What is the Islamic dress? Is it the qalansuwa, the khamar, the 'imamah, or the 'iqal?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The Sunnah dress for a Muslim: is it the qalansuwa, the khamar, or the 'iqal? I mean, all of them together?
The Shaykh : What? The dress?
The questioner : The dress, the dress.
The Shaykh: What is it?
The questioner : Is it just the qalansuwa, or with the khamar and the 'iqal? I mean?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by "dress," my brother?
The questioner : I mean the suit for a Muslim, the clothing for the Muslim man...
The Shaykh : I mean, are you asking about the Sunnah?
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, you previously formed the opinion that the head covering is a customary Sunnah, not a Sunnah of worship?
The questioner : Yes, a customary Sunnah, but...
The Shaykh : So, within the limits of the Sunnah of worship, are you asking the question now?
The questioner : No, we are asked: Why do the committed people in our country not wear the 'iqal? Is it forbidden? We say: It is not forbidden, but...
Abu Malik: The correct view is that it is a defect for a student of knowledge there, or one who claims affiliation with knowledge, to wear the 'iqal on his head. This is a prevailing custom there. Therefore, all of them—for example, if you go to the College of Sharia in the universities now, you will not find a single committed student of knowledge or professor in the university who wears the 'iqal on his head, ever. This is a prevailing custom.
The Shaykh : But is the 'iqal the dress of the people there?
The questioner : ... .
Abu Malik: The Saudi people all wear the 'iqal on their heads.
The Shaykh : Except for the students and the shaykhs.
Abu Malik: Except for the shaykhs and the students, yes. I mean, now if you see a bearded man wearing an 'imamah on his head without an 'iqal, he is a scholar or a student of knowledge, yes. Like the badge we have: the shaykhs wear the tarboosh, this one.
The Shaykh : Is that it? So that is your question?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay; this is like what the professor said. The Turks—for example—and the Palestinian scholars among them wear this 'imamah that "Muhammad 'Abduh" described in his time: "An 'imamah like a tower and a robe like a sack." Of course, this has nothing to do with Islam. So if there is another custom in another country, then the saying of that poet applies here:
"They made a mark for the sons of the Messenger, *** Yet the mark is the affair of one who is not renowned."
Yes, so this falls under the Sunnah of worship in that case, and in that case, innovating in it is a religious innovation; that is, dressing scholars and students of knowledge in a dress that distinguishes them from the rest of the people was... inherited by some peoples from the Turks long ago. So this is exactly like that; therefore, it is not permissible to adopt a dress that distinguishes scholars or students of knowledge from the rest of the people. They have in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a good example, as we all know that the stranger or the Bedouin, when he heard of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and came to a gathering and asked: "Which of you is Muhammad?" That is because Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), as we all know, the master of mankind, did not distinguish himself from his Companions by any dress at all. And if the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, as came in the authentic hadith, then they should not be heirs of the Prophets in appearance, but in action and following. So, since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not adopt a specific dress for himself and his Companions, the noble scholars should not, for one who constantly seeks to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and emulate his Sunnah, adopt a specific dress. So wearing the 'iqal and not wearing it are the same; provided that distinction is not intended by it. So this is a student of knowledge, so he does not wear it; this is from the general people, so he wears it.
And this may have a reaction in reality regarding some of the prescribed matters, even the obligatory ones. Some of the general Muslims proceed from this reversed standpoint: that the scholar has a badge. So, out of their ignorance, they include among the badges of scholars the growing of the beard. So when they are pointed out: "Why do you not grow your beard? And why do you afflict yourself by shaving it?" He says: "If I grow my beard, people will think that I am a scholar... and I will be embarrassed; so I shave my beard; because I proceeded from the idea that the scholar should have a badge. There is no difference between a Muslim and a Muslim; no dress distinguishes this one from that one. Rather, what distinguishes them is their proceeding in their work in their life: either they proceed accompanied by knowledge, or by ignorance. And this is the difference, as our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) indicated in the noble verse:[Az-Zumar 39:9].
Have I answered your question?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, yes.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The Shaykh : What? The dress?
The questioner : The dress, the dress.
The Shaykh: What is it?
The questioner : Is it just the qalansuwa, or with the khamar and the 'iqal? I mean?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by "dress," my brother?
The questioner : I mean the suit for a Muslim, the clothing for the Muslim man...
The Shaykh : I mean, are you asking about the Sunnah?
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, you previously formed the opinion that the head covering is a customary Sunnah, not a Sunnah of worship?
The questioner : Yes, a customary Sunnah, but...
The Shaykh : So, within the limits of the Sunnah of worship, are you asking the question now?
The questioner : No, we are asked: Why do the committed people in our country not wear the 'iqal? Is it forbidden? We say: It is not forbidden, but...
Abu Malik: The correct view is that it is a defect for a student of knowledge there, or one who claims affiliation with knowledge, to wear the 'iqal on his head. This is a prevailing custom there. Therefore, all of them—for example, if you go to the College of Sharia in the universities now, you will not find a single committed student of knowledge or professor in the university who wears the 'iqal on his head, ever. This is a prevailing custom.
The Shaykh : But is the 'iqal the dress of the people there?
The questioner : ... .
Abu Malik: The Saudi people all wear the 'iqal on their heads.
The Shaykh : Except for the students and the shaykhs.
Abu Malik: Except for the shaykhs and the students, yes. I mean, now if you see a bearded man wearing an 'imamah on his head without an 'iqal, he is a scholar or a student of knowledge, yes. Like the badge we have: the shaykhs wear the tarboosh, this one.
The Shaykh : Is that it? So that is your question?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay; this is like what the professor said. The Turks—for example—and the Palestinian scholars among them wear this 'imamah that "Muhammad 'Abduh" described in his time: "An 'imamah like a tower and a robe like a sack." Of course, this has nothing to do with Islam. So if there is another custom in another country, then the saying of that poet applies here:
"They made a mark for the sons of the Messenger, *** Yet the mark is the affair of one who is not renowned."
Yes, so this falls under the Sunnah of worship in that case, and in that case, innovating in it is a religious innovation; that is, dressing scholars and students of knowledge in a dress that distinguishes them from the rest of the people was... inherited by some peoples from the Turks long ago. So this is exactly like that; therefore, it is not permissible to adopt a dress that distinguishes scholars or students of knowledge from the rest of the people. They have in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a good example, as we all know that the stranger or the Bedouin, when he heard of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and came to a gathering and asked: "Which of you is Muhammad?" That is because Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), as we all know, the master of mankind, did not distinguish himself from his Companions by any dress at all. And if the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, as came in the authentic hadith, then they should not be heirs of the Prophets in appearance, but in action and following. So, since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not adopt a specific dress for himself and his Companions, the noble scholars should not, for one who constantly seeks to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and emulate his Sunnah, adopt a specific dress. So wearing the 'iqal and not wearing it are the same; provided that distinction is not intended by it. So this is a student of knowledge, so he does not wear it; this is from the general people, so he wears it.
And this may have a reaction in reality regarding some of the prescribed matters, even the obligatory ones. Some of the general Muslims proceed from this reversed standpoint: that the scholar has a badge. So, out of their ignorance, they include among the badges of scholars the growing of the beard. So when they are pointed out: "Why do you not grow your beard? And why do you afflict yourself by shaving it?" He says: "If I grow my beard, people will think that I am a scholar... and I will be embarrassed; so I shave my beard; because I proceeded from the idea that the scholar should have a badge. There is no difference between a Muslim and a Muslim; no dress distinguishes this one from that one. Rather, what distinguishes them is their proceeding in their work in their life: either they proceed accompanied by knowledge, or by ignorance. And this is the difference, as our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) indicated in the noble verse:
Are those who know equal to those who do not know?
هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَHave I answered your question?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, yes.
The Shaykh: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.