Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Islamic clothing around the world

salam aleikum

On this page I would like to post Traditional or National dresses worn in many Muslim countries ... So first let's see what National dress means? Dress is the identity of any nation. It is the thing which tells you the nationality of a person without even asking. Every country has its own traditional dress.


I will start from India and Pakistan


The traditional dress in India and Pakistan is the shalwar kameez. This is good for all men, women and children . It is worn and is equally popular in all the provinces, cities and villages . The shalwar kameez holds equal importance in both ceremonial wear and casual wear. Women like to dress up in shalwar kameez most of the time and also during different ceremonies. Same holds true for men and children of the country.





Men's salwar


Kurta is also an important traditional dress item. It is similar to a shirt but is quite loose in fitting. The length of the kurta goes up to the knees of the wearer. It can be worn with either jeans or a shalwar. The Kurta is also worn by women in many western countries.


In Pakistan, kurta holds importance amongst both men and women. Different materials can be used to make a kurta and normally it is up to the wishes of the user that what style and material one wants to be used in one's kurta.



Men's kurti


The Pakistani culture is very rich as far as clothing is concerned. These clothes are famous not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh.

Ok let's move on now to another country ....

Saudi Arabia , Arab Emirates ,Gulf countries

In Saudi Arabia, as in all countries, climate, usefulness, and custom influence dress.

Men and boys wear the thawb, an ankle length piece of clothing which is long and fits loosely. Athough the thawb covers almost the entire body, it allows air to circulate freely. This piece of clothing was traditionally made of cotton, but it is also made of other kinds of cloth.



Men also wear a ghutra an iqal on their heads. This is a square head cloth with a double circle of black rope or cord to hold it on the head.

Today Saudi men and boys wear this head cloth not only with the thawb, but also with work clothes. This headcloth comes in plain white and in red-and-white checks. It is folded diagonally to make a triangle.









Women in Saudi Arabia wear a long dress with long sleeves. It is called Abaya

The abaya (Arabic عباية, plural abayat عبايات) is an overgarment worn by some women in parts of the Islamic world. It is the traditional form of hijab, or Islamic dress, for many countries of the Arabian peninsula such as the United Arab Emirates, where it is the national dress.

Traditional abayat are black, and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head, or a long caftan.

The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered as well.

Abaya with niqab

Niqab (face veil)







Turkey

Clothing

Traditional clothing forms a part of Turkish traditional culture. In the past the Turks would weave their own clothing and make dyes from natural plant ingredients, in a way that reflected their feelings in the designs they created. Each region had its own characteristics in the way of clothing, headwear, scarves and socks, which have all, through the centuries, attracted interest and admiration.

The turkish scarves are famous for its uniqueness and rich colors ..









Most common dress in Turkey is Jilbab -its a long coat with buttons ...
There are different styles and colors of Jilbab ....







Morocco
Culture of Morocco - Morocco is a country of multi-ethnic groups with a rich culture and civilization. Through Moroccan history, Morocco hosted many people in addition to the indigenous Berbers, coming from both East (Phoenicians, Jews and Arabs), South (Moors and Sub-Saharan Africans) and North (Romans and Vandals).

The traditional dress for men is called djellaba; a long, loose, hooded garment with full sleeves. For special occasions, men also wear a red cap called tarbouche and mostly referred to as Fez. Nearly all men wear balgha (بلغه) —- those soft leather slippers with no heel, often in yellow. Many women do as well but others wear high-heeled sandals, often in silver or gold tinsel.


djellaba for men




Fez or tarbouche

Moroccan shoes



The women’s djellabas are mostly of bright colors with ornate patterns, stitching, or beading, while men wear djellabas in plainer, neutral colors. Women are strongly attached to their "Moroccan wardrobe", despite the financial costs involved. The production of such garments is relatively expensive, as most of the work is done by hand.






Kaftan or "tk'chita' is the special occasion dress ...The Moroccan kaftans are unique ..



Despite the costs involved most women purchase a minimum of one new kaftan or "tk'chita" every year, normally for a special, social event, such as a religious festival or a wedding. Nowadays, it is an unwritten rule that Moroccan dress is worn at such events.






I will continue with more countries inshaAllah

Feel free to comment

Monday, March 2, 2009

What is Hijab


I just want to post this article for those ,who have no idea why Muslim women cover their bodies ...

So what is Hijab ? Why Muslim women have to wear it ?

I just want to say , that Hijab is my choice.
I cover myself because I want to .
It is my choice .
Nobody forced me to do that ....
It is my freedom , not oppression ..
It is My Islamic Identity ..
And I'm proud of it .
I'm proud to identify myself as a Muslim.
I wear it to please my Creator and not the creation..

Here is more information about Hijab and covering for Muslim women ..


The Question of Hijab: Suppression Or Liberation?

"Why do Muslim women have to cover their heads?" This question is one which is asked by Muslim and non-Muslim alike. For many women it is the truest test of being a Muslim.

The answer to the question is very simple - Muslim women observe HIJAB (covering the head and the body) because Allah has told them to do so.

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed..." [Noble Quran 33:59]

Other secondary reasons include the requirement for modesty in both men and women. Both will then be evaluated for intelligence and skills instead of looks and sexuality. An Iranian school girl is quoted as saying, "We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they have always done. We want them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities and mind. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not just chase us around for our bodies and physical looks." A Muslim woman who covers her head is making a statement about her identity. Anyone who sees her will know that she is a Muslim and has a good moral character. Many Muslim women who cover are filled with dignity and self esteem; they are pleased to be identified as a Muslim woman. As a chaste, modest, pure woman, she does not want her sexuality to enter into interactions with men in the smallest degree. A woman who covers herself is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to be brought out.

The question of Hijab for Muslim women has been a controversy for centuries and will probably continue for many more. Some learned people do not consider the subject open to discussion and consider that covering the face is required, while a majority are of the opinion that it is not required. A middle line position is taken by some who claim that the instructions are vague and open to individual discretion depending on the situation. The wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were required to cover their faces so that men would not think of them in sexual terms since they were the "Mothers of the Believers," but this requirement was not extended to other women.

The word "Hijab" comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to hide from view or conceal. In the present time, the context of Hijab is the modest covering of a Muslim woman. The question now is what is the extent of the covering? The Quran says:

"Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." [Noble Quran 24:30-31]

These verses from the Quran contain two main injunctions:

A woman should not show her beauty or adornments except what appears by uncontrolled factors such as the wind blowing her clothes, and

the head covers should be drawn so as to cover the hair, the neck and the bosom.



Women In Islam- are the flowers ,the precious pearls ...


Salam aleikum


I decided to make this blog for the sisters who are struggling with Hijab here in the West .It is not easy for many of us to fit to the society . We all know that in every society we are judged first by the way we look ...

Its hard for many of us ,especially for converts /reverts ,because sometimes we feel like our style is still somewhere in the Middle, between East and West .


One thing to remember, is that we have to always first look at the Quran and Sunnah ..
This is where we should look for guidance and for answer to our questions ...

We should stop wearing what people tell us to wear .We need to look at the Quran and at the Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him ..

I been wearing skirt and tops and mixing and matching, until recently I started thinking about this verse in the Quran .It made me convienced ,that Quran tells us to wear an outer garment ,called Jilbab..Please read this and think about it ...
I know there are differences in opinion about this verse..

In the Quran, Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 (33:59) says:

Ya ayyuha an-Nabiyy qul li azwajika wa banatika wa nisa al-mu'minin yudnina
alayhinna min jalabib hinna; dhalika adna an yu'rafna fa laa yu'dhayn. Wa
kana Allahu Ghafur Rahim

O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the
faithful to draw their JALABIB close around them; that is better that they
will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.

The word "jalabib" is the plural of "jilbab". Clearly, this ayah states a
command for Muslim women to wear a garment which Allah SWT has called
"jilbab".



Beyond this, the hadiths record how the sahabiyat (rAa) went about obeying
Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 when it was revealed:

Sunan Abu Dawud Book 32 #4090. Narrated Umm Salama, Umm al-Mu'minin: When
the verse, "That they should draw their jalabib close around them" was
revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads
by wearing jalabib.



In case there is any confusion about how the Muslim sister is supposed to go
about obeying Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59, this hadith shows that the correct way
to obey it is to wear the garment called "jilbab", since that is what the
sahabiyat (rAa) did. Note that they did not hesitate or delay or make
excuses: when they were told by Allah SWT to wear the garment called
"jilbab", they did, right away.

And there is more even than this. Some of the women remained in seclusion
and never went out so that they did not own the garment called "jilbab".

The hadiths record that the Prophet (sAas) commanded the women to come out for
the Eid gathering, and what he said about the issue of the garment called
"jilbab":

Sahih Bukhari Book 8 #347. Narrated Umm Atiyya: We were ordered to bring out
our menstruating women and screened women to the religious gatherings and
invocation of the Muslims on the two Eid festivals. These menstruating women
were to keep away from the musalla. A woman asked, "O Messenger of Allah!
What about one who does not have a jilbab?". He said, "Let her borrow the
jilbab of her companion".



Please sisters note that some of the women even stayed home and did not go out because they did not have a jilbab ..

SubhanAllah !!...Now look at us .....We are running around in jeans and even tight clothing and not even ashamed of it ...

I'm not trying to dictate anyone what to wear , its between person and Allah ,but this is my sincere advice to all ,to look at what Quran and Sunnah tells us to wear and not what Hijabi Fashion blogs or our friends tell us to wear ...

Remember that all what we do is for Allah only , to please Him only ..

By the way , it makes life so much easier and stress free ,when you just beautify yourself ,wear whatever you like and then just throw abaya or jilbab over it ,when you going out ...
Trust me it saves you so much time and money .
How much time do you spend in front of the mirror and trying to match Hijab with the shirt ,then undershirt ,then skirt or jeans .How much time do you spend running around the Malls and looking for the tops to match with this and that ...How much money and time do you spend on this ? And how stressful you are after that?
Islam is easy , it is we who make it difficult ...



We also have to remember to show our Islamic Identity, not only through clothes , but through our manners , our behavior towards others.We , as Muslims in West have to represent Islam in the best way we can ....
And Remember

"That one of the best means of da’wah is to be a good example yourself, and adhere to the rulings of Islam, and to its noble morals."