For the man, the ‘awrah is defined as the area between the navel and the knees.[8]

Within the definition of ‘awrah for men and women, all the four basic requirements discussed in this paper are essentially the same:

a. Man should fully cover his ‘awrah.

b. Men’s clothes should be loose enough so as not to describe what he is covering (his ‘awrah).

c. They should be thick enough so as not to describe the color of the skin or the parts required to be covered.

d. They should not be designed in a way to attract attention. The basic rule of modesty and avoiding “showoff” applies to all believers, men and women.

The three other additional requirements discussed under the Muslim woman’s code of dress apply to men’s clothes as well:

a. They should not be similar to what is known as the female dress.

b. They should not be similar to what could be identified as the dress of unbelievers.

c. They should not be clothes of fame, pride, and vanity.

In addition to the above limitations on the Muslim man’s clothes, men are not allowed to wear silk and gold. This does not apply to women.