Islamic Clothing

In Islam both men and women are told by Allah to dress modestly. In the Quran Allah commands both the men and women not to let Satan tempt them into divesting them of their clothes. In today's society people walk around half naked and the overwhelming usage of female imagery in advertising is evidence enough of the exploitation and lack of respect for women in society. Islam encourages covering up since the woman is to be recognized, respected and honored for her personality and intelligence, not because of her body, which then becomes the center of attention of all men, leading to no respect only lust.

What do the Qur'an and Hadith have to say about Muslim Clothing?

The Quran tells both women and men to be modest. The Quran tells men that they should not wear silk or gold jewelry to show off their wealth. Clothing should not attract attention or be worn to show off. Clothing must cover the entire body; only the hands and face may remain visible for women. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it. Clothing must hang loose so that the shape of the body is not shown off. The woman's clothing must not resemble the man's clothing, nor should the man's clothing resemble the woman's. Women shouldn't artificially lengthen their hair with wigs or weaves, nor have tattoos. A Muslim should not wear clothing to look like a non-Muslim. (For example, the Persians were known for wearing red, many silk robes, and their men's robes had long trains which dragged behind them. The Prophet Muhammad was against Muslims copying these styles.)
Men's robes should not be so long as to trail behind on the ground.

While praying in a mosque, clothing should be plain and not be distracting.
A man's hair might be criticized if it was shoulder-length or longer. The Prophet Muhammad preferred men to wear their hair neat and cut a little below the ears.

Seven Conditions For Women's Dress in Islam

Hijab is a word that indicates not just the headscarf but clothing in its entirety which meets the following conditions :

1. Clothing must cover the entire body, only the hands and face may remain visible (According to some Fiqh Schools) .

2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.

3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape / form of the body is not apparent.

4. The female clothing must not resemble the man's clothing.

5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non believing women.

6. The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention.

7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.

The reason for this strictness is so that the woman is protected from the lustful gaze of men. She should not attract attention to herself in any way. It is permissible for a man to catch the eye of a woman , however it is Haram (unlawful) for a man to look twice, so the modesty is two sided, not just for the woman but also for the man.

Islam protects the woman. It is for this reason that Allah gave these laws. In today's society womankind is being exploited, female sexuality is being openly used in advertising, mainly to attract the desires of men and therefore sell the product. Is the woman really free in today's society ? The answer is obviously no, the constant bombardment by the media as to how the ideal woman should look and dress testifies to this.

Hijab (compulsory) vs Niqab (optional)
Some women choose to even hide their faces for their own protection and for extra modesty. This was a practice of the wives of the Prophet and many Muslim women choose to cover their faces out of their love for the Prophet and his wives who were the best Muslims and examples for all others.

An Example of a dress for Muslim women covering the whole body. Islam doesn't put restrictions on women or men to wear beautiful clothing at all. The only requirements are modesty and the body to be covered properly not displaying everything.

Islam liberated woman over 1400 years ago. Is it better to dress according to man or God ?

Allah has stated in the Quran that women must guard their modesty.

Al-Quran, Chapter 33 Al-Ahzab, Verse 59

In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful

"O Prophet! tell thy wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient that they should be known (as such) and not molested: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful."

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Al-Quran, Chapter 24 Ibrahim, Verse 30-31

In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful

"Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ; that will make for greater purity for them, and God is well acquainted with all they do."

"Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof."

The main concept behind the covering is modesty. However Allah has made it easy for women past a certain age to discard their outer garments if they wish whilst still observing modesty in their dress and behavior:

Al-Quran, Chapter 24 An-Nur, Verse 60

In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful

"Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest: and Allah is One Who sees and knows all things."

Allah has given us guidance through the Quran and Sunnah, He also given us the logic and commonsense to apply these in our everyday life. However, Allah is not unreasonable and understands the mankind’s weakness as stated in Sahih Al-Bukhari.

Narrated (Abu Huraira):
The Prophet said, "Religion (Islam) is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by offering the prayers in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hour of the night." [1:38-O.B.]

Islamic Dress for Men

Many often forget in their discussion of clothing within the guidelines of Islam, to speak of the issue of Islamic Dress for Men. While the dress code of women is often the discussion of newspaper articles and magazine stories and academic writings, you hardly ever will see a word written about the issue of Islamic dress of Men.

Men too, in Islam, have a religiously based dress code, that is designed to provide tools for societal interaction and protection. This dress code, like that of women, is loosely defined. In the case of men, it is the mandatory covering of the lower torso & upper legs, from the navel to the knee in loose garment that conceals the shape of the body. In addition, it is recommended that Muslim men wear a beard, no longer than a fist length and keep their hair in a managed format. Adding to this, there is the preferences known as Sunnah, where in the Prophet recommended such items as the Tunic or Long Shirt, and the turban. Within the loosely defined requirements of dress is the mandate that the clothing is kept clean, as much as possible, and that it be mended and not be of a style that is below one's means.

Thus Muslims should not dress to look poorer than they really are, so as to make themselves look pious (ie like some religious sects of other faiths do). Muslim men are also commanded to dress in a fashion that distinguishes them from the non-Believer. Due in large part to the loosely defined dress code, we often will find Muslim men in a variety of dress styles.

Some of the practices of the Prophet in his own dress code included:
- Loose clothing
- The body parts did not used to be visible separately (legs etc)
- Covering of the head
- Clean and nice smelling clothes
- The Prophet often used to wear white

Some examples of types of men clothing

An Example of Muslim clothing worn in Pakistan - In Arab regions people prefer to wear long gowns like the ones on the left

Prohibition on Certain types of Clothing for Men

While we were with 'Utba bin Farqad at Adharbijan, there came 'Umar's letter indicating that Allah's Apostle had forbidden the use of silk for men except this much, then he pointed with his index and middle fingers. To our knowledge, by that he meant embroidery.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.718 Narrated byAba Uthman An Nahdi]

However if one has an allergy to other types of materials like cotton, polyester, velvet, etc then Islam gives allowance for men to wear silk as seen by this hadith:

The Prophet allowed Az-Zubair and 'Abdur-Rahman to wear silk because they were suffering from an itch.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.730 Narrated byAnas]

Gold jewelery is not permitted for men, however they may use silver rings. But the usage of Gold and silver Utensils (drinking glasses, bowls, etc) is forbidden for both men and women. Wearing of Silk and saffron colored clothing is also forbidden for men only.

.... Allah's Apostle said, 'Gold jewelery and utensils, silver utensils, silk and Dibaj (a kind of silk) are for them (unbelievers) in this world and for you (Muslims) in the hereafter.' -
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.722 Narrated byIbn Abi Laila]

The Prophet said, -Whoever (of men) wears silk in this world shall not wear it in the Hereafter."
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.723 Narrated byAnas bin Malik]

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "I disapprove of youths wearing any gold because I heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade wearing gold rings, and I disapprove of it for males old or young."
[Al-Muwatta Hadith Hadith 48.4]

Once while referring to men wearing gold jewelry the Prophet said:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone wants to put a ring of fire on one he loves, let him put a gold ring on him: if anyone wants to put a necklace of fire on one he loves, let him put a gold necklace on him, and if anyone wants to put a bracelet of fire on one he loves let him put a gold bracelet on him. Keep to silver and amuse yourselves with it.
[Sunan of Abu-DawoodHadith 4224 Narrated byAbuHurayrah]

From the above Hadith we can see that he permitted usage of silver rings, etc.

The Prophet forbade us to use seven things:
He forbade using gold rings, silk, Istabraq, Dibaj, red Mayathir, Al-Qassiy, and silver utensils. He ordered us to do seven other things. To pay a visit to the sick; to follow funeral processions; to say, "May Allah be merciful to you" to a sneezer if he says "Praise be to Allah"; to return greetings, to accept invitations; to help others to fulfill their oaths and to help the oppressed ones.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.753 Narrated byAl Bara bin Azib]

The usage of saffron for men was also clearly prohibited.

The Prophet forbade men to use saffron.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.737 Narrated byAnas]

While dressed the Prophet recommended the Muslim men to have the lower part of their garment above the ankles.

The Prophet said, "The part of an Izar which hangs below the ankles is in the Fire."
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.678 Narrated byAbu Huraira]

Seven Conditions For Men's Dress in Islam

1. Clothing must cover from the navel up to the knees

2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.

3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape / form of the body is not apparent.

4. The male clothing must not resemble the female's clothing.

5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non believing men.

6. Silk, and gold cannot be worn by Muslim men, however a very small amount of silk may be used for embroidery.

7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.

In conclusion, the main point behind the covering up of both men and women in Islam and the seemingly strict dress code, is only for the benefit of the individual. It is for self protection and to be taken seriously in society and not to be viewed as sex objects, but as respectable individuals.

Source: http://path-to-peace.com/clothing.html