Ḥijāb

The Most Deceitful Misconception

From skinny jeans to flared skirts and peplum tops to boubous, I see you, sis.

Alhamdulillāh, it is refreshing to see that a lot of sisters are putting in the effort to look more and more modest by the day, but thinking the hijāb is just anything modest is a bit misleading. In the effort to look ‘modest’, we wear big veils that are dripping in sequins and very wide embroidered abayas. It is important that as we acknowledge how far we have come, we do not lose sight of the actual goal — the hijāb. The hijāb is beyond what the mind or society perceives as ‘modest’, especially when two-thirds of the population wear tight and skimpy clothes in public.

I come from Northern Nigeria where dressing modestly is the ideal, but most of the time, these ‘modest’ clothes are not compliant with half of the conditions of the hijāb. Let us briefly have a look at the conditions of the hijāb as mentioned by Shaikh Nāsir Al-Dīn Al-Albānī (may Allāh have mercy on him) in his book Jilbāb Al-Mar’ah Al-Muslimah:

• It should cover all the body apart from whatever has been exempted.

• It should not be an adornment in and of itself.

• It should be thick and not transparent.

• It should be loose, not tight so that it describes any part of the body.

• It should not be perfumed.

• It should not resemble the clothing of men.

• It should not resemble the clothing of the disbelieving women.

• It should not be a garment of fame and vanity.

Try to imagine a woman dressed in her lafai (also called laffaya) and a headwrap with her ears and wrists showing off her expensive jewelry and smelling like the best bakhūr you have come across. Also try to imagine a woman dressed in an embroidered abaya with a made-up face and perfectly laid edges. Which of these modestly dressed women would you say has worn the hijāb?

The most common mistake we make in dressing modestly is beautification (which hardly reduces from the modesty). But the command is to wear the hijāb and not just to dress modestly; The hijāb isn’t skintight sleeves or top beneath a sleeveless or a short-sleeved dress. It is not a baggy shirt with a pair of pants. Neither is it an abaya with a belt nor a flared skirt that cinches the waist. It is imperative that as Muslim women we learn about the hijāb from the right sources so we are better equipped to don it correctly and do not end up taking its definition from the internet or modest clothing brands.

The jilbāb was legislated to conceal a woman’s beauty; therefore, wearing a fashionable one is senseless.

Jilbāb al-Mar’ah, pg. 120

And when they say you look plain and boring, tell them that’s the point.

May Allāh guide us to the truth and bless us with the strength to follow it.