Dervish

Does God really care if men wear gold and grow beards and women cover their hair with material? Surely these are trivialities, when there is the bigger picture: war, starvation, global warming.

Human psychology is a bit of a mystery to most of us, but anthropologists, ethnologists and psychologists seem to have noticed that human beings like to ‘mark’ their bodies in various ways. Whether it is tattoos of “Mom”, nipple-piercings, or golden rings stretching the necks of the Kayan people in Myanmar, every culture seems to have its marker. People living in Western societies may not recognise our markers very well. Ear piercing and wedding bands are ubiquitous, but what is not so obvious are the markers we use to indicate our collection of wealth. We wear Dolce and Gabbana clothing, drive around in BMWs and the very wealthy can afford to give their women chemical peels, botox injections and face-lifts as a way of showing they have the money to possess a wife who can avoid looking naturally old. What’s even more strange, is when the men are having chemical peels, botox injections and face-lifts themselves.

So, Islam is an eminently practical religion and understands that humans have a natural desire to mark and present themselves to the world. So what does it choose as Islamic markers? Modesty, humility and gender. Men do not wear gold or trail their garments, as our beloved Prophet Muhammad instructed, because they are seen as markers of pride and ostentation. Men and women wear loose-fitting, opaque clothing, and women draw their headcovers over their breasts, as signs of modesty. Men wear beards as that is the natural marker of masculinity that God gave men.

God doesn’t need us to wear beards, avoid gold, and put material on our heads. But how does it feel to us when we perform these small acts of obedience to our Lord and Creator, Allah , and to our beloved Prophet Muhammad ? It satisfies a human psychological need to mark our bodies in some fashion, and instead of displaying evanescent wealth or sexual fixations, the markers remind us constantly of our complete dedication and commitment to the Divine Will. The beard, the hijab, avoiding gold, avoiding silk, dressing in loose, opaque clothing, all patterned on the model of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , who was the walking Qur’an:

Ye have indeed in the Messenger of God a beautiful pattern (of
conduct) for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who
engages much in the praise of God. (Qur’an, al-Ahzab 33:21)

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