Question for my Western-born Muslim brothers

DanyalSAC

Junior Member
Asalaamu alaikum brothers...

I ask the brothers this question because my Western-born sisters cover. But brothers... do any of you wear "Islamic" style clothing? For example, a thobe or dishdasha or salwar kameez? Of the handful of brothers who are closest to me in my masjid there are a couple who are American-born reverts like myself. One is African American, the other is Caucasian. The AA revert will wear a thobe now and again, or the wrap that ties at the waist (I forgot what it is called, izar or something like that) whereas the Caucasian brother adamantly refuses ("I don't dress 'native'" he will say).

I personally enjoy dressing in clothing that covers me to my knees as is appropriate, because we are instructed to do so. Lets face it - western style jeans and t-shirts do not offer a great deal of modesty. Some of the brothers at my masjid wear some inappropriately tight pants! But I just hesitate to wear clothes that belong to another culture because I've been told that sometimes people who belong to that culture may get offended.

Anyway... ideas? Thanks!
D.
 

loveislam1

Junior Member
Asalam alikoum brother
I am not a brother.....but wanted to comment

I am a convert sister who prefers to wear abayas over western made clothes. Simply because it is more practical with all the bending and kneeling we do in prayers, it is much more comfortable.

Some people view the east vs west cltohing as a possible identity crisis, maybe that is why the brother is adament about not wearing thobes and such? However, it is not so much of a matter of "being arab" or "being pakistani" but is a matter of "being muslim" and comfort for me, many of the dresses and skirts made here do not meet the islamic requirements.

For men you awrah is from your naval to your knees so "technically" u could get away with only that at home when you pray.....but of course custume dictates men as well as women cant just go like that outdoors and definately to the masjid....I would suggest getting a thobe with pants to wear underneath and see how you feel wearing it, you definately wont worry about the shirt coming untucked inthe back and having to fumble with it in prayer, a big plus according to my husband. i hope u find peace and comfort in whatever u decide
 

DanyalSAC

Junior Member
Asalam alikoum brother
I am not a brother.....but wanted to comment

I am a convert sister who prefers to wear abayas over western made clothes. Simply because it is more practical with all the bending and kneeling we do in prayers, it is much more comfortable.

Some people view the east vs west cltohing as a possible identity crisis, maybe that is why the brother is adament about not wearing thobes and such? However, it is not so much of a matter of "being arab" or "being pakistani" but is a matter of "being muslim" and comfort for me, many of the dresses and skirts made here do not meet the islamic requirements.

For men you awrah is from your naval to your knees so "technically" u could get away with only that at home when you pray.....but of course custume dictates men as well as women cant just go like that outdoors and definately to the masjid....I would suggest getting a thobe with pants to wear underneath and see how you feel wearing it, you definately wont worry about the shirt coming untucked inthe back and having to fumble with it in prayer, a big plus according to my husband. i hope u find peace and comfort in whatever u decide


Thank you sister, that line right there is what is important to me. I often have shirts that are a bit too short, so they may pop out and I don't want anyone behind me getting any...you know, surprises...!

I myself do have one dishdasha (Moroccan style, short sleeves) that I have worn during the summer but I think I may add to my wardrobe.

Thank you!
D.
 

Ibn Uthaymin

Junior member
Assalamu alykum :)

I sometimes wear the thobe, but most time combats and a top , and in summer t-shirts, and rarely jeans. I have a half sleeve thobe too, but I wore it only in Saudi Arabia.

As for the silwar kameez because im Bangladeshi i used to wear it but now i don`t.

I dont think there's a specific dress for men in Islam. Modesty is important. My teacher told me in Syria the Druze wear the thobe and they aren't Muslim, even in South Asia the Hindus and Christians wear silwaar kameez.
 

Amir_of_spain

Junior Member
I'm in London, UK, i wear the dishdash, white, brown, grey colours whenever i go out except when i go to work. I see it as my uniform now, it's really comfortable and simplistic. I did once wore it to uni but wasn't comfortable there as one cannot really run or move quickly in it while being late to class! I did try it at work once and it popped a few workers eyes out, espeically the guys, they thought it was some religious clothing, i clarified the situation but do not wear it to work anymore, otherwise i wear it 24/7 despite the odd looks i get from certain members of the public and disaproval from certain relatives.

Amir of spain.
 

BrotherKhalid

Junior Member
As a Canadian-born revert who has been on both sides of the fence, perhaps I can provide some insight on the matter, insha Allah.

When I first embraced Islam in 2005, I was very eager to drop my "western clothes" which often consisted of muscle shirts, shorts and torn jeans that I wouldn't even wear in my own home these days. At first my daily attire would consist of whatever trousers I had (didn't matter since they'd be covered) and a full sleeved thawb with a simple kufi on my head. Eventually I began wearing a white ghutra and iqal and shortly after the ghutra would either be white or red and white and sometimes without the iqal. I dressed like this for a couple years until I began hanging around with "progressive Muslims" who encouraged me to shave my beard, bare my head to the world and replace the thawb with simple collar shirts left untucked over loose fitting trousers. I dressed like this for a while longer until I left where I was living (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and moved to a small, rural town in Ontario (where I am now), shortly after which I ended up abandoning Islam altogether.

Alhamdulillah I have recently returned to Islam (see thread "Apostate returns to Islam" for more background if desired) but unfortunately due to the area in which I live, I have not yet returned to the comfort and simplicity of thawb wearing. However, I have left my face unshaven for the first time in a long time and am now allowing my beard to return to its full splendor (which insha Allah, should be back to where it should be in about 5 or 6 months).

Based on experience I would advise against wearing a thawb and head covering if you happen to live in an ultra-christian, ultra-islamophobic area in which doing so could lead you to be physically harmed. That being said, some brothers may disagree with me and say not to let anyone discourage or intimidate you from dressing Islamically, so really it is your choice. The most important thing is that your clothes are loose enough fitting that the shape of your body is not apparent, lengthy enough that bending and climbing won't cause parts of you to pop out when you'd rather they didn't.

If you want to dress in accordance with the Sunnah (the example of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him), that would be of most benefit for you, since it is the most comfortable and the best style of any clothing. I can honestly say the most comfortable clothing I have ever wore consisted of a pair of trousers that have been called pajamas (perhaps based on the fact they were extremely comfortable) which fell just above my ankles, over which I wore a plain white t-shirt, and then over that was a nice ankle-length thawb with loose and flowing sleeves (which can be easily rolled up during wudhu). An Islamic outfit, in most cases, is no more expensive than a typical un-Islamic one, but the comfort level is beyond compare. :)

I hope I have been of some help insha Allah.

Take care and may Almighty God provide for you ease in your endevours.

Wa salam.
 

oldhippie

Member
I like wearing dishdasha/thobe and do wear them


There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.
dishdasha is the proper way to be dressed so in dishdasha I
will remain
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Salam alaykum

I hope that members wouldn´t send here they personal pictures. We as members don´t need to know what others look like. You all are our sisters and brothers, what you look isn´t important.
 

Mabsoot

Amir
Staff member
Yes sorry Ron, we removed the photo. We didn't want to distract from the earlier serious discussions.

Good luck with your thawb wearing,

Best Regards

Ameer
 

MehmetHilmi

Junior Member
Selamun Aleykum :)

I'm not really sure about you guys but I was born in an Eastern Muslim society where no one wore the thawb. I've always worn jeans and shirts, but I really am interested in thawbs and stuff. They look really comfortable. But I realize that when people talk about Islamic clothing, they tend to completely ignore Ottoman clothing, which was very different actually. It should also be considered Islamic because the Ottomans were based on Sharia.

ottoman palace.jpg
Palace officials. I would love to walk around here with a big plumed hat. hehehe. Doesn't really come in to mind when mentioning Islamic clothing.
sheykh.jpg
The guy sitting on the couch is how a Sheikh ul-Islam would dress. N0t even Ottoman Ulama dressed in thawbs. Not that thawbs are bad, no no no. They are wonderful, its just that for hundreds of years Muslims have adopted colorful and unique methods of dress (while adhering to Islamic dress code), and its actually interesting to see their creative styles.

Im not sure when the idea came up that wearing a thawb was the only way a Muslim could dress modestly. I think the most important thing is to dress modestly in whatever you wear.
 

oldhippie

Member
Selamun Aleykum :)

I'm not really sure about you guys but I was born in an Eastern Muslim society where no one wore the thawb. I've always worn jeans and shirts, but I really am interested in thawbs and stuff. They look really comfortable. But I realize that when people talk about Islamic clothing, they tend to completely ignore Ottoman clothing, which was very different actually. It should also be considered Islamic because the Ottomans were based on Sharia.

View attachment 10276
Palace officials. I would love to walk around here with a big plumed hat. hehehe. Doesn't really come in to mind when mentioning Islamic clothing.
View attachment 10277
The guy sitting on the couch is how a Sheikh ul-Islam would dress. N0t even Ottoman Ulama dressed in thawbs. Not that thawbs are bad, no no no. They are wonderful, its just that for hundreds of years Muslims have adopted colorful and unique methods of dress (while adhering to Islamic dress code), and its actually interesting to see their creative styles.

Im not sure when the idea came up that wearing a thawb was the only way a Muslim could dress modestly. I think the most important thing is to dress modestly in whatever you wear.

wouldn't what there wearing in those pic's be a type of dishdasha or thobe?
any reason that a thobe has to be solid color?
 

SonOfAdam

Well-Known Member
Staff member
They have multiple layers, the bottom layer is called a Kaftan, which is like a super baggy and huge thobe. Over that they have another robe as well. They don't have to be a particular color or a solid color. The only thing is that men clothes should not look like women clothes and vice versa (I happen to think pink is feminine and would never wear it, but cultures vary in different areas regarding the color pink...).

I have some thobes but I don't like to wear them since I find it hard to move my legs getting in and out of the car (I easily rip them). I also can't run in them (I may need to run to get away from the police or something :), just joking ). I do have some really nice robes though that I wear over my western style clothing that fully cover my curves and make it really easy to pray (don't have to worry about your shirt coming up over your back when you prostrate (make sujud). I have three robes, one white one with thin material for the summer and two fancy black ones. One black has silver trim and the other has golden trim. I only usually wear these during Eid or Ramadan though as they are special clothing for me.

If you brothers saw them you'd want a pair yourself. Ins. I will post a pic up here one day of them. I also like the robes since I can go from looking like a commoner to a sheikh instantly- literally. I get brothers asking me "Where did you study Islam Sheikh", man I wish I could say I was student of knowledge but I am not. Insallah one day, make dua for me. The other thing that made me look like a sheikh was my ready made turbans though, but both of these were literally stolen from my by the Mosque's imam that loved them so much... He said "Oh this is nice, let me borrow/wear!" but never returned them. And now he wears them on Eid :). Elhamdulillah, I am very happy he has them and right away gave them to him as my intention (though I am a bit peeved about it since he did it twice). It is a bit humorous but this is a very good sheikh, he probably just misunderstood me since his English was not too good back then... He also asked for one from me the last time I was overseas which I also delivered to him, but he did not want it because I could not find the color he wanted (green).

Inshallah I will buy some more next time I am overseas.
 

MehmetHilmi

Junior Member
When i said thawb I was specifically referring to the white robe that people from Saudi Arabia usually wear. :) . I just pointed out Ottoman dress as an example of the diversity of Islamic clothing (which I think greatly surpasses European styles in terms of beauty, modesty, and comfort).If it hadn't been for Ataturk's modernization reforms actually, people in Turkey might have stuck onto their traditional Islamic styles. I would be wearing a fez right now. :( . Maybe I would wear thawbs or kaftans. But no, our wonderful Islamic heritage had to be sold out for Western dress by Mustafa Kemal. What a horrible man. Sorry for being off topic, but I really want to wear a fez!!!

Im thinking of buying a thawb but Im afraid it might rip when I walk. Or that it might restrict my movement to small steps.
 
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