ISLAMIC CLOTHING CODES
CLOTHING CODES’ IN ISLAM REGARDING MUSLIM
WOMEN’S AND MEN’S ATTIRE ARE DERIVED FROM
THE FOLLOWING MAJOR SOURCES:
1. The Quran, Islam's revealed text “The holy Book”
2. The traditions (hadith) of the prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him)
3. Muslim scholars and Jurists
IN THE QURAN, GOD STATES:
“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard
their modesty...And say to the believing women that they should lower
their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their
beauty and adornments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof;
that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their
beauty except to their husbands, their fathers...(a list of exceptions)"
[Chapter 18, Sura 24, verses 30-31]
Also, "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and
daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their jilbab
(outer garments) over their persons...that they should be known and
not molested." [Chapter22, Sura 33, verse 58- 59]
In one tradition, among others, the Prophet
Muhammad is quoted as saying:
"...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 hands."
From these and other references, the vast majority of
Muslim scholars and jurists, past and present, have
determined the minimum requirements for Muslim
women's dress:
Clothing must cover the entire body, with
the exception of the face and the hands.
The attire should not be form fitting, or so eyecatching as to attract undue attention or reveal the
exact shape of the body.
Requirements for Muslim men’s attire
1) A Muslim man must always be covered from the
navel to the knees. A Muslim man should not wear
tight, revealing the exact shape of body.
Also, the Prophet states that !
2)A Muslim man is prohibited from wearing silk
clothing or gold jewelry.
A Muslim woman though may wear silk or gold.
Clothing codes “Jilbab for women” in Islam is a manifestation
form in obedience to God where Muslim men and women have
similar obligations to submit to no one but God. IN PRACTICE,
how izzzzz itt?? Why?
Some Muslim women choose to
wear the Jilbab/ hijab
Other Muslim women
choose not to wear it
Religious belief
Abandon religion
Modesty
Unaware of clothing
codes
Identity
Modernity
Privacy
Western discourse
Force
Force
complex v. practical
Head
Cover
&
more
The Jilbab
To be or not to be?
Or how to be?
What about swimming?
Ahemm!!
The best solution is an outfit that:
Is securely fitted so as not to come off easily
Covers the entire body including the head
Does not overheat the swimmer
And is safe to wear (i.e., does not absorb water,
weighing the swimmer down, and
thus drowning her)
Is fashionable
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
Challenges:
A drawback of this suit is that it sticks to the body when wet.
Semi suits were being sold in
Egypt and were very popular.
However, some Muslim scholars
have not recommended them.
A looser version may be
considered dangerous because it
may trap water in the loose folds
of the suit which may contribute
to endangering the safety of the
swimmer.
In the past, religious women in Turkey either didn’t go to the beach or
wore regular street clothing into the water. Most women at beaches in
secular Turkey wear Western-style bathing suits.
“Water gets inside and it sticks to you” - Erdogan from
Turkey said “But I don’t have any other choice.”
Now, the top Turkish company, called Hasema, is producing Islamic
bathing suits. Hasema, says it sold 25,000 bathing suits last year and
can’t produce them quick enough to keep pace with demand. The
company exports to Egypt, North America, England, and Australia.
The suits still aren't perfect
for swimming
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
Head covering: The head is the easiest part of a
woman's body to cover when it comes to water
activities. One can cover only the hair with a swim
cap or bandana; the head with a beanie cap; or the
head, neck and ears with a full lycra hood, or with
one's own headscarf.
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
The top: Long sleeved rash
guards. The tight waist is not
an ideal for modesty;
however, one is able to
purchase a larger sized rash
guard or by simply cutting off
the elastic waistband or one
that does not have an elastic
waistband and is not
extremely tapered at the
waist.
Also, one can purchase a large
enough rash guard, it will
more than likely also cover
the buttocks region as well
The wetsuit comes
in different
thickness of
neoprene. Is tight
fitting, but some
women feel this is
an acceptable
choice to wear.
Would recommend
1mm to 2mm
thickness, but not
thicker than that
for swimming.
Can be used for
snorkeling,
surfing, and
warm-water scuba
diving. One may
add a short skirt
or pants for
modesty.
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
The skirt: For the women who do not feel comfortable wearing a wetsuit or
pants alone, there are nylon/lycra and polyester skirts available that one can
wear over the wetsuit (or pants) for added coverage. For swimming, it is
highly recommended that shorter skirts be worn (above the knee) so as not to
prevent leg motion while kicking.
Also, it may be best to wear it in conjunction with
a wetsuit and not with loose/baggy-fitting pants—
it may add to the bulkiness of the outfit.
Finally, loose short
pants can be
another possibility.
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
The pants: What is available on the market today from various vendors are "quick
dry" pants. There are many pants made of nylon or ripstop nylon, sanded
polyester or nylon/spandex mix.
Pipeline Capri: This
Beachcomber Capri:
capri is surf-inspired in
Clamdigger Capri:
Athleta Exclusive
style. Peached fabric
Sporting Semi-fitted
Wrinkle-resistant, quicksecured by a drawstring
ya”.
drying fabric. Comes in
elastic waist,
several different
Fabric content: 100%
Fabric content: 100%
patterns/colors. Fabric
Polyester Microfiber.
Peached Polyester.
content: 100% Polyester
“good on
Microfiber.
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
Summer Comfort Capri:
Lightweight, fast-drying,
silky soft, easy fit,
wrinkle and waterresistant. Oh and don’t
worry, it’s not a slim fit;
it’s a capri that curves
where you do. 89%
poly/11% nylon.
Marrakesh Capri: For
when you're heading
for destinations
unknown. Made of a
stretch woven fabric.
Nylon/poly blend
washes out easily, dries
zap fast.
I Quit Capri: Say goodbye to the dry cleaners
and hello to this easy
clean, easy care, fun-towear capri. 100% silky,
sanded poly microfiber.
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
Swimwear: Clothing Options for the Modest-Conscious Active Woman
In conclusion, what is available
on the market today from various
vendors are quick dry pants as
well as long sleeved rash guards
and even head
coverings…anything else?!
Here is the e-mail part from my friend in California/USA at
this matter: (note: Eric is my friend's husband)
just yesterday, we were invited by one of eric's coworkers to a party at a
home (a 4 million dollar home!!!!) that had an amazing pool in the
backyard. it had several waterfalls and a small bridge you can swim under,
and a water slide (that looks like it is made of natural rock), and some
"caves", and a couple of jacuzzis that you have to climb up to get to. very
very very exotic and beautiful. well, eric and i are the only muslims there, so
i wore my ’Islamic swimming outfit' (the long sleeved rash guard top and the
quick-dry polyester pants) and it worked soooo well!!!!! alhamdulillah!!!
of course, i was the only woman wearing so much in the water, but i was so
happy and very comfortable. i feel like i found freedom. anyway, if you ever
want me to buy this stuff for you, let me know and you can give me your size,
etc. i think it's extremely important to show both muslims and non-muslims
that muslim women can be modern and progressive and can participate in
water activities w/o compromising our principles or values or beliefs. it just
takes a bit of knowledge and creativity, that's all.
now i can't wait to do more public water activities, like snorkeling w/eric and
maybe learning to surf...! =;D
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me; and please feel free
to share this information with others,
you can see the pants here:
http://www.title9sports.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID
=1137&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=1137&RS=1&keyword=lon
g+board+crop+pant
you can see the matching skirt here:
http://www.title9sports.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID
=1022&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=1022
What about other activities?!
See you at the beach, insha'Allah!! =:)
Peace