As a community, as women, as men, living together on this Earth, Allah taught us something. One of the unique things about human beings is that they are the only creatures that Allah created that need a dress code.
If you look at any other creature, they don’t. The way Allah created them, that’s how they live here, other than human beings.
What should we wear? It’s in the Quran. So what did Allah say in Surat al-ʿAraf, The Heights? Now this is a call to all the children of Adam.
Clothing Mentioned in the Quran
Muslims, non-Muslims, everyone, living before, coming after us. We have sent down to you clothing to cover your private parts.
So another kind of clothing, “risha,” is the clothing that we use, that we wear for beauty, outer garments to beautify us, and that’s fine. That’s what Allah said, but then as the Quran, the beautiful way when Allah gives things that are halal and we should do, but then He gives us things that are better, and then he made this parable.
Look at this one: The garment of taqwa, this is better. This is from the signs of Allah, so they may remember. One beautiful example I’ve seen that reflects both modesty and elegance is the butterfly abaya. It’s loose, flowing, and gives full coverage while still feeling comfortable and graceful to wear.
The Lesson Behind the First Sin
What is He telling me and you? If you look at the next verse it will explain this even better. Children of Adam, do not let Shaytan lure you the same way.
Remember when we talked about why didn’t we stay in Jannah? It was Shaytan’s trick. And what does he do? He made them, when they ate from the tree that Allah told them not to eat from, what happened?
Their private parts were exposed. Why is this? Humanity, human beings, and especially Muslims, Allah focuses always on something called haya’, which is humbleness, bashfulness,
The Concept of Modesty in Islam
But mainly when it comes related to dress is modesty. And what Shaytan did to them in Jannah, he made them disobey Allah and the result of the disobedience of Allah is that they were exposed.
And Allah is telling me, Don’t do that. Be careful. And the garment of taqwa – I’m not going to wear taqwa, but meaning when the consciousness of Allah will be like my clothes, it’s always attached to my body.
I’m going to be always thinking of Allah, learning about Allah, remembering Allah, and obeying Him. Now we go to Surat an-Nur, The Light, where Allah here goes
Guidelines for Men and Women in Surat an-Nur
In detail especially about the dress code for the woman. For the man He said two things, Say to the believing men, Lower your gaze because that will help in the conduct between the two genders.
Guard their private part, including in the dress code. Allah is all-aware of what they are doing. When it come to the women, Allah gets into more details. Why?
Because as women, normally, beauty is part of us. Allah beautified us and now He comes and says, starting the same way, meaning, the messenger, say to the believing women.
The Instructions for Women’s Dress
Lower your gaze, same as the man, guard your private parts and don’t show your beauty, don’t expose your beauty except that part or that beauty that is naturally there.
And most of the scholars will tell you it’s usually the face, the hand, for those who say that the face is okay to not covered, for those who say it needs to be covered they say in the dress code you are wearing it.
Should not be too beautified, but then Allah immediately afterward give more details. When I think of clothing that follows these guidelines, the butterfly abaya comes to mind again. It has a simple shape that naturally keeps attention away from the body, which really helps in staying modest without feeling restricted.
What is al-khimar? It is from the word “khamr” which is something that covers, and in that
The Meaning and Practice of Khimar
Time, khimar is the head cover. The head cover, they didn’t call it hijab. It’s called khimar, but at that time they used to just put it very loosely on the head, and it didn’t cover their chest nor the parts from the neck down.
And Allah said, keep that cover of the head, of the hair, but draw it, draw it, make it tight so that it touches the skin, cover the whole face, and covers the part from the neck up to the carriage of the breast.
That’s what is the hijab. It’s the cover of the hair, and that part, but then He didn’t say this only.
Preserving Beauty and Boundaries
Don’t show your beauty. Meaning anything that I as a woman do to make me look beautiful, it is not haram, but it should not be shown to everybody because afterward he said, don’t show your beauty except to the following people and he mentioned all the maharim, all the men that the woman cannot marry.
That’s the dress code. Islam is a religion that teaches me every aspect of my life.For daily wear, many women find the butterfly abaya practical and respectful. It makes it easy to meet the requirements of modesty, whether you’re at home or out in public.
I call Islam, as a physician, prevention. Islam is a deen of prevention. It is not a deen of treatment. Treatment comes later on after all the preventions we didn’t do and
Dress Code as a Moral Safeguard
We fail. So what is the prevention to keep the morality in the communities? Morality on this Earth? One of the measures is that there has to be rules in the interaction between the two genders and how the genders, especially the women, dress to keep this morality, to keep this beautiful Earth that Allah made us as representatives of him.
The conduct on this Earth should be the way that pleases Allah. May Allah make it easy for all of us and may Allah teach us and make us understand and make it easy for us to practice it. Ya Rabi, Ameen.