Hijab, the literary meaning of which is ‘to cover’, ‘to veil’, and ‘to curtain’, is an obligation on the Muslim men and women as detailed in the Quran:
“Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” (Noor, 24:30-31)
A general misconception is that Hijab is only obligated on Muslim women, but as the Ayahs suggest, men have to abide by the rulings of modesty as much as women. While women are asked to cover their whole body in the presence of the opposite gender, men are asked to cover their private parts. Not only that, but the minimum requirement is to cover from navel to knee even in the presence of the same gender.
The concept of the Hijab is not restricted to covering the private parts; rather it is an attitude of modesty altogether. Thus, part of Hijab is also to lower the gaze, to not walk in a proud and pompous manner that every eye is forced to look at you, not to laugh or speak in a flirtatious tone, and not to have lingering perfumes scents exuding out of you (for women). The appearance of a Muslim man or woman is to be of grace and devoid of ostentatious display of beauty. The purpose is to keep the society virtuous with an air of God-consciousness as an imminent part of it.
Although the interaction between the two genders can be limited, it can never be completely abandoned. And as we see from the lives of the Sahabahs, the interaction that did take place was of a high moral criterion with modesty being a driving factor. Even though the men and women of the time adhered to the code of modesty, they went on to achieve their goals – the businesses and lives went on.
With the world coming together as a global community, it is becoming harder for the Muslims to adhere to the Islamic code of modesty – due to the influence of Western fashion, the selection of clothing available at stores is getting smaller and tighter in size for both genders. For the sake of it being ‘the latest fashion’, it is often accepted and adopted by the Muslim community as well.
Sports attire for men – be it for swimming, golf, or football – consist of small shorts, revealing legs much above the knee level, which is not allowed in Islam. But since it has become a generic uniform for most sports, the men cannot object to it.
A similar issue is with the communal shower systems. Alhamdulillah, although this is still uncommon in the Muslim communities, Muslim men residing in the West have to deal with it in dorms, hostels, and locker rooms.
The point comes down to protecting oneself from the Haram, no matter how common it may become. You have to guard yourself and be reminded of what is Haram and what is not. In the globalized world, Hijab is an individual choice for both men and women – you have to decide how important it is for you to have the Libas-ut-Taqwa (the garment of consciousness) as mentioned in the Quran.
“O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness – that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.” (Al-Araf 7:26)
To be creative, find solutions, and stay firm on your belief is of utmost importance in today’s day and age. The fear of isolation is valid, but one must remember how the Prophet (sa) dealt with these issues, when he feared isolation – he was soft yet firm on the teachings of the Quran.
Nobody can force you to wear what you do not want to wear. If a person does not like checked shirts, no one can force him to wear those. Why, all of a sudden, do the rules seem to be different in the sports field? The shortage of long shorts in the sports market is a real issue, for which I wish Muslim industrialists and designers play a role. Meanwhile, men can opt for compression leggings to be worn under the shorts, which cover the Awrah and do not hinder the performance, or make their own sports shorts by altering long sports pants for this purpose. If athletes can do it, so can we in the name of Deen.
Similarly, women should think of creative solutions when they opt for doing sports in public so that their bodies would be fully covered as per Islamic guidelines. Since figure-hugging sportswear and tiny Hijabs that do not cover the chest properly are not allowed, women should look for clothing options that are loose yet flexible enough not to hinder their sports activities. It may be a tough deal for women in sports, but either we step up to create more choices, or we are stuck with the choices provided to us.
The requirement is to be creative yet firm on the limits Allah (swt) has put on us.
“Do the people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tried?” (Al-Ankaboot, 29:2)
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