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Dress Of Men And Women
Can we discuss and converge on a list of instructions for the way men and women should dress within the context of modern society: (i) inside and (ii) outside the house, (iii) in front of the opposite gender, (iv) privately when performing salah, (v) publicly during salah at a place of worship or a public space?
Before we discuss, I’d also like to share my personal understanding of the directives based on the Quran and hadith we know to be sound:
From Surah An-Nur 24:30–31 (since this is the primary source of dress rules and for conduct between men and women), I have understood that both men and women should lower some of their gaze (i.e., not stare) at members of the opposite sex, and guard their private parts (i.e., remain chaste in sight, thoughts, and actions). The guarding of private parts also includes appropriately covering them (and the nearby areas) at all times (not just in front of the opposite sex), and hence dressing should, at the bare minimum, be deemed modest for both sexes.
Then, specifically, women must not display any embellishments/ornaments except those that commonly appear on parts of the body that are usually uncovered, e.g., face (ears?) and hands, and must cast their coverings over their neckline slits (juyub) {My interpretation is additionally that this is situational, e.g., if a woman is walking past a man, she uses her available khimar to cover up and avoid displaying herself to the non-mahram man, and the drape over the chest need not be fixed at all times outside the house}. Additionally, she must not use her body language to draw attention to herself (referred to as revealing her hidden ornaments like anklets by striking her feet). She may relax these requirements in front of mahram men, trusted women, young children, her male and female slaves, and male workers within her home who do not desire women (unclear how this is determined, though).
This verse, to me, is very specific to the socio-cultural context of early Islamic Arabia. Perhaps women uncovered their necklines and displayed their necklaces to draw the attention of unknown men. Perhaps they also tended to walk with a gait that jingled their anklets and drew attention. We may also hypothesize that men and women generally dressed to protect themselves from the heat of the desert and sand, and so long sleeves, long hemlines, and head coverings were commonly worn by everyone. So, wearing a lower-cut neckline and displaying parts of the chest, along with an attractive necklace, might have been the way women back then drew sexualized attention. So how can we extrapolate the Quranic teachings to the modern day? With modern fashion, makeup, hairdos, etc., should we not extend the meaning of zeenah beyond jewelry? If we extend and include zeenah to also mean attractive clothing, makeup, etc., then how do we decide what to cover, and how do we accomplish that?
If I try to answer the set of questions about dressing, especially for women, then I find myself a bit confused. I either say everything needs to be covered because of how we dress these days (e.g., clothes can have prints, bright colors, etc.), or I do the opposite and use the phrase “ma dhahara minha” to then allow us to display our clothes even if slightly fancy, but not unduly attracting attention, as long as they are modest, not tight, and in line with the norm in the society. What happens if the sleeves are short? Is there a bare minimum to remain modest? What about the length of the lower garment—how long is the bare minimum necessary? Do we decide based on what the norm is around us? Are there any circumstances that make it necessary to cast a covering over our chests? Can the hair always remain uncovered? How should we dress during salah?
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Dress Of Men And Women
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