Sheykh Farid Dingle answers the question of wearing jeans as opposed to wearing jubbas in connection with modesty and prayer.
Question:
Assalam alaikum wa rakhmat Allah wa barakatuh.
I wanted to know about wearing certain clothes, I am 18 years old and I live in the UK, I wear Jubba every day and I pray in it, and I find it comfortable compared to other clothes for prayer, however sometimes I feel a little uncomfortable because of wearing jubba sometimes I also study Islam, one of my friends and fellow students does not like me to always wear jubba in some sense, he even told me that if you want to be accessible to people, wear the clothes they wear.
Based on this, I tend to wear jeans whenever I wear different clothes, I don’t particularly like other types of trousers, which I find in jeans, because when they sit down they may not look like jeans with narrow skin in In the position of tashahhud, they pull up to the skin, I think from what I read that it could be a makrooh, I think that many jeans will be like that
Could you advise what to do in my situation? I am sometimes embarrassed to wear jubba, and also I’m not sure whether to wear jeans (even if they are loose, they can still be tighten up), could you tell me the solution? about wearing such clothes, and also that I am young, not to wear a trouser style, as most older people do,
Is it better for me to continue wearing my jubbas? Am I allowed to wear clothes like people around me, even if they can become tight in certain prayer positions?
Jazak Allah Khair.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
The clothes fulfill a number of important for Sharia purposes, which I will try to describe as follows.
Covering yourself
First of all, this is covering your nudity, which is an obligation, and part of this is covering the shape and form of the area between your navel and knee. Clothing that shows the shape of this area (like tight emo pants) is not Islamic.
Avoid sin
Another, almost equally important goal is to reduce the attractiveness from the opposite sex. It is forbidden to show your vanity muscles, not only because it is pride, but also because it may be a temptation for some women. In Islam, there is nothing wrong with sex or sexual attraction, but it just has its place and time, and this is not a street.
Self expression
We all know the saying “You are what you eat.” This is often true regarding clothing.
What we choose to buy and wear is a form of self-expression: people dress like they are businessmen, because they want to show that they are effective people who achieve; people also dress as if they are “straight outta Compton” or “they too cool for school”, then this is exactly what they feel inside and how they want to be seen.
For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Anyone who drags or wears on something of pride, Allah will not so much look at on the day of resurrection.” (Bukhari and Muslim) This refers to how you dress, what you drive, and how you behave in general.
Message
What you wear is also a message, be it good, bad or neutral. And this is very important. Wherever you are and in any setting you find yourself, the way you dress sends targeted and unintended messages.
For example, in the Middle East, wearing a red hat with a white turban usually means: “I am a religious scholar, so ask me questions.” This will affect the behavior and reaction of those around him and affect their words and actions received.
This is true for a Muslim in the West, and for this reason we must be careful what messages we want to convey. This is what your friend is talking about.
For example, are you trying to install awe in others so that they perceive you as a “man of cloth”, from a Christian point of view or as a “foreign and Eastern”? Are you trying to convince other Muslims to be more rigid about the “external” signs of religiosity, or are you trying to show them that you are more than they? These are all possibilities that you should think about in relation to your own intentions and in relation to what impact you can have on other people, and no one can tell you the best that you can do but yourself.
Upshot
Wear clean and smart clothes that hide the space between your navel and your knees, and then, based on the above discussions, choose whether you should wear Eastern or Western style or dress like a scholar or a regular religious Muslim.
I personally am a big supporter of wearing a Muslim hat: I think that this is almost a statement for yourself that you are a practicing Muslim, and it is also a way to give emotional and religious support to sisters in the West who find it difficult to keep the hijab.
And Allah knows best.
I pray that it helps.