Ehram(The Hajj garments)

2- The Hajj garments

Another tradition of Hajj which has no Quranic support is the Hajj garments for men. According to this tradition, men should wear two seamless white wrappings, one worn around the waist and the other thrown loosely over the shoulder. Also nothing made of metal may be worn to the extent that even a safety pin may not be used to tie the wrappings together!

When we look closely at this deep rooted tradition we find that not only does it contradict the wisdom of the Quran, but it also violates a clear Quranic verse. When we contemplate the wisdom of the Quran, we clearly realise that on no occasion is a dress code a requirement of any ritual or form of worship. Instead God Almighty stresses the fact that He will judge people by what is in the heart and not by what they wear:

Those who come to God with a pure heart (will be saved). 26:89

Those who came up with this un-Quranic tradition have made it a requirement of the 'ihram'. The word 'ihram' in Arabic means abstention, thus it is said that these garments are worn so as to abstain oneself from anything ostentatious. However all the requirements of 'ihram' are included in the Quran; a dress code is not one of them. The abstentions listed in the Quran during Hajj are abstentions from war, hunting, sexual contact, cutting one's hair, misconduct and arguments.

More important, the Hajj garments, which have become an integral part of the Hajj violates the following Quranic verse:

O children of Adam, take along your 'zinah' to every masjid. 7:31

The word 'zinah' means adornments or any item that is worn to make oneself beautiful. Since the words in 7:31 said 'every masjid', and no exception has been made to this totality, then it should also include the Masjid Al-Haraam. The Masjid Al-Haram is a masjid first and foremost. What this really means is that God instructed us to dress in nice clothes and adorn ourselves with beautiful things, as long as we are not too flashy, so as to treat the visit to the Masjid as a happy and festive occasion.

One cannot help but wonder, what could be more inspiring and gratifying than celebrating the trip of the Hajj in a happy and festive manner?

The Christians got it right when they go to Christmas Mass they dress up in their best clothes to live up to the occasion. By doing so, the Christians are undoubtedly more in line with God's instructions in 7:31 than the Muslims observing their Hajj! Commemorating and glorifying God should always be a happy occasion, not a dismal self denying experience! The origin of this behaviour lies in the cultures of many Muslims, especially the Arabs, by which it is thought that dramatising everything, as well as indulging in morbid states of self denial, would denote an air of sincerity and submission to God! Needless to say, this cannot be any farther than the truth! The credibility of any action or its sincerity lies only in the heart and never in appearances.

The classic justification given by Muslims for wearing the Hajj garments is their claim that it equates the rich with the poor. They add that the poor will not feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by their dress, since all people look alike during Hajj. This argument is unsound for a number of reasons. The Friday congregational prayer has no dress code, everyone wears what they like, yet no poor man feels uncomfortable or embarrassed by what they wear, nor does a rich man feel special by what they wear. Dress is never an issue during the Friday congregational prayer, and why should it be? During the prayer, the general mood of the people in the Masjid is one of worship. No sincere worshipper is interested in what others are wearing! If that is the mood during prayer, why should it be any different during the Hajj where people are more focused on spirituality than during a routine weekly congregation?

Furthermore, a poor man would be better off going to Hajj in whatever clothes he already has, rather than being burdened to spend extra money to buy additional garments (towels, special sandals, special belt) just for the occasion.

We have seen that the Hajj garments are a clear violation of the instructions in 7:31. It can also be shown that the Hajj garments were never required by God through a rationale that demonstrates how God is indeed the Most Wise. To explain this logic it must first be stressed that God will never command the believers to perform a certain practice and then make it impossible for them to exercise it. God decreed for us to perform Hajj anytime during the four specified months (2:197). We also know that the Saudi authorities will not allow any person to observe Hajj outside the first 10 days of the month of Zhu Al-Hijjah. Now let us assume that Hajj garments were truly authorised by God, this would make it impossible for any genuine believer to observe his Hajj and visit Arafat wearing the Hajj garments at any time outside the 10 days. The Saudi authorities would not permit him to do so; they will stop him on the grounds that he is attempting to observe Hajj outside the correct timing of Hajj (their Hajj)!

This scenario would mean that no believer would be able to observe his Hajj outside the 10 days, that is, if he was to wear the Hajj garments.

In contrast, if he was not wearing the Hajj garments, simply because they are not required by God, he would be able to visit Arafat and observe a full Hajj without any problem.

He would also be able to visit the Kaaba and the Safa and Marwah in normal clothes without any problem. The Kaaba is a masjid and is frequented by many locals when the time of the Salat is due, and they are dressed in normal clothes, so it is never a problem to be in the Kaaba, Safa and Marwah or Arafat dressed in normal clothes.

By making it possible for the believers to wear normal clothes during Hajj, God the Most Wise has in effect made it possible for them to follow His law anytime during the four months in spite of the idol worshippers.

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