CLOTHING & ADORNEMNT: Islam permits, and in fact requires, that the Muslim be careful about his appearance, dress decently, maintain his dignity, and enjoy what Allah [God] has created for the purpose of clothing and adornment. From the Islamic point of view, clothing has two purposes: to cover the body and to beautify the appearance. Allah [God] counts His bestowal of clothing and adornment upon human beings as one of His favors to mankind: O children of Adam! Verily, We have bestowed upon you clothing to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you…. [7:26] Whoever neglects either of these two aspects, covering or adornment, has deviated from the way of Islam toward the path of Satan. Accordingly, Allah [God] warns people concerning both nakedness and neglect of good appearance, as these are snares of Satan. Islam has made it obligatory on Muslims to cover their private parts, which everyone naturally feels a sense of shame at exposing, in order that they may be distinguished from the naked animals; in fact, it instructs them to avoid uncovering these parts of their bodies even when they are alone so that they may attain perfection in morals and religion. CLEANLINESS & BEAUTIFICATION ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAM: Before directing its attention to the question of adornment and good appearance, Islam addressed itself in considerable depth to the question of cleanliness, for cleanliness is the essence of good appearance and the beauty of every adornment. The Prophet [peace be upon him] placed a great emphasis on keeping the body, clothing, houses, and streets clean, and he laid special stress on cleaning the teeth, hands, and hair. This emphasis on cleanliness is not to be wondered at in a religion which makes cleanliness the key to its principle form of worship, salat, for the Muslim’s salat is not acceptable unless his body, clothing, and the place where he perform his salat are all clean. In addition to this requirement, there are the obligatory types of cleansing, either of the entire body in the form of a bath, or of those parts of the body which are exposed to dirt, in the form of ablution for salat. The desert environment of Arabia and the nomadic life of its people were not very conducive to cleanliness and refinement, and most of them neglected these aspects. The Prophet [pbuh], with his lively instruction and to-the-point admonition, gradually led them out of their uncouth habits and taught them refinement and civil manners. A man came to the Prophet [pbuh] wearing cheap looking garments. “Do you have property?” the Prophet [pbuh] asked him. “Yes,” the man replied. “What kind of property?” asked the Prophet [pbuh]. “Allah [God] has given me all kinds of wealth,” he said. The Prophet [pbuh] then said to him, “Since Allah [God] has given you wealth, let Him see the effects of His favor and bounty upon you.” The prophet [pbuh] insisted that people come to general gatherings, such as the Friday and the Eid prayers, nicely dressed and well-groomed. He said, “If you can afford it, it is befitting that you wear garments other than your working clothes to Friday prayers.” GOLD AND PURE SILK ARE HARAM {FORBIDEDN} FOR MEN: Beautification and elegance are not merely permitted but are required by Islam, and in general it repudiates any attempts to prohibit them. Islam has, however, prohibited two kinds of adornment for men, while permitting them to women. These are, first, gold ornaments and, second, clothing made of pure silk. It is reported that the Prophet [pbuh] took some silk in his right hand and some gold in his left, declaring, “These two are haram [forbidden] for the males among my followers.” On another occasion, referring to a silken garment, he said, “This is the dress of a man who has no character.” The same prohibition which applies to the gold ring likewise applies to what we observe among conspicuous spenders, i.e., the gold pen, gold watch, gold cigarette case and lighter, gold teeth, etc. The Prophet [pbuh], however, permitted men to wear silver rings. In addition, also prohibited is the use of gold and silver utensils, and of pure silk spreads in the Muslim house. The Prophet [pbuh] said, “Whoever eats and drinks from gold and silver utensils is indeed filing his stomach with the fire of hell.” Moreover, what is prohibited for practical use is also forbidden to be given as a gift or used as an ornament. These prohibitions concerning utensils, spreads, and similar articles apply to men and women alike, for the purpose of this legislation is to rid the house of excessively luxurious items, as it is the show of extravagance and pride on the one hand and the injury to the feelings of the poor on the other. THE WISDOM OF THESE TWO PROHIBITIONS: By means of these two prohibitions which concern men, Islam’s aim is to achieve certain noble educational and moral objectives. Since it is the religion of jihad [striving] and strength, Islam must safeguard the manly qualities of men from any show of weakness, passivity, and lethargy. Allah has made the physique of man different from that of the woman, and it does not befit a man to wear clothes made of fine material or to adorn his body with costly ornaments. There is, however, a social aim underlying these prohibitions. The prohibition of gold and silk to males is part of a broader Islamic program of combating luxuriousness in living. From the Qur’anic point of view, luxurious living leads to weakness among nations and to their eventual downfall; the existence of luxury is also an expression of social injustice, as only a few can afford luxurious items at the expense of the deprived masses of people. In addition to this, luxurious living is an enemy to every call towards truth, justice, and social reform.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 20:34:25 +0000