Clothing, Fiṭrah and the Attack on Hijab

To move on: Allah (swt) has set out these few points, and they are of great importance. For why such emphasis in so many verses, and in those addressed to the children of Adam in particular, three of which concern morality and clothing? Throughout history, for the great majority of the tribes and peoples of the world, clothing was part of it. There are a few exceptions; there are places where clothing is of little account. But even among them, it appears, very few would expose everything. As to the genitalia, the overwhelming majority would cover at least so much. That is a fiṭrah; it is a fiṭrah. Yet new ways are constantly found of making it less and less, there being plainly an attraction in it. This is not the place to enter upon it, but these verses are very telling: this is among the first of Shayṭān's ways.

And it may be seen in this, that wherever there is a Muslim country in which women dress covered, one of the greatest criticisms — as when they went into Afghanistan and elsewhere — one of the greatest criticisms of the liberal, and one of the chief missions of liberalisation, is to change the dress. That is a great matter; it weighs heavily. Hence the constant attack upon the hijab. The simplest answer concerning hijab is not "it is my choice", for the question then arises: why is it your choice? You have been indoctrinated to make that choice. Many women say "because it is my choice"; but that is not truly an answer. It is an answer on one level. The real answer is: why should there be any difficulty in covering one's hair? Why is it any less good than not covering? Why should jeans and a T-shirt be superior, from a statistical, research-based, health-based point of view? Who says so? Who sets these values? But it is so ingrained that this is subjugation that people take issue with it. One must therefore challenge that notion of subjugation, and ask: who is making these value judgements for you, and why is your value judgement superior to mine? I wear hijab because it is better for me, my Lord having told me so; you wear what you wear because your culture tells you so; and my Lord is above culture. The matter must be taken down to that fundamental level.

But remember this — and it is truly to be reflected upon, by those who have doubts about the whole question of hijab: why should there be so strong a link, the children of Adam being addressed directly after the deception of Ādam (peace be upon him) by Shayṭān, and the whole point being made there that their nakedness was exposed once they ate of the tree? That is the first path. Once a man begins upon it, everything… Many say that this is the change we see in people: when their clothing changes, we see their whole cast of mind change also — or perhaps the clothing follows the cast of mind.