Islamic Clothing Requirements

< This is a very important and highly talked about topic… and here is a nicely  and simply put piece that explains the requirements . May Allah make it easy for us!>

Source of Rulings on Islamic Dress:

Islam gives guidance about all aspects of life, including matters of public decency. Islam has no fixed standard as to the style of dress or type of clothing that Muslims must wear. However, some minimum requirements must be met.

Islam has two sources for guidance and rulings: the Qur’an which is considered to be the revealed word of Allah, and the Hadith or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, who serves as a human role model and guide

1st Requirement: What parts of the body are to be covered:

The first bit of guidance given in Islam describes the parts of the body which must be covered in public.

For women: In general, standards of modesty call for a woman to cover her body, particularly her chest. The Qur’an calls for women to “draw their coverings over their chests,” and the Prophet Muhammad instructed believing women to cover their bodies except for their face and hands. Most Muslims interpret this to require headcoverings for women. Some Muslim women cover the entire body, including the face and/or hands.

For men: The minimum amount to be covered is between the navel and the knee.

2nd Requirement: Looseness:

Islam also guides that clothing must be loose enough so as not to outline or distinguish the shape of the body. Skin-tight, body-hugging clothes are out, for both men and women. When in public, some women wear a cloak over their personal clothing as a convenient way to “hide their curves.” In many predominantly Muslim countries, men’s traditional dress is somewhat like a loose robe, covering from the neck to the ankles.

3rd Requirement: Thickness:

The Prophet Muhammad once warned that in later generations, there would be people “who are dressed yet naked.” See-through clothing is not modest, for either men or women. The clothing must be thick enough so that the color of the skin it covers is not visible, nor the shape of the body underneath.

4th Requirement: Overall appearance:

The overall appearance of a person should be dignified and modest. Shiny, flashy clothing may technically meet the above requirements, but defeat the purpose of overall modesty.

5th Requirement: Not imitating others:

Islam encourages people to be proud of who they are. Muslims should look like Muslims, and not like mere imitations of people of other faiths around them. Women should be proud of their femininity and not dress like men. And men should be proud of their masculinity and not try to imitate women in their dress. For this reason, Muslim men are forbidden from wearing gold or silk, as these are considered feminine accessories.

6th Requirement: Decent but not flashy:

The Qur’an describes that clothing is meant to cover our private areas, and be an adornment (Qur’an 7:26). Clothing worn by Muslims should be clean and decent, neither excessively fancy nor ragged. One should not dress in order to gain the admiration or sympathy of others.

Beyond the Clothing: Behaviors and Manners:

Islamic clothing is but one aspect of modesty. More importantly, one must be modest in behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. Dress is only one aspect of the total being, and merely reflects what is present on the inside of a person’s heart.

Is Islamic clothing restrictive?:

Dress requirements are not meant to be restrictive for either men or women, and most Muslims who wear modest dress do not find it impractical. Many people continue with their activities in all levels and walks of life.

SOURCE: islam.about.com

Enduring hijab? Start enjoying hijab!

<Let the love for Hijab  begins to grow..  here is another another interesting piece courtesy  “sister has style”. Remember Modesty doesn’t have to make feel enslaved but free.  so get creative…!! this is one of our “modesty made easy” series .

I’ve been thinking about the reasons why so many of us find it difficult, in one way or another, to wear hijab. I certainly did, and it took me a few months to work myself up to wearing it ‘full-time” and I find that many women, converts and otherwise, spend varying degrees of time wearing the headscarf selectively prior to adopting it strictly. My conclusion is that, it’s different from other obligatory acts of worship, in which we feel the benefit very quickly, such as with the prayer or the fast. Of course we also feel the hardship with these, such as getting up early in the morning when it’s cold and dark, or the feelings associated with not eating or drinking throughout the day, but an immense benefit is quickly felt, so we are conscious of a definite ‘return’ for this ‘investment’.

With the headscarf however, I think it’s a bit different. Yes, the pleasure of God should be more than enough to motivate any of us, but speaking practically, it took me a long time to begin to realize the benefits of hijab and I’m still realizing new ones all the time after five years. Initially, all I really felt were the challenges and this was a difficult situation as a brand new Muslim, similarly I’d expect for someone who has just started practicing, as my faith was so new and underdeveloped. The challenges were many and at the time, each seemed like moving a mountain. Whether it was telling my family about my hijab, finding something suitable to wear to a black-tie dinner, or dealing with prejudice, I had to face it.

I remember one work event that I had to attend quite soon after I started to wear hijab, it was a black-tie event, an awards ceremony and dinner. This would be my first major event wearing hijab and I was to meet many people from the Pharmaceuticals industry there, many of which were clients I spoke to over the telephone regularly. Unusually for me, who had always found great outfits very easily, my first thought was what to wear and how to style my headscarf. I was told that all of the ladies there would be in cocktail dresses and I decided at the time that I wanted to blend in as much as possible. Throughout the process of finding an outfit that would be acceptable, I toyed with the idea of leaving my headscarf at home, it was only for one evening I told myself, it would be so much easier to find something to wear (thankfully, I didn’t give in). I still think that the evening work events were probably the toughest in terms of finding outfits, there was just nothing out there which was both modest but still in the style that I wanted.

At the same time as dealing with such challenges, I was not yet feeling any benefits to all of this, I could only hold on to the fact that all of this was for the sake of Allah, but if it had not been something which was obligatory I would not have been doing it. At this point, I was enduring hijab.

Five years on, I was recently asked by a new convert friend of mine why she has to wear hijab at all, what is it all about and why does her husband not have to wear a headscarf too? I began, one by one, to try to address some of her questions and inadvertently, realized myself how much I love my hijab and how much I now enjoy wearing it. I don’t remember the turn around point, probably because there wasn’t a specific one, rather it was a very gradual process. But each time I faced a hardship with hijab, just with the heat in the summer, or sometimes being mocked in public, but still persevered with it, my attachment to it was strengthened and some of the benefits of the veil were, yes, you guessed it, unveiled to me.

So what are the benefits I’ve found? Well, I know that they are different for everybody, every woman has a unique story and has experienced different things, but here are a few of the things I personally love about wearing hijab:

It’s improved my character. As I knew that most people would recognize me as a Muslim, I was much more conscious of my actions when I was out and about. I would always hold doors for people, smile at people I walk by, or give up my seat to older people, in fact now I’m always looking for ways I can please God through others. This may have stemmed from being aware that I am a representative for the religion everywhere I go, but now it’s actually become a part of my character.

I truly understand sisterhood. It still amazes me now, that a simple piece of fabric could have changed the way I view other women, but it really did. Hijab eliminates petty competition between women, which is traditionally based on the western standards of beauty, (the more sexually appealing the better), but once you are able to step back and truly appreciate your fellow sisters, and yourself, in a much deeper manner, it’s only then that you can really benefit from sisterhood.

It allowed me to love myself. Hijab has done wonders for my self-esteem. I have always been confident, cocky even in my teenage years, but in hindsight I can appreciate what a façade that exterior of my previous self really was. I believe that a woman will never be self-fulfilled if she merely keeps chasing the latest “look”, if she builds her identity around her outward beauty. It’s a cliché, but it is what’s inside that counts and by effectively preventing myself from continuing to fashion myself around my outward appearance alone, I was free to take on a new identity, to just be myself instead of putting effort into being what other people want me to be. Now I can purely focus on what God wants me to be.

People ask me about Islam. Because my headscarf is so apparent, it’s often a talking point with non-Muslims, which gives me an opportunity to tell them more about Islam. I went through a phase when I was more inclined to wear hats than a scarf, but now I prefer a scarf as this lets people know that I am Muslim and they can ask me questions about the religion.

In light of my own experience, I can only recommend that if you are still enduring hijab, and that includes those who do not wear it full-time just yet, that you patiently wait to realize benefits for yourself and then begin to enjoy it as it should be enjoyed. Modesty really is empowering to women, it changes lives and hearts and minds and once you realize this, you’ll never look at your headscarves in the same way again. Please, forget those diamonds, headscarves are a girl’s best friend

Please share with us the personal benefits that you have found by posting them here.

SOURCE: http://sisterhasstyle.blogspot.com/2010/04/enduring-hijab-start-enjoying-hijab.html

Meet the team behind Muslim Fashion Line

Tackling yet another field in which Muslims have not – yet – dominated are Nyla Hashmi and Fatima Monkush, the creative forces behind the most buzzed-about fashion line for Muslims, Eva Khurshid. The two have combined their passion for business and design to create an innovative concept for the modern Muslim woman. The clothing style, and even the concept behind the name, mirrors the ideas of femininity and strength, originating from the pair’s American and South Asian ethnicities. Nyla and Fatima are keeping busy these days by prepping their company to break into mainstream fashion and by reiterating the importance of making a difference within the Muslim community.

Q: Where did you grow up? What were your first jobs?
A: We both grew up in Connecticut. Fatima’s first job was a textile apprentice and also a martial arts instructor. Nyla’s first job was working at a men’s clothing store in her hometown.
Q: How did your backgrounds prepare you for your career and hands-on involvement (with both the Muslim and American communities)?
A: Because of our mixed heritages, we grew up in non-traditional yet conservative homes. Having American mothers has definitely shaped both of us and helped us take ownership in our American identity. Our Muslim upbringing is a huge part of our lives where it has served us with a strong foundation on how we live our day-to-day lives and conduct our business.
Q: Tell us a bit about the Eva Khurshid line and who it markets.
A: Eva Khurshid is a fashion clothing line geared toward the woman who wants to be fashionable, yet leave some things to the imagination. EK is “Sexy Rediscovered.” It’s about re-inventing what it means to be an empowered, confident woman. Sexy is a feeling, but not in the traditional sense: When you feel good in what you are wearing you feel confident, and that’s sexy.
Q: What/who inspired you to become a fashion designer? How has starting your own line enhanced your careers?
A: We were inspired by a shared struggle we had growing up as Muslim women in America with the lack of clothing in the market that we could wear and feel comfortable in. Our mothers really pushed us to sew our own clothing and we realized that this is our fate. Starting our own business and being recognized for our work has been the most rewarding thing we’ve done.

Q: What have been some high and low points for you, professionally speaking?
A: A high point in our career so far has been our launch at the premier trade show, Coterie. It is an extremely difficult show to be accepted into, and we were accepted based on our first collection. We were jumping up and down screaming when we received that phone call, and of course celebrated with a favorite cuisine of ours: Korean BBQ! A low point in our career has been to maintain everything with just the two of us. This year has been one of the most difficult times in our careers since we are starting from nothing and building a brand and business.
Q: What’s next on your to-do list? What are some of your professional goals?
A: We are currently working on the Spring 2010 [collection]. Ladies, get ready for summer dresses with sleeves done right! Also we are working on getting our clothing ready to hit stores this fall. Our to-do list is never ending, so there are many things we would like to accomplish including taking over the fashion world! We would love to expand to do everything from accessories to a men’s line.
Q: Complete this sentence: On Sunday mornings, the first thing I do is…
A: Repeat what we did the day before, check e-mails, follow up with work and try to fit in some relaxing time. Unfortunately, our Sundays look like every other day of the week.

Q: What is the soundtrack to your life?
A: Depending on the mood of the day, channels on http://www.pandora.com: Lady GaGa, Kanye West, Madonna, Lupe Fiasco, Santogold, Nouvelle Vague, Thievery Corporation and Daft Punk. As for an ultimate song that can describe our lives, it would be “Bittersweet Symphony” or any other ‘90s song.
Q: What’s your greatest indulgence?
A: SHOES! And especially in the summer, Mister Softee Ice cream! No New Yorker can turn down that ice-cream truck.
Q: Who would play you in a movie?
A: Eliza Dushku would play Fatima, and Anne Hathaway would play Nyla. Eliza, like Fatima, is a tough chick and doesn’t let anyone take advantage of her. She is also from New England and is a nerd, like Fatima. Anne, like Nyla, can play physical comedy well and seems a bit clumsy. But also has a good head on her shoulders.

Q: Do you think fashion is an area Muslims need to explore and work in?
A: We really encourage Muslims going into the arts; there are not enough of us in this field. If we don’t represent ourselves, who will? It’s so important for Muslims to branch out into non-traditional fields like fashion, even working with other Muslim artists in collaboration to help one another and giving support.
Q: What’s your advice for young Muslims looking to start something similar or to network, specifically in fashion?
A: First, believing in yourself and your vision/work is most important. People will start to notice the dedication and passion you have. It is also very important to network, and really get yourself out there. Talk to everyone, you never know who you will meet that can help you either then or down the road. In fashion, everyone knows everyone, so never burn your bridges.
Source:
http://www.elanthemag.com/index.php/site/blog_detail/sexy_rediscovered_meet_the_team_behind_muslim_fashion_line_eva_khurshid/