You have brought up a very valid and critical point that all people serious about making dawah in this country need to consider.

How many times at work have I seen my own co-workers get so disgusted by my fellow Muslim workers behavior, dress, appearance, etc.

My coworkers including myself splatter water all over the bathroom floor when making wudu causing most Non Muslims to leave in disgust.

We wear beards that are huge but unkempt and also wear wrinkled pants and shirts to work.

Terrible dawah on our part and I think if any of us are to succeed we need to take what Br. Nas has suggested seriously. That means combing our beards, wearing perfume, combing our hair, brushing our teeth, etc.

JazakAllah again Br. Nas.

And AZ: I highly suggest you speak to Shaykh Suhaib Webb about this issue so he can clarify. Zubair pointed out a very important point. I know regarding myself, I’m a Pakistani born in the west…I wear jeans and dress shirts, grow out my beard, and like to sometimes wear a kufi. I’ve also done eh opposite and have worn (and still do sometimes) a long thobe, turban, etc. People see me as a foreigner and it really hurts the dawah. When I look like them (like at work) I can relate to them much better and I’ve done much better dawah I believe. While we are in our 3-piece suits, we should pray in public such as at malls, etc. thus materializing a true American Islamic identity.
And Allah and His Messenger know best.

In the end, i think it’s important to differentiate between a Da`iy (Caller) and an `Alim (Scholar); between eloquence and knowledge.

Both are not the same.

There’s a difference between integration and assimilation, and our challenge is to be accepted while wearing our Arab garbs (hence, integration) rather than accepted because we start wearing Western clothing (hence, assimilated), and I mean all that in the proverbial sense in addition to its surface statement.

A lot of us aren’t even “Arab” so it makes no sense at all to wear “Arab garbs”. What about those people who converted to Islam, the “westerners”, should they also wear “Arab garbs”? Show me any major fiqh book which gives a picture of an “Islamic dress”. There is no such picture, the texts simply give guidelines and restrictions on what kind of clothes we can wear (lose clothing, no silk, etc). If someone wants to wear “Arab garbs”, I have no problem with that, but don’t burden the masses with something Allah hasn’t burdened them with.

A lot of us have either been born or raised up in the West, and I find it ridiculous when people tell us that we have to dress in “Islamic clothing” when, in reality, we are following the guidelines set by Islam with regards to our dresses. Again, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with you or anyone else wearing Eastern clothing, but don’t condemn people or enforce your cultural preferences when you have no Islamic basis to do so.

Please forgive me if I came off as rude in this comment, but I have experienced this “back-home” cultural mentality affect the converts. A white brother in my community converted a couple of years ago and he was delusioned into believing that he has to wear Shalwar khameez/thobes to be a good Muslim, and that caused major problems with his family. That’s not the sort of dawah we’re here to do.

Sincerely,
Zubair

Also, it’s great that you brought textual proof to support your point, and I realize that I am not doing that, but recognize that the same imams and leaders who are wearing Islamic clothing or the imams who have “occasional lapses into Arab garb” have studied and understood the same texts that you are using to prove your point, yet they do not wear suits while giving khutbahs. what is the reason for this? perhaps their understanding supercedes our superficial understanding of things like what you have quoted.

i say all this with respect, but I think your point is unfitting.

I would like to quote a few verses from the Quran regarding this:
– “a messenger from themselves” (3:164)
– “with the language of his people” (14:4)
– “and to Ad, their brother Hud” (7:65)
– “and to Thamud, their brother Saleh” (7:73)

And from The Sealed Nectar:
“The Prophet [pbuh] was noted for superb eloquence and fluency in Arabic. He was remarkable in position and rank. He was an accurate, unpretending straightforward speaker. He was well-versed in Arabic and quite familiar with the dialects and accents of every tribe. He spoke with his entertainers using their own accents and dialects. He mastered and was quite eloquent at both bedouin and town speech. So he had the strength and eloquence of bedouin language as well as the clarity and the decorated splendid speech of town.”

From these verses and accounts of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of God upon him) life, we learn the importance of being from within the community and mastering the language and customs of the people. This is not to say that an immigrant should not give dawa in the inner city but it does mean that his dawa would not be as effective as a Muslim from within their community. This is not a matter of racism, nationalism, or tribalism but rather an issue of trust, empathy, and identification. Hence the divine rule of always sending “a messenger from within themselves” “with the language of his people.”

So being able to genuinely articulate yourself to your crowd becomes of utmost importance. Dress, speech, and body language play a bigger role than most would like to admit especially in a society in which these things are the criteria for acceptance. Once again, I would like to reiterate the fact that this is not a matter of superficiality but rather a matter of identity. One might argue, “what about the person who became Muslim when they saw the brother wearing the big turban?” Although there are cases of this happening, the people in which a turban might spark curiosity are far outnumbered by those who are put off by such foreign customs. People look to Muslims as being very religious and thus hold them to the highest of standards. If you are doing dawa, then people will subconsciously consider you devoted to your religion and thus hold both your words and actions as the bar of piety in Islam. Subconsciously they are associating you with piety and debating in their mind whether or not they can reach those standards. They are debating whether or not Islam is a viable option in their life or if it would be too drastic of a change to entertain it as an option. So John Doe, who works at an office, likes what you have to say but after picturing himself wearing a turban he rejects it. You might say, “guidance is from God.” This is absolutely true but at the same time we have the responsibility of delivering the message properly. This requires convincing people that the only difference between us and them is one of faith in God and not a cultural one.

Some might disregard my observations as merely speculation but I am basing this on personal dawa experiences. “Why do Muslims stink? Why do Muslims dress like that? Why do Muslim men wear dresses?” If you are unaware of these questions, then I suggest you do more dawa.

In conclusion, following the cultural norms of society is recommended while dressing like an Arab is not. People have to distinguish between the meaning of the word sunnah as it relates to fiqh (recommended) and as it relates to hadeeth (biography). The biggest challenge for Islam in America is how it will integrate into society. Will it continue to be the foreign religion it is now or will it adopt an American identity? In my humble opinion, I think that this challenge can only be overcome by our scholars because just as non-Muslims hold any Muslim to be the standard for piety, we Muslims hold our scholars to be the standard of piety for us. I have been most impressed with Shaikh Suhaib as he is at the forefront of this transition despite his occasional lapses into Arab garb. May God strengthen him and make him firm on the truth. I dream of a day when our scholars start delivering Friday sermons in three-piece suits. We know Islam itself is compatible with America but perhaps when that happens will people finally consider Muslims to have successfully integrated into America.

May God forgive me for any mistakes and guide us all. Amen.

Awesome article. Something necessary for all Islamic Workers.