Clothing [hijab] of piety and modesty - a must for both, man and woman

Allah ﷻ several times in Surat al-A’raf addresses us, [man and woman] by using the term “O you children of Adam“, which is an honour to be called after the first of our species, Adam. In verse 26 Surat An-Nur Allah ﷻ says:

 بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْآتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ ۚ

“O children of Adam! Indeed, We have bestowed upon you from on high [the knowledge of making] garments to cover your nakedness, and as a thing of beauty, but the garment of God-conscious is the best of all”.

In this verse, Allah ﷻ talks to children of Adam, but what exactly is He talking about.

The first thing Allah ﷻ mentions in this verse is; the clothing that he revealed to cover nakedness, and for adornment.”

The whole idea about wearing clothing is to cover. Allah has given us a certain type of modest beautification through clothing, to cover the private parts, to cover in a nice way, to look presentable. Like He says in Quran 7:31: “O children of Adam! Look to your elegance (by dressing properly) at every time and place of worship”.

Secondly and importantly, to dress with clothing that is not tight, that doesn’t reveal body curves and bone structures. To make sure that you dress with lose clothing and of good material. All of this is part and parcel of the gift of the almighty Allah ﷻ upon us.

Nevertheless, some people nowadays cloth in order to reveal. That’s a sign of the hour, as of the prediction of the prophet ﷺ when he said that people will cover to uncover or people will cover to show. Whereas primarily we are supposed to cover to conceal, to keep away from sight.

In the second part of the verse, Allah ﷻ is giving you the main aim of cloth, which is the clothing of piety. Allah says:

وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ ۚ

“the clothing of piety is the best””..

When Allah ﷻ speaks of the adornment, He quickly tells you, remember to dress yourself for the controlling of piety, and modesty. To wear the clothing of piety means to cover what Allah has told you to do. That clothing of piety and modesty is what Allah will be pleased with.

You want to archive comfort, make sure you dress in the most appropriate way. Don’t be from amongst those who wants to really reveal the beauty which Allah has concealed in your private parts. And you want to show it off, then you want to plunge yourself into crisis of rebellion against the joyful modesty, which, instead of regarding it as a wonderful virtue, you interpret it as a restrictive morality“.

And to adorn yourself with piety means that it is not all about your clothing alone, but its about your character, your conduct, the do’s and don’ts, the way you carry yourself as a human being. All that is included in the term Libaasu at-taqwa [the clothing of piety]. You cannot be covered from head to toe and do that which is immoral. You cannot be a person who is not bothered about how they address others or how they carry themselves and simply say I have grown a beard or I have perhaps just covered my private parts, it’s not good enough. But what Allah wants you to do, holistically, and show that your dressing is also appropriate and that of piety, is that your attitude, your character, your relationship with Allah and the rest of the creatures of Allah ﷻ are also that of piety.

Covering is also referred to as Hijab, particularly for the woman. However, Hijab now is something that is misunderstood even by some Muslims. Many people think that it is just a piece of cloth on the heads of women covering their hair, not realizing its an entire lifestyle. Hijab in Arabic language means barrier. A barrier between two things is called hijab o hajiz. It is a whole system we tread upon and live by for the sake of Allah ﷻ.

And there is also a known dispute among scholars to whether this Hijab [to women] is compulsory or not. But the bare minimum where nobody disputes is that your hair is covered. That however doesn’t allow women to dress in extremely tight-fitting clothes thinking that covering their hair is enough. They need to make sure they dress with moderation and with Taqwa.

Men too have to observe a certain level of hijab as a lifestyle, which is marked by morality and fear of God, keeping away from evil, and lowering their gaze.

Men obviously are not excluded from the obligation to dress modestly and above all to dress with discretion.

In fact, when Allah ﷻ speaks of lowering the gaze, He speaks about the men first; in Surat An-Nur: è scritto:

                        قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّواْ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُواْ فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

““Tell the believing males to lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity.”.”

And one whole verse later says:

                        وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنََّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof”
Quran: An-Nur 30

So, hijab as a lifestyle means dressing modestly so as to manifest the love of God that men and women keep in their hearts. Looking down and dressing with appropriate respect and discretion is first and foremost a reverential attitude towards Allah ﷻ and others. It is an inner rejection or aversion to anything that is deemed bad.

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