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November 9, 2010

Who out there wears overhead abayaat?

A'salaamu alaikum ya'll. I am thinking of expanding my clothing repetoire (which is pretty basic) into overhead abaya. I mean, I wear abaya all the time anyway but then have to throw a hijab on top (I wear the tie-back khimar style) so I think I can really streamline this situation. lol

However I must must must must must have a peak (the part that sticks out) on my forehead. Flat to the forehead hijab is NOT a good look on me. Plus I don't like showing so much of my forehead but I digress.

I want to know who does or has worn an overhead and if you've ever tried the chador overhead abaya, a newer style. It has the forehead piece and ties back behind the head but is all one piece abaya to the ground.

Any sources would be great. I found one (see above) on http://www.alhediya.com/ (I think) but it's $56 PLUS shipping and I just can't justify that amount. So I would super appreciate any words of advice you all can give insha'allah.

Ma salaama....

20 comments:

Banana Anne said...

I have one overhead jilbab, chador-style with holes for the hands (I absolutely love Iranian-style clothes). It's very simple and pretty, but it was expensive ($60!) and I only wear it for special occasions. It's also kind of impractical to wear because it's bulky and it's open in the front, so you'd have to wear a jilbab and khimar underneath it anyway. I would love to get an overhead jilbab that is a bit more feasible for everyday wear (ideally in a color other than black, but I hardly ever see non-black ones), but I wouldn't want to wear one all the time (I'm very happy with my jilbab/long al-Amira look, Alhamdulillah). Would you want to wear an overhead jilbab all the time or only sometimes to switch things up a bit?

Unknown said...

salamo aleikom wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

the overhead abaya or, in Egyptian Arabic, izdel is what i wear =) I wear it full length though. here they have until the waist as well or a bit longer. but i wear it until it covers my shoes.

I have 2 now. there's a lot of them for sale here in Egypt and they are cheap. i don't know about online shopping, though. they seem pretty expensive online. i found one in Sunnah Style for 45$... if that makes you any difference. lol

here is the link:

http://www.sunnahstyle.com/product_info.php?pName=tieback-overhead-abaya&cName=abayas-overhead&osCsid=b96a2rr6579j20l411efvtib71

Take Care
Salam

Um Zakarya said...

Assalamu Aleykum dear sister,

Here in France the overhead Abaya is really common.I tend to wear it on summer and wear the Abaya/Khimar set on winter.Let me explain.Winters are quite cold in paris and I can wear a coat underneath my khimar and take it off whenever I like.But if I wear a coat on top of the overhead abaya, then there's no point as my body shape will be seen, and if I wear it uderneath the overhead abaya, I'm stuck with my coat and can't take it off whenever I'm indoors.

I order all my overhead abayas from this french site as they are really cheap, but I don't know if they ship worldwide.But if you like, I could have them sent to my address, and send them to you through post and thus shipping would be really less.You can translate the site with google translation INSHALLAH.

Hope this helped!

Um Zakarya said...

Ouppps I forgot the link of the site

http://www.bismillah-couvrirlafemmemusulmane.com/64-jilbeb-1-piece

Umm Aaminah said...

@ Anne: I've never really worn an overhead so I am not sure if it would become my wardrobe staple or not. I really try to be modest (abaya/long khimar is my drug of choice! lol) and I think the overhead could be super nice. I know the sis who owns Arabian Threads used to sell them when she was in Saudi but doesn't stock them now.

Yeah I don't want the kind that stays open. I did find 1 place online that I *think* offers a choice of colors: black, brown or blue. www. salaficlothing.com. You might wanna check there and see if the chador overhead is in colors there.

@ Umm Zakarya: Jazaki allahu khair for the info. I'll definitely check the website and see if I can translate it. I think I'll really like the overhead style; it just seems sooo simple and easy masha'allah. Thanks for your offer; I just might take you up on that!

Ma salaama!

Banana Anne said...

Warning: Do not shop at salaficlothing.com! I have heard some pretty negative things about them and their business practices. Read the comments in this link: http://caribmuslimah.wordpress.com/islamic-clothing-sites/
and this post: http://drawn-together-by-modesty.com/i-am-amazed-by/scam-islamic-clothing-business/
Insha'Allah this isn't backbiting; it seems like people really did have problems with them and are letting other sisters know so they don't face the same issues.

Yeah, the ones on Arabian Threads were very nice, Masha'Allah. She just recently started up her store again, and I think as of now she is selling one type of overhead abaya (Insha'Allah she will stock more types again soon). Also, Ellen from the "Steadily Emerging with Grace" blog just started up a new store called al-Firdous, and she said that she will be selling overhead abayas soon Insha'Allah. I would like to try and find an overhead jilbab that is a bit more practical and more my style; maybe I'll just break down and make one myself! :)

Umm Aaminah said...

Anne, thanks for your advice. No it isn't backbiting to pass along information that would save someone from someone dishonest. Jazaki allahu khair.

You can make your own abaya? Masha'Allah! I bought a machine about a year ago but I've been sooo busy I've done little more than hem some things. :-)

The link Umm Zakarya gave has some super awesome chador-style abayas. I want some! I'm trying to figure out how to order; she's offered to ship them to me if they don't have overseas shipping. :-)

You should check them out for the design; really nice.

Ma salaama

Um Zakarya said...

MASHALLAH I'm happy you've found the site useful.It seems they do ship overseas for 35 euros/3kg.

I always order from this site and MASHALLAH there is a huge choice of Jilbabs at a very affordable price.

Do you want me to try to order for you INSHALLAH?If you want I can pay with my paypal and then you can pay me back to my paypal and maybe it will be easier INSHALLAH, as I know it might be hard for you to order from a french site.

Um Zakarya said...

I have checked and the site ships worlwide, it costs 30.15 euros to the US no matter how many abayaat you order.Please let me know if you're interested and I can order them for you INSHALLAH.But one thing you should know, the sis who owns the site is gone until Nove 30th, so wether we order the abayaat now and you wait until december to get them INSHALLAH, or we wait until then to order, it's up to you!

Umm Aaminah said...

Salaam! Sis Safyia, thanks for the idea. I have found the ones from Masr online but they aren't *quite* what I am looking for. Thanks alot for the tip, though. :-)

Umm Zakarya, insha'Allah the sis made HAJJ and that's why she is out? Insha'Allah! At any rate, I am pretty sure I want to order from their shop; I think I can afford to get 2 or 3. I would like to ask one question of you: is the face opening large enough for a chubby sister? I really want this type with the chin guard but I don't want it to be too tight. :-)

We'll wait to order til after the sis gets back and then insha'Allah I can just paypal the funds to you. Jazaki allahu khair sis for helping another sister out!

Ma salaama ya'll...

Banana Anne said...

I actually don't know how to make one, but it doesn't look too difficult (basically just sewing a bunch of big pieces of fabric together). I'd just have to cough up the money for some nice fabric. :P

Um Zakarya said...

Yes I think she's going to hajj, but I'm not sure, it's just written on the site "the shop will be closed from nov 1th to nov 30th" :)

OK INSHALLAH I'll wait until she comes back, and you will tell me wich abayaat you want to order.
You're welcome sis, when I saw your post I immediately thought I cold help as this kind of abayaat are so common here.
And about the chubby face, dont worry, the abaya is a tie back type, so you tie it according to your chubyness lol!I'm myself quite fatty and it fits my face perfectly;

lil.D said...

I wear Veil to cover my face when I go to work, and I put over it another piece which fall until my shoulders and half of my back, so tidy, and so nice :) this is if you cover your face! .. :S but I don't wear the Abaya which is over head .

Umm Aaminah said...

Insha'Allah Umm Z. :-) And reallly thanks soooo much!

Lil.D: I don't wear niqaab. It's something I've thought about alot and I just can't commit. :-( I want to wear it but to be honest, I am afraid of two things.

One that I won't be able to keep it up and will go back. I don't want that.

Two, that it will alienate my family. My family are non-Muslims and really they have been great about me being a Muslim and being a very conservative dresser. I just don't know how much more they can accept. Thinking specifically of my sons who are 17 and 13.

I guess it all comes down to my iman. If I were stronger I wouldn't care but I do.:-( Please make du'a for me.

Unknown said...

As salaamu alaykum, I wear overhead abayaat and there is a sister who owns a wonderful website with beautiful overhead in butterfly and bisht styles. SunnahStyle.com

sumeja said...

ukhti check my post on FB if u can, in sha Allah you'll take benefit from it, it is abaout jilbab(head-abaya as u call it) and its rulling, and what can replace it.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002087242153&sk=friends&v=friends#!/notes/sumeja-selmani/very-important-obligation-2-cover-yourself-with-khimar-and-jilbab-and-read-what-/123402177739356

I could not put the article in this page, because it was too long.

Umm Aaminah said...

Jazaki Allahu khair, sis, for the very thorough article.

Let me ask a for instance, as sometimes I found the Sheikhs' language unclear.

In my daily life, I normally wear a shoulder abaya and then put a long khimar (the long tie-back kind) over my head and it drapes down well past my chest.

Is this one of the things Sh. Albani said was permissible? I would think it fulfills the requirements completely but I would like your answer. :-)

Sumeja said...

Albani: (1) To place a khimaar over her head, and (2) then to apply a jilbaab over that, thus going out dressed with the khimaar and the jilbaab. So when a woman goes out of her home, one garment does not suffice without the other – a woman must combine between both the khimaar and the jilbaab. You are aware of the Qur’anic verse related to the khimaar in which Allaah says: ‘And (tell them) to draw their khumur (veils) over their bosoms.’ [Surah An-Noor: 31]



and he rahimahullah says:
..So if, for example, a woman wears two garments or she makes the jilbaab into two pieces – one upper piece and one lower piece – and both of these pieces fulfill the objective of the jilbaab, which has been mentioned in the Qur’aan, at this point, even though we don’t refer to these two pieces as a jilbaab from a linguistic standpoint, we hold that it still fulfills the desired objective of the command to wear the jilbaab from a religious perspective


The Shaikh said: “A tannoorah is a skirt that is affixed to the waist with an elastic strap. So naturally it is wide and ample.

then he says:
A woman wears this from here, thus covering the entire lower part of her body. Then over this tannoorah, which is called a kharraatah (skirt) in Syria, is placed the upper part of the garment, which is placed over the head and which a woman uses to cover her head, shoulders, sides, hips and even the belt strap that is tightened around the waist by this tannoorah or this kharraatah. No part of this skirt’s waist-strap is visible since it goes under it. Is the image clear?”


So sister Aminah, before u go out u need to have either a jilbab, or a longer garment, which goes from head to hips(u know something similar that somalian sisters wear usually)
If u read th article some times, u will have a clear image of it inshaAllah. MashaAllah sheikh nasir-ud-deen al albani, when he used to answer questions, he would like to explain it wide, and make sure that the questioner understood, by asking him all the time.

Umm Aaminah said...

Jazaki Allahu khair, Sis Sumeja, for the clarification. :-)

I love your name, btw. So beautiful masha'Allah. 03

Sumeja (umm-noorah) said...

wa iyaki dear, and thank u I love this name too )