[cucceevevaind]

Islamic Headgear
Mufti A. Desai

Style of dress is among the salient features (Sha-aair) of Islam. The Shariah accords great prominence to a Muslim's way of dress. Detailed rules enacted by the great rulers of Islam among the Sahaabah, Taabieen and their followers illustrate the emphasis which Islam lays on the dress of a Mu'min.

Among the prohibited factors pertaining to dress is the emulation of the non- Muslim dress styles. In all ages of Islam such emulation has been regarded as among the major (kabaair) sins. Tashabbuh bil kuffaar (emulating the kuffaar) is an evil with far reaching effect on the heart of a Muslim. Hence, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Whoever emulates a people becomes of them".

In this article we propose to discuss one particular aspect of Islamic dressing, viz., headgear. In these times of intense kufr and dhalaal, when many Muslims have sacrificed their intelligence to become slaves of western culture, there is a great desire among modernists to abandon the wearing of Islamic headgear. Among the styles of Islamic Headgear is the popular topee which innumerable millions of Muslims have donned over the past centuries of Islamic history. Now in this belated century modernists are at pains to discard this compulsory dress style of Islam. Fallacious arguments are fabricated to deceive innocent and unwary people into accepting that the topee or Islamic headgear has no relevance in the Shariah. But, such claims are false and calculated to appease western mentality.

It should be understood that the ways and styles of Islam did not originate from dubious sources nor were its originators non-entities as are the votaries of western styles. Furthermore, Islamic dress styles were inherited by the Ummah from generation to generation. Each successive generation obtained its Islamic dress style from its preceding generation. In this way the chain links up with the Sahaabah who disseminated nothing other than the Sunnah of Rasulullah (S.A.W.). Headgear in Islam is not a new development. The villifier of the topi must present his proof to indicate the point in time in Islamic history when this headgear became an accredited Islamic head -dress. If he contends that the topi has no Islamic relevance , let him prove his case with Islamic facts and Shar'i proof. The assertion that many people presently in the Middle East pray without headgear is not Shar'i evidence for the fallacy that the topi has no Islamic status. What is presently being perpetrated in Muslim countries cannot be cited as Islamic evidence for a claim. Only an ignoramus who suffers from colossal ignorance will advance such puerile and ludicrous 'proof' for his claim.

When the weight of Islamic practice of the past fourteen hundred years upholds Islamic headgear as an integral and incumbent part of a Muslim's dress, then by what stretch of intelligent reasoning can any Muslim decry and vilify such head dress? When all the illustrious authorities of Islam from the time of the Sahaabah emphasized the donning of headgear, not only for Salaat, but at all times, then it is only necessary to dismiss with contempt the arguments against the topi blustered out by the enemies of the Sunaah of Rasulullah (S.A.W.).

The topi is the head-dress, which distinguishes a Muslim from a non- Muslim. The importance of this headgear is amply illustrated by the following command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam): "The difference between us and the mushrikeen is turbans. Rasulullah (S.A.W.) detested resemblance with them. Emulating non- Muslims is forbidden by Islam, hence Rasulullah (S.A.W.) ordered that Muslims wear topis under their turbans even though the topis are totally concealed and not visible under the turbans. Even the style of headgear which the Muslim adopts should not resemble the head dress of the kuffaar, hence Shaikhul Islam Zakariyya (rahmatullah alayh) states: "In our time it is not permissible to wear green and yellow turbans" (Husnus Siyar of Dimyaati Shaaf'i). Since green and yellow turbans were among the particular dress styles of the Yahood and Nasaara of that time, the authorities of the Shariah banned the wearing of such turbans so that Muslims do not violate the Shar'i prohibition of emulating the kuffaar. The following verdict appears in Fataawa Khaazin and Fataawa Hindiyah: "A man will be proclaimed a kaafir for adopting the head dress of the Majoos (fire worshippers)". The famous verdict appears in the famous Maaliki Kitaab, Mukhtasarul Khaleel: "A Muslim will be proclaimed a kaafir if he wears the hat of the Nasaara".

Strutting about bare headed is undoubtedly the style of the western man who has discarded the norms of true civilization. It has never been the style of any Muslim community, anywhere in the world, right from the time of Rasulullah (S.A.W.) to emerge in public bare heads. One who walks around the bare headed is mardoodush- shahaadah, i.e. his testimony in an Islamic court is not admissible. Those Muslims who are desirous of abandoning the Islamic topi are undoubtedly influenced by western fashions and styles. The fact that they opted for a kaafir style at the expense of an Islamic style-- a style which the Ummah has always accepted-- speaks volumes of their way of thinking. It points to the direction in which their hearts have inclined. Overtly they proclaim themselves to be Muslims while covertly their hearts are saturated with love for the styles of kufr. But, Allah Ta'ala warns them: "Do not incline towards the zaaalimoon". Inclining towards the kuffaar is banned by Islam in all aspects. A Muslim is not allowed to unnecessarily adopt the ways, methods, institutions and styles of the kuffaar. Islam demands head dress --Islamic head dress-- for its adherents. Western Modernity demands a bare head. I n order to conform to western standards of dress, the westernized Muslim conjectures the most baseless arguments to bolster his case against the ways of Islam. This attitude borders on Kufr and threatens the Imaan of such deviated modernists. Clarifying the Islamic ban of Tashabbuh bil Kuffaar, Hadrat Umar (radiallahu anhu) dispatched a detail decree to the Muslims of Aazarbaijaan (now in Russia). Among the many prohibitions contained in this decree, the following appears: "The dress of your father Ismaa-il (alyhis salaam) is incumbent on you. Beware of the luxuries and the styles of the Ajam (non-Arabs)". Allaamah Ibn Hajar Haithami (rahmatullah alayh), in his Kitaab Azzawaajir an Iqtiraafil Kabaa-ir, records the following narration of Muhaddith Maalik Bin Dinaar (rahmatullah alayh): "Allah revealed to one of his nabis: Say to your nation: Do not wear the garments of My enemies….. for then you will become my enemies like they are my enemies".

From the aforementioned discussion it will be clear that dress style is of vital importance for the Muslim. It is essential for his spiritual development that the Muslim differentiates himself from non- Muslims by even his external appearance. His external appearance must testify that he is a Muslim. A Muslim dressed in the style of the Kuffaar cannot be recognized as a Muslim by another Muslim who is not acquainted with him. A Muslim in western garb and western appearance can be reasonably be mistaken for a Kaafir and he (the imitator of the kuffaar) is solely responsible for such a serious mistake committed genuinely. In so far as the Shariah is concerned, the topi or any Islamic head dress is essential for a Muslim in Salaat as well as all times. The arguments of the denigrators of the topi arise from kufr mentality and should be dismissed with contempt.

BASIS OF UNITY

People struggle to achieve unity, but they have shunned the basis of unity. The basis of unity is humility. Unity always arises out of humility. True humility is that a man considers himself to be inferior to the next man. [Hakimul Ummat]

BARE-HEADEDNESS
Fatawa Rahimiyyah, Vol. 3, Page 154

Question: It is an era of bare headedness; it is a fashion of the present age. Only at the time of prayer, people cover their heads. How is it in the light of the Shariah?
Answer: The Holy Shariah does not like bare-headedness. It is the way of the graceless people and a repulsive custom. A Muslim should not adopt it.

Hadhrat Shah Abdul Qadir Jilani (Rahmatullah Alayh) says:

"One should not uncover one's head or those parts of the body which the righteous and cultured men keep covered"
[Ghunyatul Talibeen, Vol. 1, Page 13]

Allamah Jauzi says:

"A wise man's natural feeling is that bare-headedness is a disgrace, immoral and an uncivilized way. The Shariah ordains bare-headedness only during the state of Ehram (Hajj Pilgrimage)- because that is a peculiar occasion of expressing one's utmost humility and humbleness before one's lord".