In Muharram and Safar, we wore simple clothing, usually black in color, and held back on the makeup and jewelry. Why? What does our outward appearance have to do with what we're feeling inside?
Well, first of all, outward appearance does matter, whether we like it or not. It's not just about Hijab, it's also about looking clean, decent, and respectable for the occasion. Look here for more on what Islam says about clothing in general. And see this for specifics about Hijab and Muharram clothing.
These two months were sad times for the family and descendants of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), and they are sad times for those who are devoted to him. The Imams after him commemorated this time, and they are an example for us as well. Their family members did not adorn themselves until Eid az-Zahra occurred.
Imam Ali al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said, "O' Son of Shabib! If it makes you happy (and you desire) to be with us in the elevated ranks of paradise, then be sad in our grief and happy at our happiness." (Reference)
Dressing for the Occasion is the Way of Ahlul Bayt
There is story about a special Eid day when Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain were young and had a special experience with their grandfather, the Prophet (peace be upon them all).
One Eid day, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain came to their grandfather Prophet Muhammad's house. They explained how it was the day of Eid, and they did not have any new clothing, so they had come to him.
The Prophet thought over their situation and was sad that he did not have suitable clothing for them. He did not want to send them away disheartened. He prayed, "O Allah! Make amends for their and their mother's heart."
Suddenly, Gabriel descended with two white dresses from heaven. The Prophet happily said, "O Masters of the youth of Paradise! Take these clothes which have been stitched by the Tailor (from Allah) according to your sizes."
The Imams saw the clothes were white, and said, "O Grandfather! These are of white color, how can we wear them when the children of Arabs have worn colorful clothes?"
The Prophet put his head down and became thoughtful when Gabriel said, "O Muhammad! Rejoice and cool your eyes. The powerful Dyer of the divine color will fulfill their desire and make them happy by those colors which they desire. Hence O Prophet, do order that an ewer and vessel be brought."
A vessel was then brought. Gabriel said, "O Prophet of Allah! I shall pour water over these clothes, and you wring them until the desired color appears." Wetting Imam Hassan's clothing, the Prophet asked him, "Which color do you desire?"
Imam Hasan replied that he preferred green. So the Prophet wrung the cloth with his own hands. By Allah's will, the clothing turned into a bright emerald-like green. Imam Hasan wore his new Eid clothing.
Then it was Imam Hussain's turn. Gabriel took his clothing and started pouring water in the vessel. Imam Hussain was five years old at this time. The Prophet said to him, "O light of my eyes! Which color do you desire?"
Imam Hussain replied that he preferred red. Prophet Muhammad rubbed the clothing and it turned a ruby-like red. Imam Hussain put on his new red clothing. The Imams and their grandfather were very pleased!
Gabriel started weeping when he saw the boys returning to their mother. The Prophet said, "O brother Gabriel! This is not the day to mourn, when my sons are rejoicing and are happy. By Allah! Please let me know the reason for your grief."
The angel replied, "I mourn because your sons have selected one color each. As regards your son Hasan, he will be poisoned and because of its effect, his body will turn green. And as regards your other son Hussain, he will be killed by swords and his head severed, while his body will be smeared with red blood." Upon hearing these words, the Prophet also started weeping.
This Eid story (reference) is a unique one, a sad story on a happy day. There are a few different points to take note of from this incident.
The Prophet says to Gabriel, "This is not the day to mourn, when my sons are rejoicing and are happy," which shows that Eid is a time of happiness for the Imams, and we as their followers should also be happy on such days.
Wearing new clothing on Eid is recommended, and wearing colors is fine too.
The Prophet mourned for Imam Hussain even before Karbala took place.
Even on Eid days, which are happy occasions, we do not forget Imam Hussain and we recite the recommended Ziyarat (salutation) to him for that day.
Something to Think About
Devotion to the Ahlul Bayt includes being happy at their happy occasions and sad on their sad occasions. And just like we dress accordingly for different events in our social lives, from birthdays to funerals, we should dress accordingly when commemorating different religious occasions.
Even though Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) was born in Safar, his birthday is not commemorated then, as Muharram and Safar are such serious sacred months.That is something to remember when our own birthdays fall during these months and we want to dress up and celebrate. Just as some groups have set aside another date in the year to remember the seventh Imam (the seventh day of the seventh month), why can we not postpone our own celebrations until after Eid, or time them before Muharram begins?
Celebrations are held off and the peak mourning period of Muharram and Safar is maintained until Eid az-Zahra, which is when the Fourth Imam (peace be upon him) was happy for the first time after Ashura, and when the women of the family of Imam Hussain also rejoiced and applied kohl to their eyes, products to their hair, and wore nice clothing.
It is definitely worth celebrating such a happy day when our Fourth Imam finally smiled. After attending dozens of majalis for Imam Hussain, how can we not be cheerful on the day when his killers were killed? And why shouldn't we be excited about how this was the first day of the leadership of our current Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance)?
The Qur'an says, "Say: I do not ask of you any reward except for devotion to the near ones" (42:23). How can one be devoted to Ahlul Bayt and not dress accordingly on their days of happiness and sadness? Such an idea should be inconceivable, not only for our practicing Shia community, but for anyone who ponders this.
When we dress up for dinner parties and get-togethers, why shy away from wearing one's best for the special days of the most important beings in the universe? At such days, we should endeavor to be joyous in our hearts, minds and yes, on the outside too.
Some people complain about not celebrating birthdays during the annual time of sadness. But as we know, we have Islamic birthdates that can be used too at a different time of the year. A positive approach would be to arrange to celebrate one's birthday before Muharram or even on Eid az-Zahra itself!
Make the Most of Milad an-Nabi!
The birthdays of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon them) are now upon us. Let's celebrate this blessed day with the best of piety, manners, and yes, the best of our clothing! Perform the recommended Ghusl (major ablution), wear fresh clothes, put on your best perfume, give some charity, supplicate to Allah, and enjoy time with friends, family, and community.
Oh Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon you! We are with you in your times of happiness and in your times of sadness.
![Who was the Imam of Sayida Fatima [as]](http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/cvE6206LesI/default.jpg)
Comments
I'm really sorry but I don't think encouragement to dress up is what our ummah needs when I think that's something we already do too much of. Mosques are just places for fashion shows and that is not what the Prophets and Aimmah meant when they said that we should dress nicely on these occasions. The fact that we somehow think that if we wear nice but simple clothes means that we are not truly happy on these occasions, is sad. I honestly don't think we need to encourage the idea that dressing up on wiladats is the way to 'prove' you're happy. We give more attentions on these wiladats to our clothes as opposed to our souls. Shouldn't the birth days of these great people be focused on learning from them as opposed to some pseudo fashion show?
I agree, let's dress nice and simply and follow the sunnah. That would mean turning our clothes down by about a billion notches and not doing asraf on the amount we spend on logos and jewels. What our ummah does NOT need right now is an encouragement of materialism. Dressing nice and clean does NOT equate to dressing UP. Key difference you seemed to have missed in the hadith and sunnah.
Further, your whole argument about Eid-e-Zahra is flawed. While it is true that the Prophet and Aimmah dressed up on Eidul Fitr and the other holy occasions, it is not true that they did this on Eid-e-Zehra. Yes, it marks the end of the mourning period- but the lavish displays and dancing that goes on in some cultures is absurd to say the least. Like it or not, Eid-e-Zehra is not a holiday that is firmly rooted in the traditions of the Ahlul Bayt, nor is it one that we HAVE to celebrate. So if someone doesn't choose to celebrate the day and get dressed up for a fashion show, then I think we need to get over it.
What I find sad is that many of somehow equate dressing up to our degree of faith and happiness on a day. Believe it or not, people are different. Dressing up doesn't always represent your state of mind and happiness on a day and attempt to focus on the real issues of improving your soul and learning from these great beings.
Allahu Alim. I ask forgiveness for anything wrong that I have said.
^^ seriously? You just implied that if we don't dress up or wear black that we're not devoted to the Ahlul Bayt? There is SO MUCH islamically wrong with that, it's not even funny. Before we make comments about other peoples faith, maybe we should look at our own.
Also- I'd love to see these so-called hadith about the women of Imam Husayn (as) dressing up and putting on kohl- even for people that are really into Eid-e-Zehra, I have never seen or heard of that hadith.
I have nothing against people who do decide to dress up and that's fine- Allah SWT can judge their intentions. But if someone doesn't want to dress up- let Allah SWT judge their intentions too- because judging them and questioning their devotion to the Ahlul Bayt is sick in my humble opinion. We're supposed to look clean and decent in all circumstances but that does not mean wearing the best or dressing extravagantly.
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I just want to say that I think most of the issues you are bringing up are completely unfounded.
The author did not say that people should be lavish. She said dress up in nice clothes. Period. If you have a problem with that, complain to Ahlul-Bait, it's part of our traditions to wear your best on their happy days and wear mourning clothes on their sad days. 'Best' does not mean be wasteful, unless that's what you think it means, which would be a different issue. I don't see how it has anything to do with the article.
Regarding the issue of the ummah not needing encouragement to dress up, I know plenty of people who don't care about about eids or shahadahs. The days come and pass and it's like nothing happened. Meanwhile, they get excited and dress nicely for their birthdays, for Christmas, for New Years, even for Halloween. Actually, I would not be surprised if most Muslims in North America were like this. We only see about 15% of the community 99%, except for Ashura when everyone suddenly comes out of the woodwork. You don't have to go far to see this.
"F m" you say, "Allahu alim. I ask forgiveness for anything wrong I have said", giving yourself the easy way out, but you haven't been so kind to your sister.
I have nothing against people who do decide to dress up and that's fine- Allah SWT can judge their intentions. But if someone doesn't want to dress up- let Allah SWT judge their intentions too- because judging them and questioning their devotion to the Ahlul Bayt is sick in my humble opinion.
First of all, in Islam, your opinion is not what counts. What counts is what the Quran, the ahadith, and our maraje say. Second of all, it's never "humble" to imply that someone else's way of thinking is "sick", drawing attention to your own way of thinking as healthy. Someone could easily throw the same thing back at you. Surely you wouldn't like that so why say it someone else.
your whole argument about Eid-e-Zahra is flawed. ... Like it or not, Eid-e-Zehra is not a holiday that is firmly rooted in the traditions of the Ahlul Bayt, nor is it one that we HAVE to celebrate. So if someone doesn't choose to celebrate the day and get dressed up for a fashion show, then I think we need to get over it.
This is indeed ironic. Then you went on to criticize the author for saying:
How can one be devoted to Ahlul Bayt and not dress accordingly on their days of happiness and sadness? Such an idea should be inconceivable, not only for our practicing Shia community, but for anyone who ponders this.
Excuse me "F m", but you are way off base if you think such an idea is not part of Islam and I think you need to "get over it" if someone chooses to dress up or down depending on an occasion for the pleasure of Ahlul-Bait, as well as encourage others to do so. There are many people who think dressing up or down depending on the occasion is silly and insult others for doing so. I think she was talking to them, not people who keep their dress a personal matter.
In any case, you need to get a clue and read up before criticizing someone as knowledgable about Islam as Sister Aliyyah.
Do you know that when you even enter Karbala, you are not supposed to eat meat, or carry varieties of dishes? Do you know that you are not supposed to talk a lot and that you should be wearing mourning clothes? or that you should go hungry and with dirt smeared on your face? This is part of Islam. Go read Kamil az Ziyarat, a book of hadiths, where these things are mentioned. Kamil says that even the angels near his grave are narrated to be in a permanent state of dishevelment and grief. This book is considered ultra-reliable by practically all our scholars.
Regarding the dressing up of the ladies, in Nafsal Mahmoom Zurarah narrates from Imam Jafar As Sadiq (as):
"The Angels wept for forty mornings upon Husain (a.s), and until the head came to us, our women did not dye or oil they hair nor did they apply colyrium [another word for kohl] ... "
"F m" have you ever read Style Watch? Aliyyah has written many times about not being wasteful or materialistic. Sister almost always is careful to mention to not be extravagant and that being stylish does not require spending loads of money. She also talks about hijab all the time. Maybe she didn't do it now because she thought people would be knowledgeable enough to maturely approach the topic.
You're right, and I sincerely apologize- I was overreactive in my post, and I don't usually read style watch so I am not familiar with Sis. Aliya and my point was that we really shouldnt be encouraging materialism and I stand by that. however, my approach was definitely not the best, and I regret that. I should have waited a few hours before posting my thoughts in a much more dignified manner. I'm harsh with words and can get carried away.
That being said- I still disagree with some of the above comments. The authour wrote that it is inconceivable for us to not dress in accordance on days of happiness and sadness. And I think that's a huge mistake according to the Islam that I have learned. It is true that our actions and the way we live should reflect that but dress isn't the only way of reflecting this. You are correct- we're not supposed to be eating meats and such and that is also a manifestation of that. And I was in no way shape or form saying that we should not be in a state of mourning in Muharram- I'm not sure how I got that message across and I am familiar with the state of mourning as mentioned in Kamil- the state of mourning in Muharram is imperative and I am not denying that, as is celebrating the days of wiladat (which cannot be equated to Eid-e-Zahra). My point was about emphasizing dressing up. And dress- I don't think that is the same. There are a few cultures that don't even wear black for 40 days in Muharram, and I'm not about to question their love for the Ahlul Bayt, because different cultures dress in different ways. In some cultures, wearing black is fine for happy occasions- so its contextual. My point was that we need to be careful before making sweeping judgments about whether or not someone truly loves the Ahlul Bayt depending on how they choose to dress- as was implied in that interpretation of the ayah- which I have never seen a scholar or commentator ever take from that verse. Ever.
I guess you could say the problem I see is completely different and as you correctly said, not what the authour intended. The communities I see in my limited scope of the world, only do one thing on wiladats and Muharram- they dress accordingly and think it ends there. We will wear black in Muharram but laugh our heads off on Ashura. We will dress up to the degree where we wear clothes better than Sayeda Fatima (as)'s wedding dress but we will not even think about the lessons learned from her or the Aimmah's lives. So the problem that I see in society, is that we are too materialistic and that dressing up is the only thing we give importance to- and hence it is not something that needs to be encouraged. And in this society, 'dressing up' and dressing our best is not the nice and clean look that is referred to in the hadith. So, I think it's important to put that context in it. I'm not saying that there are not any people who dont think its important to celebrate these days. But my point is that celebrating and giving importance to these days does NOT equal 'dressing up' to the standards set by our communities and society. A lot of people don't celebrate these days at all, and I'm not saying that is correct, and they SHOULD be celebrating these days- but dressing up is not the only way to show that you care about the significance of these days- and alot of people (and as you said, not Sis Aliya) think that dressing up lavishly is considered celebration. I should have been clearer in my response- not all of it was aimed at the authour, but instead towards a problem that I see in society, and of course, people will have different opinions over what is right in society or not. So I definitely should have been clearer in the parts where I was addressing the authour and where I was addressing the implications of the article and the problem that I currently see with society- and I sincerley apologize for that. I am quite hot headed and need to be careful about what I say, and hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for that shortcoming. But I maintain, as I'm sure you and Sis. Aliya would agree, that dressing lavishly as we do in this society is NOT in accordance to what the Ahlul Bayt was talking about, or the way we should be dressing when we feel the true spirit of celebration.
I definitely don't mind or care and think it's great if people want to dress up on a wiladat- but that's a person's choice and it does not mean that we should judge those who don't choose to dress up- but still choose to celebrate. The two are not mutually exclusive- it's not either dressing up or not celebrating. But if I choose to dress simply on a wiladat where I am clean and dressed decently, I do not think it is correct for someone to judge my love for the Ahlul Bayt if I'm not dressed up to the degree they think appropriate- and that happens a lot in this society when people don't get decked out. I'm not saying you or Sis Aliya does this- but its a problem that I see in society, especially in cultural centers where the more you dress up the more you love the Imam. That's not hte right attitude take. If people want to dress up and spend hours doing their hair- that's great, but we can't force our ideas of what is 'dressed up' onto others as we all dress differently.
InshAllah I hope I clarified my position and once again sincerely ask for forgiveness. I should have waited before posting. I think we all agree and just see different problems in society and hence different approaches. People do need to celebrate wiladats and commemorate death anniversaries- but this article was addressing dress, not the actual act of commemorating which I don't think anyone would disagree with.
Jazakallah and once again, forgiveness InshAllah. :-)
"F m," some of the points you made are, contrary to your unfounded assumptions, in agreement with the article; however, other comments of yours have no basis and you falsely accuse the author of statements which she did not make.
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Sure, dressing nicely does not mean dressing extravagantly, and that's what is mentioned in the article:
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Now look at what you said:
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There's no conflict here! Neither does the article say that the clothes should be overly fancy, nor does it encourage that the celebrations of the Ahlul Bayt(as) should be turned into "fashion shows" as you stated.
As the article repeatedly points out, our inner happiness for the Ahlul-Bayt(as)'s happiness should be complemented by our outward appearance. You said:
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Exactly what is it that you're trying to say? Perhaps you did not mean for your comment to come across that way, but according to your logic even if our state of mind is mournful during Muharram and Safar, it doesn't matter if we turn up at a majlis in colourful clothing! Or it doesn't matter if we dress the same way as we do during Muharram and Safar on 'Eid-e-Zehra! Our state of mind is indeed reflected in our manner of dressing. If our state of mind is joyous, we should dress differently from the way we do during a time of sadness. As mentioned in the article:
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It's so clear: the article says to dress in our "best," not to dress extravagantly. The article doesn't define "best" as being over-the-top:
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You said:
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Again, I fail to see what it is that you're arguing, because that's what the article says!
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As for your comment about judging people:
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Once again, the article says that our clothing should reflect our happiness, but it does not say that we need to go overboard. The importance is on wearing clothing which are respectable and different from what we wear in a period of mourning. No one is encouraging others to judge people according to the degree of extravagant clothing. The article seems to be directed at those who frown upon or don't think it is necessary to give importance to the celebrations of our pure Ahlul-Bayt(as).
As the article says:
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Regarding your uncalled for comment about 'Eid-e-Zehra not being a tradition of the Ahlul-Bayt(as) that we should celebrate, please see:
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Another article that you might want check out about what Islam says in terms of "dressing our best" and "dressing up" would be:
islamicinsights.com/.../...
And Allah(swt) knows best.
Ma'Salaama
My previous post was in response to your original ones, "F m."
Your more recent post says:
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To be happy when our Ahlul-Bayt(as) is and to be sad when they(as) are is most definitely Islamic. The article is correct in saying that it is inconceivable to not dress our "best" on 'Eid. The term "best" leaves a lot of room for relativity: for some people, their "best" may be very simple clothing, and that's fine! One way of expressing our sentiments is to dress accordingly in the sense of dressing differently from sad days, and that is what the article addresses.
Your point about society needing to put less emphasis on extravagance as a proof of happiness is valid; however, to reiterate, the article is not in contradiction with what you are saying.
There are people who will dress up so much for their friend's wedding, but when it comes to 'Eid and wilaadat celebrations, they'll hold back. We need to reflect upon where our sense of devotion lies: do we consider the Ahlul-Bayt(as) to be such significant parts of our lives that we will join in their commemorations?
Purity of the happiness in our hearts and happiness in our garb--the two go hand-in-hand.
May Allah(swt) accept our sincere intentions.
Ma'Salaama
You said:
My point was that we need to be careful before making sweeping judgments about whether or not someone truly loves the Ahlul Bayt depending on how they choose to dress- as was implied in that interpretation of the ayah- which I have never seen a scholar or commentator ever take from that verse. Ever.
There you go again. You're the one making sweeping judgments, not the author.
Wearing clothing appropriate to an event commemorating Ahlul-Bait's grief or happiness IS part of Islam. That doesn't mean that everyone who wears the right colors is doing the right thing. This attitude is mentioned in the Quran also:
Chapter 107
1Have you seen him who denies the Recompense?
2That is he who repulses the orphan (harshly),
3And urges not the feeding of AlMiskeen (the poor),
4So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers) (hypocrites),
5Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times,
6Those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men),
7And refuse Al-Maoon (small kindnesses e.g. salt, sugar, water, etc.).
Your attitude is such that if we were to apply it across the board we would stop praying also because some people pray for the sake of being seen. Just because some people are doing the wrong thing doesn't mean we are supposed to abandon prayer. Similarly, we should not be throwing away the guidance of Ahlul-Bait to dress in a way reflecting our feelings for them just because some people are not behaving correctly at the eids and shahadahs!
F m, you also made this particularly curious comment:
It is true that our actions and the way we live should reflect that but dress isn't the only way of reflecting this
Who is saying it is the only way? You are stuck on this issue. In case you didn't notice, this article is a regular column about clothing. Obviously clothing is not the only issue, but in such a column it is going to take centre stage. I have to applaud sister Aliyyah for discussing this issue even because most people are very confused about their dress. She has made many things clear based on what Ahlul-Bait say, did, and wanted from us, not based on what "many communities" happen to be doing.
Again, while cultural context is important, quite frankly it doesn't matter when we have guidance from Ahlul-Bait on a matter. You must believe that also. So why when we are bringing these references do you keep going back to what people are doing? Frankly, as you yourself pointed out people are doing a lot of wrong things, but if we are going to keep this cultural, ALL cultures believe in dressing in happy clothes at happy occasions and sad clothes at sad occasions. Furthermore, I don't know of any culture where black is not considered to be a mourning colour, at least some times. So why go after Sister Aliyyah when she points that people wear black? Look at her exact words:
In Muharram and Safar, we wore simple clothing, usually black in color, and held back on the makeup and jewelry
Sister Aliyyah didn't say wear black or you're a bad person. You need to read the article carefully and think about what you say before passing opinions, even more so since for all your complaints you haven't done much quoting of Qur'an and Ahlul-Bait yourself.
Thank you for your comments everyone. I think we are all in agreement that wearing one's best should never mean showing off, being extravagant, forsaking hijab, and forgetting the purpose of the celebration i.e. commemorating the Infallibles (peace be upon them all). These things have all been discussed elsewhere in Islamic Insights before. The community issues surrounding extravagance are not what this article was addressing. The problems several of you mentioned do exist, but that does not make dressing well a bad act in itself, it is being misused. That is a different issue.
FM, I never ever claimed the following verse was about clothing. It is clear the verse is about devotion. '"Say: I do not ask of you any reward except for devotion to the near ones" (42:23).
Devotion to the Ahlul Bayt takes many, many forms.
I chose to talk about one form of devotion, which is how we dress. After all, this is Style Watch, a column inherently about clothes :-)
The Ahlul Bayt are examples for us in ALL areas of life, including our wardrobes.
Devotion towards Ahlul Bayt in the form of clothing shows loyalty to their values, through the observance of hijab, cleanliness, good grooming, and (the topic of this article) through dressing appropriately for different religious occasions.
Dressing in accordance with happy or sad occasions for the sake of the love of Ahlul Bayt does not mean dressing in exactly the same clothes they wore. Otherwise we would not have different cultural dresses, would we? What we have to emulate are the principles behind their way of dressing. Dressing well is fine when it is done in moderation and with adherence to Islamic principles.
FM, you wrote "In this society, if someoen was to dress in the way of the Ahlul Bayt or that degree of simplicity and cleanliness, it would be seen as dressing down." Imam Ja'far As Sadiq (p) did not dress the same way Imam Ali (p) always dressed. Please see the incident in this article islamicinsights.com/.../... , where the Sixth Imam (p) was confronted by someone for wearing very nice clothing.
About how a woman should dress for her husband, the Holy Prophet has said, "It is to a woman to perfume herself with her best fragrances, wear her best clothes, and ornament herself with her best ornamentation." (Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 508)
The Holy Prophet (p) used the word "best," not "fancy" or "expensive." Of what you have, use the best. Do you think there wasn't showing off or materialism in society at the Prophet's time? That there weren't women who were too obsessed with clothes? I think there always has been and always will be a danger of that ;-)
The Prophet didn't say, Okay Muslims, just be drab in response to society. That the Muslims were poor is a different issue. But he never discouraged taking care of one's body. He taught moderation in dressing, and that's the key.
"Best" means different things to different people, in different times, and different circumstances. "Best" can even mean different things to the same people at different points in their lives. That's why I specifically used the word "best" in my article, because I know that it has multiple meanings. My point was, make such days special for yourself outwardly as well as inwardly.
For instance, in Muharram, try and dress as you would if someone in your family had died. Imam Hussain (p) is very special to us, and we should give him even more importance than our own family members.
In some cultures people go as far as wearing black. In others, they stick to simple clothing in dull shades of blue, green, grey, beige and navy. Others leave aside almost all jewelry. For some people, it will mean dressing normally but ignoring jewelry and the reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and other cheerful colours in their closets during the two months. My point is, do something differently to commemorate the time. Don't just let it slip by without any outward acknowledgement.
Different people have different ways of showing devotion in dress. Like it or not, how you dress will affect how you feel. If it's a cold, grey and dreary day out, who doesn't reach for a cheery red sweater to feel brighter? If it's Muharram and you're avoiding those colours, it will be a good reminder of Karbala, when you stop yourself from wearing that sweater. If something different about your clothing during the day inadvertently reminds you of Imam Hussain (p) during the period of mourning, then isn't that a good thing?
To a person who looks picture-perfect all year round, showing devotion in the form of dress may mean wearing black, and also letting her hair roots grow out with no touch-up visits to the hairdresser (to dye her hair) in Muharram and Safar, because the women of Ahlul Bayt did not color or oil their hair until Eid az Zahra.
To another woman, showing devotion in dress may take place in the form of wearing black scarves the whole two months over her everyday clothes.
When Allah (swt) told Prophet Zakariyya what would happen to Imam Hussain (p) in the future, (hence making this Prophet yet another one who cried for Imam before Karbala even took place) one of the things the Prophet said was, "...O Lord! Will you let Ali and Fatima wear the dress of grief and will they witness this calamity"?" (Reference: www.maaref-foundation.com/.../07.htm#p44 ) Note, he said "dress of grief," which means such a thing existed for them...
To a frazzled new mother newborn baby, wearing her best at that point in her life may just mean putting on earrings and applying lipstick with her normal clothes on a wiladat day, because she's still getting used to her new role in life and barely has time to even shower! She has done her best to celebrate, that little bit of getting ready is something special for her now, and that's what counts.
To a busy PhD student who always keeps her scarf on in the ladies' side at mosque because she doesn't have time to do her hair, dressing up may mean something as simple as blow-drying her hair and keeping her scarf off at the ladies' Eid function.
To an Indian woman who always wears shalwar kameez, dressing up may mean putting on a beautifully embroidered sari (in a segregated gathering of course), which is normal at her center.
To a recent revert who's still in the time- and money-consuming process of replacing her wardrobe with hijab-friendly pieces, dressing up may mean getting a new scarf and carrying a colored purse with her everyday abaya.
To another woman it may mean wearing a plain beige abaya instead of a plain black or navy one. Or it could mean wearing an abaya with subtle sequins and beading. It all counts, as long as she has worn what she considers her best.
To a brother who always wears Adidas pants and a T-shirt, putting on a simple white shirt and dark blue jeans will feel like dressing up. To a man who always wears a button-down shirt and slacks, wearing a suit on Eid day will feel like dressing up.
How one chooses to dress up is not the point. That's not being judged, and neither is a person's devotion if their "best" is different from someone else's. Everyone has their own version of best.
The point is, make an effort to feel special outwardly on these days and don't be unfair. Don't prioritize your friends' night out at a restaurant, your neighbour's wedding, a dinner party, or an industry conference, which all have dress codes, over the Prophet's birthday. Don't get more dressed up (whatever that means to you) for that and then show up for Milad an Nabi in something less. If your clothes are all simple, that's fine, obviously no one should judge you for that. But for the sake of Ahlul Bayt, please choose the very best of what you do have!
Wa salaam :-)
Aliyyah R-B
"According to saheeh reports, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does something that is a not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) will have it rejected” (reported by Muslim in his Saheeh); and “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those which have been newly invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” There are many other ahaadeeth that convey the same meaning.
Besides being bid’ah and having no basis in sharee’ah, these birthday celebrations also involve imitation of the Jews and Christians in their birthday celebrations. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning us against following their ways and traditions: “You would follow the ways of those who came before you step by step, to such an extent that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it too.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else?” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them."
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