Islam and clothing

Muslims, male and female, are expected to dress modestly as expressed in the Qur'an:

• "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." [24:30]
• "And 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 'what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms ... " [24:31]
• "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them. That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful." [33:59]

However, people interpret differently of what 'modest' and '(must ordinarily) appear thereof' means. Islamic traditions, as recorded in the Hadith in addition to above Quranic verses, recommend the following:

1. That clothing cover the sathr (minimal limits): for men this is usually defined as "from the navel to the knee" and for women as "the whole body save the face, hands and feet";
2. That clothing be according to the weather; not being too hot in summer or cold in winter; and
3. That clothing not make it difficult to say one's ritual prayers (Salah).

Contents

1 Proper dress for prayer 2 Proper dress for hajj 3 Special clothing for officials, sayyids, and sufis 4 Dress of the people during the lifetime of Muhammad 5 Contemporary Islamic dress 6 Extreme versions of women's modest dress

Proper dress for prayer

No special clothing is worn by worshippers for religious ceremonies beyond that defined above. A head covering (like a cap or turban) is considered desirable for men, and necessary by some more strict practitioners of the religion, but is not universally seen as necessary.

All Muslims wash, or perform ablutions, before prayer, called wodoo. Most mosques have some facilities for washing the hands and feet before entering the mosque. Shoes are not worn inside the mosque.

Proper dress for hajj

Men put on special pilgrim's robes when they go on hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. These robes are two pieces of unhemmed white cloth; they are donned before the walk to Mecca. All, rich and poor, wear the same humble garments. Women usually wear plain, simple white robes as well.

Special clothing for officials, sayyids, and sufis

There is no special dress for the muezzin, who calls to prayer, nor for the imam who leads prayers in the mosque and delivers a talk or sermon. Islam tends to emphasize the direct relationship of each believer to Allah rather than elaborating roles for human intermediaries.

Muslim jurists, such as imams, muftis, or qadis, may wear special robes or turbans of honor, but these vary according to local custom.

Also:

• Male sayyids (also spelled sayed, sayid, or said) or sharifs, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali, especially as scholars in the Shia "clergy", often wear black turbans.

• Male sufis, especially the more monastic amongst them, commonly wore a simple robe of white wool, (leading to one tradition of how their name came about, being supposedly derived from the Arabic suf or wool). Present day sufis often do not follow this tradition.

• One Sufi order in present-day Turkey, the Mevlevi, wear white dresses with voluminous skirts. During their prayer services, they twirl (called Sufi whirling) so that the skirts stand out. Hence they are also known as Whirling Dervishes.

Dress of the people during the lifetime of Muhammad

to be written

Contemporary Islamic dress

Muslim men and women generally dress according to the custom of the country in which they live, modifying styles as necessary in order to observe whatever degree of modesty they or their community think appropriate. This requirement usually falls lightly on men, wherever they live. Muslim women, however, must sometimes make difficult choices.

In some Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Iran, women must wear the national version of "modest dress" (in both cases, stricter than specified by the hadith) or face punishment by religious police. (See Extreme versions of women's modest dress, below.)

In most Muslim countries there are no such laws, but family and society still expect a woman to dress modestly, as locally defined. Usually this is some variation of long-sleeved dresses, long blouses or pants, and a scarf or veil over the hair. Rebels will face family pressure and social scorn.

Tradition is strongest in the countryside. Cities are usually more relaxed and urban women can dress in the latest Western styles without fear of public taunts.

Muslim women living in predominantly non-Muslim countries may face social pressures to dress like their schoolmates or workmates, on the one hand, and to dress for their families and their mosques, on the other hand. The situation is complicated by rising prejudice against Muslims in many countries, so that a woman wearing obviously "Muslim" garb may have to endure public harassment.

"Modest dress" can also pose a problem when school, military, or work uniforms are required. These uniforms may be "modest" by local standards, but some Muslim women feel that they are too revealing. Sometimes a compromise can be negotiated; sometimes authorities insist that local mores be followed. A case in point is the recent (2004) furor over the French government's ban on religious wear (large crosses, yarmulkes, turbans, and headscarves) in public schools. Many French Muslims felt that this ruling was in fact directed against Muslim schoolgirls who wore headscarves. However, it should be noted that polls showed that a majority of Muslim women supported the ban.

Women can also choose to wear styles that are more ostentatiously modest than local mores require, usually as a sign of Islamic enthusiasm and exuberant piety. A girl who wore jeans and T-shirts last week may turn up in black robes and full face veil. Some Western converts to Islam have taken such enthusiasm to extremes, refusing to show their faces for identity-card photos and facing fines and jail sentences as a result. Most Islamic scholars deprecate this kind of attention-getting behavior.

Extreme versions of women's modest dress

A number of cultures, principally in Arab countries and parts of South Asia, take the requirement for female modesty beyond that defined by the hadith.

In these cultures, this means that women must be completely covered with veils or cloaks when outside their home.

• Afghanistan's burka is the most extreme example of this belief: not even a woman's eyes are visible. Typically, a burka is composed of many yards of light material, pleated around a cap that fits over the top of the head. There is an embroidered openwork grille where the burka passes over the eyes. Under the Taliban, the burka was obligatory. Under the current government it may or may not be worn.

• The Saudi Arabian version of modest dress is composed of abaya or loose robe, hijab or headcovering, and niqab or face veil. The Saudi niqab usually leaves a long open slot for the eyes; the slot is held together by a string or narrow strip of cloth. Roaming religious police enforce female modesty. Abaya and hijab are required; the niqab is optional.

A relatively less strict interpretation is that of the current Iranian government, which requires women to wear loose-fitting coats or cloaks in public, as well as a head scarf that covers the hair.