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AT TABARRUJ: The Alluring Trend

Dear Sis,
One thing that persistently bothers the minds of truth seekers is the assiduous disintegration of the core tenets that formed the foundation of the pristine Islam the Prophet taught us.

I know you are bothered too, and I am writing to remind both myself and you of a canker that has eaten deep into the world of dressing Muslim sisters, especially those on campus – the concept of AT TABARRUJ.
Should you mark yourself safe before reading this to the end? I guess you should rethink. So, what exactly is Tabarruj? And how is it cankerous?

Tabarruj literally means displaying one’s beauty and adornment.
And legislatively? It also means displaying one’s beauty or adornment to non-chaperones (non-mahrams).

However, the adornment that is prohibited for a female to display here means everything that a man loves in a woman and that calls his attention or gaze. This adornment may be a decoration added or natural of such a lady.

Basically, Tabarruj is simply put as uncovering one’s adornment as a female, whether natural or attached, and dressing in a way that calls the attention of men. So what’s the Islamic ruling on Tabarruj?

Allah says in Suratu Nuur:
“…..And do not indulge in Tabarruj like those of the pre-Islamic period…”
The act of Tabarruj is a major sin in Islam that attracts a promise of severe punishment from Allah.

Sadly, many sisters do not understand this concept and fall into Tabarruj even though they use the Niqab or Jilbab. But before I mention examples of dressings that are classified as Tabarruj and how to be free from this canker, I will be mentioning three points that will help you understand how dangerous and heavy this Tabarruj thing is:

1. At-Tabarruj was the Sunnah of the people of Jahiliyah (the period of ignorance before Islam). Allah raised His Prophet for you, me, and all of mankind to guide us away from the path of darkness and toward the path of light. Would it be fitting for a Muslimah to abandon the guidance and Sunnah of the Prophet in favor of the customs of the idolaters and polytheists before Islam? Clearly, the path of guidance is distinctly separate from the path of misguidance, and everyone bears the consequences of the path they choose. Choose your path wisely.
   
2. The Prophet made abstaining from it a condition for a woman’s pledge of allegiance to him. The pledge of allegiance, known as Bay’ah in Arabic, is a formal way for the companions to express their complete acceptance of the Prophet’s message and their readiness to submit their lives, desires, wealth, and everything to the cause of Islam. You can learn more about the companions’ pledge of allegiance to the Prophet in historical books.
   
   Umaymah, one of the female companions, also pledged her allegiance to the Prophet, and from what he said to her: "I make you pledge that you will not associate partners with Allah, steal, kill your children out of fear of poverty (as was common among pre-Islamic Arabs), and do not engage in Tabarruj (displaying your adornment to non-Mahram)…."
   
   This emphasizes the fact that proper covering is a condition for the complete acceptance of the Messenger of Allah.
   
3. Tabarruj is a gateway to Zina (fornication) and other major sins. It’s a characteristic of the people of Hell, and engaging in it leads to a delay in one’s entry into Jannah (paradise).
   The Prophet mentioned in a Hadith reported by Abu Hurairah that there are two categories of people he hasn’t met yet who will enter Hell.
   
4. One of these categories consists of women who are dressed but expose their heads like the hump on a camel’s back. They won’t enter Jannah and won’t perceive its scent. One obvious fact to note is that the Prophet established that they would be dressed. They could be wearing the Hijab, but if it doesn’t meet the conditions of proper covering, they are still considered uncovered.
   
   They also have heaped on their heads similar to the hump of a camel. This indicates the prohibition of attaching hair to your hair, whether it is a wig, rubber, attachment, or the so-called ‘Atmakasa’ (not sure of the spelling).
   
   To be continued...