Masaail Regarding Clothes
Clothes are for covering the body. Besides this it also protects us from cold and heat. Islam has given permission for wearing beautiful clothes, but the limit of this permission is that there should not be wasteful expenditure, purposes of show and it should not be the clothes of the kuffaar.
In one Hadeeth, Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Eat, drink and wear as long as there is no wasteful expenditure or pride.”
These days a few vices have come up in the dressing of Muslim women. We will give some admonition in this regard.
One vice is the wearing of such thin clothes through which the body is visible. Wearing such clothes and not wearing any clothes are equal. Once the niece of Hazrat Aisha (Radhiyallahu anha) came to her wearing a thin scarf. Hazrat Aisha (Radhiyallahu anha) tore that scarf and made her wear a thicker scarf.
Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “There are two groups that will be created in Jahannum and I have never seen them. One group will be such that they will walk around with long whips and they will hit people with it. The second group will be of women who will be wearing clothes yet they will be naked. They will attract men towards them and their hair will be like the humps of camels. These women will not enter Jannat and nor will they even smell the fragrance of Jannat.”
See, what a stern warning this is! These women will not even smell the fragrance of Jannat, let alone enter it.
There are a few ways in which a woman can be wearing clothes and yet be naked. One way is to wear very thin, see-through clothing. Another way is to wear a short dress with the arms, calves, head and face open. May Allah save us.
The second vice is imitating kaafir women. Muslim women want to wear whatever clothes are worn by kaafir women. Remember that it is a major sin to wear the clothes of people of other religions. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Whoever imitates a nation is from among them.”
The third vice is wearing extravagant clothes to show off, for name, fame and wealthiness. Name and fame are an evil thing. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Whoever wears clothes of show in this world, Allah will make that person wear clothing of disgrace on the Day of Qiyaamah.”
The fourth vice is buying clothing without need, just to keep up with the latest fashions and designs. Whenever another woman is seen wearing new clothes then the husband is nagged to buy the same type of clothes even if it means taking a loan to do so. This is an act of wasteful expenditure. Wear clothes that are according to the Shariah, that cover the body and protect one from the cold or heat. If one has three or four sets of clothing then make do with that. To pester the husband without need is very bad.
Then another vice is that even though there are a few sets of clothing, it is considered necessary to have a new dress for every gathering. The thinking is that other women will say that this woman only has these few dresses. She wears the same thing every time she comes. Now the husband is troubled and it is demanded from him to buy new clothes. Then he uses money that has been put aside for use when an extreme need arises or for repaying a loan, to buy the clothes. Now he is worried that he should not be disgraced by the person whose debt he has to pay or that he does not fall into some severe difficulty. Never do such things.
(From The Majlis Archives)