Rant: Designer Abayas and Hijabs

Today is a venting day. Due to certain events, my mind is not in the state to spend time actually thinking about what I had planned to write today. And so, it seems like a great idea to vent a bit about a topic I had been talking with a friend about recently.

There were plenty of Muslims where I was staying in the UK, and just in the country in general. A quick trip to the grocery store included sighting numerous women dressed in black abayas with varying degrees of embroidery and other details, simple hijabs wrapped tightly around their heads. Some wore colorful, pattered scarves while others kept it mild with simple designs or solid colors or even just black. Then there were those who took it a step further, choosing to don a niqab to cover their faces.

These women were what I would consider the epitome of female beauty. Every time I spied such a Muslima, my heart was filled with envy. Not the bad sort of envy in which I wished I could take what they had for mine, leaving them with nothing. Rather, I wished I could emulate them, dress like they did. I was filled with a longing to be as beautiful as they were in the way that a Muslima should be beautiful.

And then there were the ‘other’ Muslim women, which are of three sorts. The first is the sort that doesn’t bother to cover themselves at all. They call themselves Muslim, yet they do not cover their arms and legs, or don’t believe in wearing a hijab as being compulsory. How could these Muslimas consider themselves Muslim when they don’t follow one of the most basic principles of Islam?

Then there’s the second sort. This sort does cover their hair and arms and such. However, they choose tight jeans and equally tight long-sleeved shirts. While there skin may be covered, their clothes are form-fitting and show off their figure. How is this any different from a woman who chooses to wear t-shirts and shorts?

But this rant isn’t about those two sorts, although both do bother me more than the third. Instead, it’s the third sort.

First, the whole point of the abaya or jilbab and hijab is to hide one’s beauty. It’s to become invisible when out in public. While abayas can be any color and any design, most are simply black with sometimes a bit of embroidery or beadwork. The abaya is loose-fitting to hide a woman’s curves. All of this is intended to prevent the wandering eyes of men from seeing what only her mahram relatives should see. The same goes for the hijab, except it is used to cover the hair. Overall, the outfit a Muslim woman chooses to wear outside her home should hide her beauty as much as possible.

The third sort are a sort that follow Islamic principles when it comes to appropriately covering themselves: they wear hijabs that cover their hair, and they wear abayas that cover their bodies. So what sort of issue could I have with such Muslimas if they are doing as required?

My problem is the design of what they wear. In some places, the black abaya has been replaced by ‘fashion’ abayas: abayas made of colorful fabrics (even while the majority of the outfit is still black), adorned with plenty of ostentatious embroidery, beadwork, and whatnot. Simple hijabs have been replaced with designer hijabs, which are colorful and fancy.

To me, the purpose of such clothing is to show off and get attention. As I said before, the whole point of the abaya and hijab is to prevent drawing male attention to oneself. So if a Muslima chooses to wear bright, flashy, adorned clothing, then how can she expect men to look the other way? Common sense would say such clothing would actually attract attention, not deflect it.

Plus, wearing designer abayas or hijabs seems too much like wanting to follow Western ways. Muslims should not be worried too much about what they wear. They shouldn’t care if they have designer labels hanging in their closets. Following the ways of the kuffar (the un-believers) is wrong, and Muslims should try to avoid it.

However, even in having written all of this, I’m not judging anybody on what they choose to wear. It is certainly not my place to be judging people; that right is reserved solely for Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Instead, it’s all personal opinion. If Muslimas want to express themselves with what they wear, then so be it. I know I will never wear such clothing. A simple black abaya and solid-colored hijab is enough for me insha’Allah. And I could be wrong. Ultimately, Allah will choose who’s wrong and who’s right.