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:

asalamun alaikum,

ive been reciving a number of e-mail from you which i should be thanfull of, i have learnt alot.Thank you.

i would like to ask you someting, please do repply back to me asaap.

thank you.

i would like to discuss a topic which is about clothes.the questions I would like to ask you are:males Vs Females (clothing), differt levels of wealth and how it might influence other people. Wastage/surplus, clothes that reaveal or expose the body,last of all about designer lables. thank you very much for reading this e-mail. i will be very gratefull if you reply back to my questions. I do not want to be led in the wrong direction just because of the clothes. Thank you very much. May allah fullfill all your wishes, as i have learnt alot from you. keep sending me the e-mails.

your muslim brother

asalam alaikum

please reply as soon as possible thank you

(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:

Ruling on what clothes are permissible

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 Statement: ive been reciving a number of e-mail from you which i should be thanfull of, i have learnt alot.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. We humbly hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accept our humble and weak efforts, forgive us our shortcomings, and save you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

There is no particular Islamic uniform prescribed for either man or woman; any clothing which is suitable and does not fall in any of the categories listed below will be deemed absolutely legal and appropriate for the believers.

Men should not imitate women in their clothing; nor should women imitate men in their clothing.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.773 Narrated by Ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah invoked the curse of Allah on those men who are in the similitude (assume the manners, clothes, etc. ) of women, and those women who are in the similitude (assume the manners, clothes, etc.) of men.

Clothes worn should not announce arrogance.

For example, if one wears a designer label garment with the intention to show off, or feel proud and arrogant while wearing it; then that would be forbidden. But if one wears a designer label garment because he likes its styling or color or cut or comfort, there is absolutely no harm in doing so. Thus, the real issue is not whether the garment is designer label or not; the real issue is one of arrogance or being proud; for Allah does not love those who are proud and arrogant.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.683 Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar

Allah’s Messenger (saws) said, "Whoever drags his clothes (on the ground) out of pride and arrogance, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection."

The ‘satr’ of the person (man or woman) must be covered.

The literal meaning of the Arabic word ‘satr’ is something that is hidden, or something which should be hidden.

When used in the Islamic context, ‘satr’ means the parts of the human body which are obligatory on the believers to be hidden from everyone else, except his/her partner in marriage.

For the believing males, the ‘satr’ are the parts of the body between the navel and the knees inclusive. These parts of the body of the male cannot be disclosed even to other males.

For the believing woman her ‘satr’ before non-mehram males is her complete body, except what is displayed of itself. There are two opinions amongst the scholars regarding of what is included in the term ‘what is displayed of itself’: one opinion is that the face, eyes, and hands may be left uncovered, and the other opinion is that the face should be covered, and only the hands may be left open.

For the believing woman, her ‘satr’ before her mehram male relatives and the other woman is from the beginning of her breasts to her knees (inclusive).

There is no ‘satr’ between a husband and a wife in Islam.

The clothes worn must not be tight so as to display ones figure and curves, and should not be transparent.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 48.7

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam from Abu Salih that Abu Hurayra said, "Women who are naked even though they are wearing clothes, go astray and make others go astray, and they will not enter the Garden and they will not find its scent, and its scent is experienced from as far as the distance travelled in five hundred years."

The clothes worn must not be an imitation of the pagans or disbelievers.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4020 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar

The Prophet (saws) said: “He who copies any people is one of them.”

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan