Reviewing The Literature on Multiple Themes of Islamic Attire Practice Among Muslim Women

Abstract

Islam calls upon its men and women believer to preserve their chastity, in which one of the ways to achieve it is through proper clothing that covers their aurah. Various Quranic verses and prophetic traditions provide guidelines about how one should cover their aurah. Nevertheless, Islam does not specify the type of clothing to be worn, affirming that that any clothes are permissible, as long as it follows the guidelines of aurah covering. Even though it is undisputable that it is a religious commandment in Islam for its believer to dress in a manner that their aurah is not revealed, the fact is that nowadays, many other themes other than religion are layering Islamic attire practice among Muslim women whether it is hijab, jibab, abaya, or any other Islamic apparel. This article aims to review literatures related to the practice of Islamic attire among Muslim women within the last 10 years, focusing on the themes accompanying it among Muslim women around the world. Official-based and academic-content literatures related to Muslim women attire from 2010 until 2020 are selected and analysed to discover the themes involved in the practice of Islamic attire among Muslim women. This article found several important themes behind the practice of Islamic attire among Muslim women, namely religion, culture, society, family, fashion and media. The finding in this article may be useful for academics and researchers to further undertake the topic of Muslim women attire, as well as to fill the gaps on aspects yet to be studied on the topic of Muslim women attire.