The Reasonably Prudent Law Student

I’ve got that “One Jump Ahead” song from Aladdin stuck in my head right now, so I’m pairing it with this Modern Muslimah post. I’ve been asked to do posts with long skirts, so everything fits together well. In fact, one could almost say that everything is coming up … Milhouse.

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Oh, that’s right. I went there. I went there, took pictures, and came back already.

I’m starting something new with Modern Muslimah posts. From now on, whenever I post a Modern Muslimah ensemble (think covered up, modest looks – no pencil skirts, no deep v-necks, no short sleeves), I’m going to put up a hadeeth (which is a narration of an aspect of the Prophet (S)’s life) or a very short verse from the Qur’an, or dispel a common misconception about Islam.

Today, since I’ve got this song stuck in my head, I’m going to talk about the well known Islamic rule that stipulates that a thief’s right hand must be cut off. You remember this song from Aladdin, right? I’m not the only one going nuts?

Aladdin has stolen a loaf of bread, and for that, his hand is to be cut off.

It’s true that Islam says that the punishment for stealing something is to have one’s hand cut off. After all, you stole with that hand, disgracing the appendage with a misdeed, so you lose it.

Very few people (non-Muslims) know that there is a VERY important caveat to this rule. When the rule came down, the Prophet (S) informed his followers that, duh, stealing was a horrible thing to do, and no Muslim should ever steal from anyone else, because he’d have to answer for it on the Day of Judgment.

He said that if someone stole something, his hand was to be cut right off. If he stole again, his left hand was to be cut off. But he added that this did not apply to someone who stole bread (food, in general) to feed himself and/or his family. So, applying it to the clip above, if Agrabah was a proper Islamic state ruled by a proper Islamic sultan that instructed his police force according to Islamic principles, Aladdin would not be punished for stealing the loaf of bread from the market to feed himself (and Abu).

The rationale is simple. The Prophet (S) stated with clarity that when a person steals, he’s responsible for committing that bad deed and must be punished for it. But when a person is so poor as to have no choice but to steal food in order to feed himself and/or his family, that wasn’t the person’s fault. That was society’s fault, for allowing an individual to fall into such poverty in the first place.

Most of Islam’s rules are based on an overwhelming principle of social welfare. Charity cannot be overemphasized in Islam. (The Prophet (S) once said, “even a smile is charity.”) Society as a whole is the final caregiver of the people. The Bait ul Mal in the old days of the Islamic Empire (Treasury, or literally, “House of Wealth”) was where all the taxes went. Muslims paid Zakat, 2.5% of everything they owned in a year (so, if you own an expensive luxury sedan, you pay 2.5% of its value every year you own it, and the same goes for all your expensive designer clothes and your jewelry and gemstones and all that; it doesn’t just apply to your income), and non-Muslims living in Muslim lands paid a smaller tax, called jizyah, and the money went to the Bait ul Mal along with whatever donations individuals chose to make. That money was used to build masjids, infrastructure, finance military efforts, and, most importantly, take care of insolvent widows, orphans, and the elderly. And of course, the insolvent in general.

(Little known fact: The reason that Muslim men are allowed to have up to 4 wives is itself one of social welfare. There were many war widows during the early days of Islam as the Muslims repeatedly battled the pagans of Arabia – and Christians and Jews, duh – and these widows often had children. When a man took another wife, he provided for her and her children. Muslim men were encouraged to marry up to 4 women in order to care for women and children that would have been on their own otherwise, to maintain stability in their society. The rules for keeping more than one wife simultaneously are so strict, however, as to be barely fringing on prohibitive: all of them must be treated the same. How many men can honestly do that?)

(Also, if I were living abroad where bigamy was allowed, you can bet your ass that if Hubster tried to bring home another chick, I’d serve him with papers. No, thank you.)

So, now that we’ve cleared up that misconception (and a couple little ones along the way), let’s get to the clothes!

High-Waisted Cotton Skirt ………. $19.99
Brooks Brothers Merino Ruffle Sweater in Red ………. $49
Bianca Vintage Bootie in Tan ………. $19.04

As promised, here’s a look with a long skirt. I like this one! It’s floral and pretty, and I love the combination of the soft cream and ivory colors and the dark red.

I paired it with this gorgeous Brooks Brothers sweater. Look at the detailing on the neck – those little ruffles are adorable. The neckline is modest, too, and it has full-length sleeves. It looks to be a decent length, and you have a bit of leeway with how long your shirts are when you’re wearing skirts, anyway, because your behind isn’t as obvious as it is in pants.

I added a pair of brown booties to play up the warmth in the skirt and sweater, and we’re done!

I almost added earrings, and then I remembered that most of the Muslimahs (most, not all!) that would take interest in this post would also wear hijab, so earrings are kind of pointless.

:-P

Yay!

Also, isn’t Aladdin adorable?

He’s by far my favorite Disney prince. He’s got the rich black hair that’s just a touch too long, he’s street-smart, he’s funny, he’s athletic, he’s kind to animals, he can sing, he learns from his mistakes and knows how to apologize, and despite being the typical Disney heart-of-gold prince, he’s still got just a touch of douchiness and arrogance to him, and I love that.

Oh, Aladdin.

(Second place is the Beast, DUH, and a VERY close third is Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty.)

(Oddly enough, #1 for Disney girls is Jasmine, #2 is Belle, and #3 is Aurora. That worked out perfectly, you guys.)

…Almost too perfectly.

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