08 October, 2006

Gadis Ayu Bertudung

Many people say that when they wear the tudung, they are freed from the shackles of fashion. They no longer have to follow the trends of the day. They are now on a different path, where their clothes are an expression of their faith, not their desires.

Today, somehow, this statement is starting to sound more and more shallow.
Case in point, the superfluity (thank Dictionary.com for that) of tudung styles. If you were to visit The Hijab Shop website, you will find so many different styles of tudung (some never before seen in Malaysia) in so many different colours, and patterns, and lengths. And of course our homegrown varieties shouldn't be forgotten, i.e Wardina, Waheeda, Mawi, Ina etc. etc. Hijab is now a fashion industry in itself, and it won't be long before the luxury fashion houses decide to tag along.

This is not to say, of course, that all muslim women should be dour tudung labuh wearing matrons in shapeless jubahs. I of all people, am certainly in no position to tell people what they should, what they should not do. And if someone wants to wear a black chador , feeling that it is what Islam demands of them, I have no quarrel with that. But here ,rather, I wish to ask why people should wear the hijab in the first place.
I'm no scholar so I don't have the answer. But I can question, and my question is: don't the bright, striking, and highly visible tudungs detract from the purpose of the legislation of the hijab, which to my understanding is to enforce modesty?
What about individuality? Does the hijab rob you of your identity or is it possible to strike a balance between the two?
And finally, what about faith? Does a black abaya denote a higher level of faith than that of a baju kurung?

I'm not trying to be smart, only curious. Everyday I see so many women practicing this aspect of their faith, yet at the same time , neglecting it. I think that we are so concerned about wrapping our heads that we forget to fill them up, which in my view is the more important of the two.
What good is it to be free from one fashion trend only to be enslaved by another?

2 comments:

Syazwina Saw said...

Congratulations for provoking me into further comment.

a) My answer for the first question used to be: Because my mother encouraged me incessantly, and also it's what is wajib in Islam.

My answer now is (insyaAllah, I can say this without riya' or dishonesty): I am a hijabi because me Lord asks it of me, and I love my Lord.

For any person, regardless of belief, that answer should be forceful enough to silence anyone. Except for maybe the worst idiots of them all.

But let's continue.

b) Yes, it defeats the purpose, doesn't it? We shouldn't be all tabarruj, since being shiny and colourful sort of attracts attention, maybe the kind you want, maybe the kind you don't want (my thoughts turn to my not-so-untabarruj wardrobe). But in my humble opinion, the issue is more than just skin deep.

Maybe we should ask why Muslims are donning the hijab, and then going about desperately for public exposure. Maybe we should stop and think about why they are willing to cover up their head, and then expose a bit of skin everywhere else (i.e. arms, leg, neck).

Maybe also, we should ask why is it that overseas, in the land of the non-Muslim majority, hijabis are respectfully regarded, and treated with amusing and awe-inducing solemnity by all males, regardless of age or religion(because I have seen this even in handsome toddlers in prams). And why is it that in Malaysia, an 'Islamic country', people wearing the huge tudung labuh can even get wolf-whistled in the streets?

Por que, senior?

And the simple answer is: The letter of the law gets lost in the spirit of the Law. We place too much priority of things of face value, and neglect what lies within.

Meaning, people who do not understand what it truly means to be Muslim are the same people who wear the hijab, but also fulfill the old prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), in which he said that people would walk the streets, seemingly naked, but fully clothed i.e. pakai baju ketat-ketat.

But I am not saying that people who say 'I am not ready to wear the hijab' are fully justified. True, they understand the full responsibility of wearing the hijab. But the fact that they dare to put off something that is compulsory in Islam makes you stop and think about whether they truly understand the Love Allah has placed in us, and how even the biggest of actions can never compare to all the blessing we have received.

And in the end, it all comes down to the individual. If we cannot become full-time Muslims, then we will never see the time when Islam will rule the earth. We should not even dream about it, if we think twice about adhering to our Lord's commands.

Thus ends my rant for the day.

You really should ask these questions to your mother/sister next time.

And about your last bit? I think both are important i.e. filling the head as well as covering it. But Allah does not judge a person by their level of intelligence, but by their level of piety.

And in the end, isn't Allah's scale of judgement better than any human being's random opinion?

Wassalamualaikum.

p.s.:- Just noticed that question about how clothes seem to denote level of faith. As long as you fulfill the requirements stated in Surah an-Nur, Allah will accept it, insyaAllah (granted the intention is pure as well). But looser clothing simply states a sense of modesty, not necessarily piety. Some people progress from jeans and blouses to abayas because they feel that looser clothing is more comfortable, and that wearing anything tighter would make them embarrassed of themselves.

At the same time, it can also be a matter of culture or convenience. The youths of Saudi are currently being teased by the mass media, because they are all donned in nearly identical black abayas in public, but then sneak off in private places (with/out guys) in the most daring clothes, I tell you.

Again, it all amounts to the individual.

You should learn to turn to your mother and sister's respective opinions and thoughts more, so that you may avoid online outbursts such as mine. I am not very forgiving once my fingers hit the keyboard.

p.p.s.:- I may link to this post, and maybe the one before. I've thought of doing the hijab issue for a long while, but maybe it would be less controversial if a 'curious' male Muslim were to pose it, rather than me. Because that would just reek of better-than-thou-ness.

Salaam.

Syazwina Saw said...

Correction:

*The spirit of the Law gets lost in the Letter of the Law.