Question:

Assalamu Alaykum,

I had a question: what are we supposed to wear if a long top and jeans are not modest? Last time I was applying for a job on campus and the interviewer asked me if I knew how to use a stapler and if my hijab would get in the way and be an ‘issue’ (the job is an office job). How can we dress modestly while still not being treated like we’re monkeys or subhuman? We too have feelings! It’s a lot harder and not because of wanting to get attention or wanting to be immodest. It is also not encouraging in that men don’t have the same issues(they don’t even wear kofiyah). I mean when we do say that certain clothes are the sunnah of Muhammad (SAW) then the answer is always that it’s not fardh.

Time: Monday September 21, 2009 at 6:34 am

Answer: ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???????

You have brought up valid concerns.

It is not that long tops and jeans are not modest. We all would agree, if these long tops and jeans are tight fitting, form fitting and body hugging, then not only with it be religiously inappropriate, but also inappropriate for any respectable occupation. These are general rules for men and woman seeking respect for self and employer.  By contrast, if tops and jeans are lose, then generally, no objection lies. Lose fitting does not mean 21 sizes bigger. Clothing should always be inclusive of a design which refuses to show the shape of one’s ‘adornments.’

Those that are opposed jeans and westernized tops argue that persons wearing such clothing remain specific in their resemblance to disbelieves. The Hadith they sometimes use incorrectly is as follows:

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Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they (the people) turn away, then verily Allah does not love the disbelievers (3:32)

Whomsoever you emulate, (then in reality) you are part of them.

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Some say things to make you feel tiny

It would be a fair assumption that the ‘stapler’ statement used against you was due to a possible repulsion against your cherished values.  It seems to have functioned as an intimidation factor against you. It has worked to some extent, or else you would not have given it a second thought.

Personal case:

(Likewise, i too was once told the following: do you always wear female clothing. My response: if that is what you call it, fine. Would you however articulate to me the matching heels and makeup that would go with ‘my female attire?’ Not only was the person embarrassed at what he said (to me whom he perceived was a non-English speaking person) but was laughed at by his friends turning pale face into a pastel pink coloration.) It all depends on how you deal with criticism against you. If you are confidant and stand for your values, then no person would ride over you. If you seem unsure about your cherished values, then naturally they are going to attempt to demean you with ‘stapling’ matters. And to top it all, its not easy to stand for what you trust in. Thus the great reward.

Some men don’t know what they jabber

For men to say that it is not fard is not a fair defense. Wearing the hat is a sunnah that Rasullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) always attributed as part of his dress.  To defend by the claim that it is not fard is an indirect mockery of not wearing. Such a claim only works against a person that makes a claim that a hat must be worn at all times. However, no person was rebuked for not wearing the hat. People are rebuked for demeaning the sunnah relating to the hat. If an analogy is attempted between the hat and female hijab (dress) then this analogy is far from accurate. By contrast, it was the nature of woman to adorn the head covering and modest clothing diligently, as directed at the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and thus a comparisons cannot be made between male resistance and female acceptance of it.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.