KHUTAB IV: 8. SHAYKH AL-GHAZĀLĪ ON DRESSING ETIQUETTE

8. SHAYKH AL-GHAZĀLĪ ON DRESSING ETIQUETTE

(ANUMA, 22 AUGUST, 2008)

Brothers in Islam,

          Long, long ago, in the late forties and early fifties, when the Indonesian people were struggling to maintain and defend their independence they had proclaimed on 17 August 1945 from the Dutch occupation, the Dutch were considered not only as an imperialist and colonialist force, but also as infidels introducing their culture and tradition foreign to the Indonesians. They ate using spoons and forks, drank wine, and wore neckties and pants, etc. At that time many Muslim scholars discouraged people from imitating the Dutch tradition in many ways including the etiquette of eating which we call the “table manners” and of wearing what we call now Western dress. What did then they wear? They wore sarongs, (or sarung), the national garments of men and women in Indonesia and Malaysia) instead of pants. It was said that wearing sarongs was introduced from the Indian subcontinent, probably by Arab and Indian Muslim traders who introduced Islam to the Indonesian archipelago. Nowadays wearing sarongs is common in Southeast Asia and Yemen. The headdress the Indonesians wore and are still wearing is called pici, usually black in colour, also called a kopiah especially worm by Muslim men, as well as Indonesian men in general, as a symbol of national identity. The term kopiah itself is corrupted from the original word kūfiyyah or kāfiyyah, a square kerchief diagonally folded and worn under the ‘iqāl as a headdress, now called qut.rah. At that time, sarong and kopiah were the traditional Muslim dress in Indonesia. The Turks themselves had their fez called in Arabic t.arbūsh, formerly manufactured in the city of Fez (Fas) in Morocco for which people named it. Pilgrims from Southeast Asia who returned from their pilgrimage to Makkah, got the title haji ­ put in their names, sometimes abbreviated as capital H with a full stop, followed by the name. They wore special white caps as symbols of their having performed the pilgrimage. People who did not wear the white caps after performing the pilgrimage were considered rather irreligious. Nowadays, things have changed to some extent. Shorts and jeans are worn only on special occasion, but wearing pants and not wearing kopiah are no longer considered indecency.

          The late Egyptian scholar al-Shaykh Muh.ammad al-Ghazālī talked about the dress of Muslims. He was graduated from al-Azhar university in 1941, and had written over thirty books before he passed away. He clarified the Islamic etiquette of having meal as he understood it in my pervious khut.bah, that we Muslims are free to eat with our right hands or with spoons and forks, and sit at a table or on the floor, eat together in a tray or separately.

After rejecting many ḥadīths dealing with the Arabs’ tradition in eating etiquette as nothing to do with ‘ibādāt (acts of devotion), he also rejected some ḥadīths dealing with the Arabs’ dress as nothing to do with Islam. He said that an Indian scholar mentioned a ḥadīth stating the saying of the Prophet reported by al-Bayhaqī, as follows:

عَليَكُمْ بِاْلعَمَائِمِ فَإنَّهَا سِيْمَاءُ اْلمَلَائْكَةِ وَأَرْخُوْهَا خَلْفَ ظُهُوْرِكُمْ

Wear turbans, for they are characteristic of the angels,

 and let them down (loose) behind your back.

          Commenting on this hadith al-Shaykh al-Ghazālī said that he had read many hadiths about the merits of wearing turbans reported by al-Tirmidhī and Abū Dā’ūd, and all of them, he stated, had no value, supporting the opinion of al-Shaykh Muhammad Hāmid al-Fiqī, who said, “There is no sound ḥadīth about the merit of turban.”  (لَيْسَ فِيْ فَضْلِ اْلِعمَامَةِ حَدِيْثٌ يُصَحُّ)

          Shaykh al-Ghazālī said further that wearing turbans, like ‘iqāl are the Arabs’ dress, and not the emblems of Islam.[1] ‘Iqāl is a headband made of camel’s hair to hold the kūfiyyah in place. It is also the name of a cord used for hobbing the feet of a camel. In fact, it is the hot climate that forces people to cover their heads and backs of their heads, and it is recommended to wear white and loose garments. As for cold nvironments, people wear tight clothes with dark colours to keep their bodies warm.  Shaykh al-Ghazālī cites the sound h.adīth,

كُلْ مَا شِئْتَ وَ أَلْبِسْ مَا شِئْتَ مَا أَخْطَأْتُكَ خِصْلَتَانِ سَرَفٌ وَ مَخِيْلَةٌ

Eat what you want, and wear what you want; what I

 consider wrong for you are two qualities: extravagance

 (waste) and arrogance (haughtiness).

          Shaykh al-Ghazālī said further that these two characteristics:  waste and arrogance are conspicuous among the habits of the Arabs and Western people, whereas people of noble character avoid the excessive choice of dress, as if the value of man is based on his dress. The religious corruption and the excessive passion of modern civilization created the tradition of dress and ornament. They made disgraceful dress for evening parties, special dress for staying at home, special dress for travelling, special dress for having a meal, special dress for sport, special dress for Spring, special dress for Summer, etc.

           As for Muslims they may wear any dress they like provided that it does not suggest wastefulness or arrogance. However, all Muslim scholars agree that silk and gold are for Muslim females and prohibited to Muslim males. They also agree that Muslim females have their own dress, and Muslim males have their own dress. The basic thing in the dress of Muslim females is that they cover their bodies and the dress can be beautiful as long as it is not provoking. The basic thing in the dress of Muslim males is that it is proper for their profession, and can also be beautiful. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās said,

رَأيْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ أَحْسَنَ مَا يَكُونُ ِمنَ الْحُلَلِ

  I saw the Messenger of Allah wearing his best clothing.

          Is there any uniform for Muslim males and Muslim females? Shaykh al-Ghazālī said that he wished so, in order to avoid the high cost of extreme competition which ruins people’s morality in many fields.

          Is there any particular dress for Islam? Shaykh al-Ghazālī said that there is no particular Islamic dress, and this is true, as we learn from history that a person who converted to Islam did not change their clothes, neither the Prophet nor the caliph who came after him requested the converts to change their clothes. The Prophet did not ask ‘Umar to change his clothes when he changed his belief from idolatry to tawh.īd and converted to Islam.

          However, Shaykh al-Ghazālī said that some Muslim youth thinks that the jilbāb garments are the Islamic dress, whereas the suits are the dress of the infidels. This is wrong, says Shaykh al-Ghazālī, and contends that if we really want to maintain our personality, it can only be achieved through right conviction, honourable behaviour and gentle character. He said that the garments of the Arabs in many cities have become a distinguished mark of foolish extravagance, a crazy movement towards obeying passions and uncontrollable desires. In criticizing the promotion of wearing the turban and the fancy jilbāb gown, which are sometimes extravagant, as an Islamic dress, and claiming that suits are the dress of the infidels, Shaykh al-Ghazālī asked this rhetorical question: أَ ذَلِكَ مَا يُخْدَمُ اْلإسْلامُ وَيُنْشَرُ دَعْوَتُه ؟ “Is it the way to serve Islam and to spread its call?”

In conclusion:

Some scholars say that as Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was an example to be followed, they tried to imitate him out of piety, including his behaviour in his daily life, like the Indian scholar mentioned by Shaykh al-Gazālī, but not by name. They believe that this kind of imitation is at least a recommended act.  In order to keep Muslim unity, we should not criticize each other in these matters. We are free to wear what we like, based on the condition of our surroundings, as long as it is clean, and Islamicly decent and modest. Like a garden with various kinds and colours of flowers, our diversity in tradition and habit which do not touch the core of Islam should not be an obstacle to keep our unity as a Muslim ummah. Allah says,

إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ (الأنبياء :٩٢)

And this, your Ummah is one ummah, and I am your  

Lord, therefore worship Me (Alone) (Q. 21:92)

وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ ( المؤمنون :٥٢) 

And this, your Ummah is one ummah, and I am your  

 Lord, therefore fear (keep your duty to) Me.  (Q. 23:52)

No matter what we wear, as long as it covers our awrah, no show-off, no extravagance, not arousing passion,  and not associating with a certain faith, sects, or any un-Islamic organization, so that people would not think that we belong to that religion, sect or organization, there is no objection. This is our outer garment. With regard to our inner garment, Allah said,

وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَى ذَلِكَ خَيْر (الأعراف :٢٦)  

… and the raiment of righteousness, that is better… (Q. 7:26)

          This is our inner garment, taqwā, obedience to Allah, doing what He orders us to do, and avoiding what He forbids. (MAS 22.808)

 

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[1]The term ‘iqāl is derived from the verb ‘aqala which has many meanings, such as: to detain, to arrest, to pay blood money, to have intelligence, to be reasonable, to be in one’s sense. The Arab’s expression عَقَلَ لِسَانَه  means “he tongue-tied someone, he tied someone’s tongue, namely, he made someone speechless”)