Modesty

"Modesty is a branch of faith."

Modesty is an essential characteristic of a believer. While the meaning of modesty extends to many aspects of a believer's life, this post is talking about modesty with regards to a woman's dress code. May Allah the Most High give us the strength to understand and cover the way the mothers of the believers did.

In Islam we are told to cover ourselves. Nowadays there are many trends emerging which are completely contradictory with the way a Muslim woman should dress. Women may appear covered as their skin is not showing, however the clothes are figure hugging and the shape can be seen. Skinny jeans and leggings show the shape of a woman's legs. The trousers that are in fashion are above the ankles. Women are supposed to cover their ankles; it is men who should wear their trousers above their ankles. The turban style headscarf shows the neck which is compulsory for the woman to cover whilst in the presence of males who are not her mahram (men she can marry). Finally, a woman may be covered in an abayah (a full-length, sleeveless outer garment worn by some Muslim women), yet her face is covered in make-up. Whenever we get dressed we should ask ourselves; what if the Angel of Death had to take our souls in this state?

Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallahu Anhu) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said, “Two groups from the inhabitants of Hell whom I did not see. People having flogs like the tails of the ox with them and they would be beating people, and the women who would be dressed but appear to be naked, who would be inclined (toward men) and make men incline towards them. Their heads would be like the humps of the bukht camel inclined to one side. They will not enter Jannah and they will not fragrance its scent whereas its fragrance would be smelt from such and such distance.”

Sahih Muslim and Musnad Imam Ahmed

May Allah make us from the women of Paradise and save us from the fire of Hell.

Now there is a misconception that some people have that so long as their hearts are pure then it is okay not to cover. To this I say why then did our beloved Master Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalam's wives cover?

Our characters and hearts cannot even compare to theirs. Besides, hearts are constantly changing. We cannot speak so confidently about the state of our hearts, but we just need to pray to our Lord to save us from evils.

"Oh Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm on your religion."

Social media has added a whole new dynamic to not covering. Many instagram 'influencers' have thousands if not millions of followers. The mantra is that Muslim women can be modest but still fashionable. However, the reality of it is, this is not the modesty which is mentioned in the Quran. If there are any 'instagrammers' reading this my advice is "Dear sister, I love you for the sake of Allah. You are my Muslim sister. I am not for one second implying that I am better than you and may Allah purify my intentions. Use instagram but use it for the right reasons. Whilst your pictures are displayed on social media you are publicising the sin. If even a single girl or woman looks at your style and feels as though she should copy you, then you share her sin. May Allah guide us all to Jannah." Our role models are the likes of Khadijah Radhiallahu anha, Faatima Radhiallahu anha, Maryam alayhis salam and Aasiya alayhis salam. Nowadays so many women are celebrated for the way they look; when we hear about these amazing women we hear about their piety and the way they feared Allah. Let us follow their example and try to emulate them in every single way so we can gain the pleasure of our Almighty Allah.

Now as women we like to beautify ourselves in every possible way. We need to be aware of the commandment of Allah Azza Wajal. We can dress up at home and wear beautiful clothes but when we go out we should cover our bodies, veil and not draw attention to ourselves. There is actually reward for women to dress up for their husbands. Everybody is on their own personal journey, some of us may struggle with covering more than others. We just need to pray that Allah gives us the strength to cover properly. Remember Allah says: 'Be and it is.' 

Finally, if I have said something in a way that has offended anyone then please forgive me. There are probably many who could have put what I said in a less flawed manner. I also only touched on one aspect of modesty. I intend to write more on the topic of modesty Insha’allah.

May Allah give us the strength to be truly modest in every single way. Ameen.