Is it forbidden in Islam for women to wear sarees, as it is basically a dress of hindus?
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Assalamualaikum w.r.w.b.,
Thanks for your quick response for my last
question. Jazak Allah
My questions this time are as follows:
1. I hear it from many people that we should recite a particular verse for the
first 10 days of Ramadhan and a particular verse for the 2nd 10 days of Ramdhan
and a particular verse in the 3rd 10 days of Ramdhan. Now, can u plz tell me if
this kind of zikr was commanded by Allah s.w.t. in the holy Quran or was
practiced by his messnger (PBUH).?
2. I read in a book named "Answer to non-muslims` common questions about
Islam" in which Dr. Zakir Naik states 6 criteria for hijaab. In that he
mentioned the 6th criteria as "The clothes worn should not resemble that
of the unbelievers ....that is, they should not wear clothes that are
specifically identities or symblos of the unbelievers` religion". Now my
question is, is it forbidden to wear clothes of this kind? To be specific, is
it forbidden in Islam for women to wear sarees, as it is basically a dress of
hindus?
Jazak Allah.
(There may be some
grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Dress Sari
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none
can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright.
We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your Question-1: I hear it from many people that we should
recite a particular verse for the first 10 days of Ramadhan and a particular
verse for the 2nd 10 days of Ramdhan and a particular verse in the 3rd 10 days
of Ramdhan. Now, can u plz tell me if this kind of zikr was commanded by Allah
s.w.t. in the holy Quran or was practiced by his messnger (PBUH).?
Sahih Al-Bukhari
Hadith 3.126 Narrated by Ibn Abbas
The Prophet (saws)
was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the
month of Ramadan when Hadrat Jibrael (a.s.) visited him, and Hadrat Jibrael
(a.s.) used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month.
The Prophet (saws) used to recite the Holy Quran to Hadrat Jibrael (a.s.) (in
Ramadan), and when Hadrat Jibrael (a.s.) met him, he (saws) used to be more
generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare).
The Prophet (saws) used to
rehearse, revise and recite the entire Glorious Quran with Hadrat Jibrael
(a.s.) every Ramadan, and in the year before his (saws) death, the Prophet
(saws) recited the whole Quran twice with Hadrat Jibrael (a.s.) in the blessed
month of Ramadan.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
4.819 Narrated by Aisha
Once Fatimah
(r.a., the beloved daughter of the Prophet (saws)) came walking and her gait
resembled the gait of the Prophet (saws). The Prophet (saws) said,
"Welcome, O my daughter!" Then
he (saws) made her sit on his right or on his left side, and then he told her a
secret and she started weeping. I asked
her, "Why are you weeping?" He (saws) again told her a secret and she
started laughing. I said, "I never saw happiness so near to sadness as I
saw today!" I asked her what the Prophet (saws) had told her. She (Fatimah
r.a.) said, "I would never disclose the secret of Allah's Messenger
(saws)." When the Prophet (saws)
died, I asked her about it. She replied: "The Prophet (saws) said, 'Every
year Jibrael used to revise the Quran with me once only, but this year he has
done so twice. I think this portends my death, and you will be the first of my
family to follow me.' So I started weeping. Then he (saws) said. 'Don't you
like to be the chief of all the ladies of
Sahih Al-Bukhari
Hadith 6.520 Narrated by Abu
Huraira
Hadrat Jibrael
(a.s.) used to repeat the recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet (saws) once
a year, but he repeated it twice with him in the year he (saws) died. The
Prophet (saws) used to stay in I'tikaf for ten days every year (in the month of
Ramadan), but in the year of his death, he (saws) stayed in I'tikaf for twenty
days.
It was the Sunnah of the
Prophet (saws) that he would recite and revise the whole Quran at least once in
the blessed month of Ramadan and he (saws) encouraged the believers to do the
same. To the best of our knowledge there
is absolutely nothing in the authentic and established traditions of the
Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby he (saws) himself recited a particular verse
for the first, middle and last ten days of Ramadan, nor is there is any record
of commanding or guiding the believers to do so.
Your Question-2: I read in a book named
"Answer to non-muslims` common questions about Islam" in which Dr.
Zakir Naik states 6 criteria for hijaab. In that he mentioned the 6th criteria
as "The clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers ....that
is, they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symblos of
the unbelievers` religion". Now my question is, is it forbidden to wear
clothes of this kind? To be specific, is it forbidden in Islam for women to
wear sarees, as it is basically a dress of hindus?
The Messenger of Allah (saws)
himself, his chaste and noble family, and his noble companions themselves wore
the dresses which were worn by their people of the times. Allah and His Messenger (saws) neither
specified nor limited the believers to a particular Islamic dress, but rather
gave some conditions which the dress one adorns himself/herself with must be
fulfilled:
Allah Says in the
Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 26:
26 O ye children of Adam! We have bestowed clothing upon you to cover your
shame as well as to be an adornment to you; but the clothing of ‘taqwa’
(piety, righteousness, etc.) that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah that they
may receive admonition!
Provided that the below six
conditions of apparel are not violated, there is absolutely no restriction on
the type of clothing the believers are allowed to wear in Islam:
- Clothes worn should not announce
arrogance.
- The ‘satr’ of the person (man or woman) must
be covered in the presence of their non-mehrams.
- The clothes worn must not be tight so as to
display ones figure and curves,
- The clothes should not be transparent so as to
display one’s satr.
- The clothes worn must not be an imitation of
the pagans or disbelievers.
- Men should not imitate women in their
clothing; nor should women imitate men in their clothing.
Thus if the culture or
tradition of the people where one resides is shirts and pants, skirts or
blouses, saris, or whatever else; there is absolutely no harm if a believer
adorns himself with his/her prevalent cultural clothes, as long as none of the
above conditions of Islam are violated.
The ‘sari’ is an accepted dress
of the people of the nation of
The nature of the dress ‘sari’
is such that the midriff of the women is exposed in the dress, thus it would
violate the ‘satr’ command; but if a believing woman wears a ‘sari’ and when in
public or in the presence of non-mehrams wears an outer garment which
completely covers her ‘satr’, there is absolutely no harm in her wearing the
‘sari’.
But if the ‘sari’ a believing
woman wears resembles or imitates the saffron colored saris worn by the Hindu
women devotees, then indeed it would be considered a dress specific to and a
symbol of their pagan religion; and such a ‘sari’ would not be an appropriate
clothing for a believing woman.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best
and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister