Dressing with Purpose: Identity & Professional Expectations

In Islam, the body is one of the biggest prizes that Muslims safeguard. It is an asset, so valuable that one should not show the most private and intimate of the body. This is in contrast with modern and secular culture, where the human body is freely shown, and the aurah (private parts) become an ease to view and to seek pleasure from. Islam puts heavy emphasis on safeguarding the aurah and adornments of the body, especially when speaking about women. The principle is derived from the Qur’an and one of the biggest proofs is from Surah An-Nur, Verse 33: 

وَقَرْنَ فِى بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتِينَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَطِعْنَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ 

ٱلرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًۭا

“Settle in your homes, and do not display yourselves as women did in the days of pre-Islamic ignorance. Establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah only intends to keep the causes of evil away from you and purify you completely, O  members of the Prophet’s family!”

The Qur’an explicitly mentions the Hijab as well, which remains obligatory from the time of the wives of the Prophet SAW, until today. Allah SWT mentions: 

وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ 

وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their adornments except what normally appears. Let them draw their veils over their chests, and not reveal their hidden adornments.” (Surah An-Nur verse 31)

In a career, as of every obligation, one must be observant to what Allah SWT ordains for, and cannot compromise these obligations for no valid reason. The aurat, usually becomes a point of conundrum more specifically for women, since usually the word aurat is deeply associated with long modest clothing, the hijab and the matter of tabarruj (excessive adorning). The questions arising from this is, how does one stay rooted to being modest in the workplace, if a workplace does not motivate one to truly practise or be consistent in wearing the hijab? 

Breaking this down, each person will be facing different situations, challenges and struggles. For more privileged individuals who can practise wearing the hijab, then wearing it modestly and properly must be exercised without shirking. Any woman who is able to do so, must not compromise for no reason, especially if they are blessed with the ease of upholding this obligation. 

Undoubtedly, there are many women in the workforce who also face other challenges with the hijab. Many women want to still be firm with their values, and see their hijab as a testament to their Muslim identity. In certain situations, a Hijabi may experience these: 

1. Being ostracised for the Hijab or estranged from being hired to a workplace or in the workplace itself (either by employers or colleagues)
2. Being forced to take out the Hijab without reason by an employer, against laws. 
3. Work in certain jobs where Hijab may not be allowed, on a policy level. 

In the first and second situation, if one is being ostracized about the Hijab in a workplace that does not inherently disallow the Hijab, the first thing to do is to reach out to relevant parties on the matter. This is and was the practice of the Sahabiyyat (female companions) during the time of the Prophet SAW. When an injustice arises, especially one relating to rights and prejudices, it is unwise to stay silent and remain mum in the name of misused patience. The well-known story was written in Surah Al-Mujadilah, about a Sahabiyyah named Khawlah Bint Tha’labah who was oppressed by her own husband, who claimed she was like his mother to him (the declaration of Zihar ie a subtle yet ruthless way to exclaim divorce). The husband had acted like nothing had happened after he had done so, and not long after wanted to have intimate relations with her. This angered her, as she felt downtrodden and used. She boldly told the Prophet SAW about her situation and refused to back down if there was no compensation for her, until the verses in Surah Al-Mujadilah were revealed to respond to her situation. 

Though this story does not entirely relate to the issue at hand, the lessons of standing up for oneself and seeking counsel when such situations arise are part of Islam. In Singapore, if one is ostracised for their religious beliefs, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) imposes legal policies to protect individuals who are mistreated for religious beliefs. In labour laws, it is stated: 

“Avoid using religion as a selection criterion unless the job requires the applicant to perform religious functions or fulfil religious certification standards. In such cases, you must present the requirements clearly, objectively and sensitively.”

(Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP))

(https://www.tal.sg/tafep/getting-started/fair/tripartite-guidelines)

Relating to the Hijab, TAFEP also specifies that generally workplaces should allow the Hijab to be worn except in uniformed groups and nurses (nurses in Singapore are allowed to wear the Hijab but must ensure that their shirts are short sleeved). If a situation arises where a Hijabi is allowed to open the Hijab in a workplace apart from the aforementioned careers, the labour laws are as follows: 

“In situations where you are allowed to wear the tudung at work, your employer cannot prohibit you from doing so. All employers are expected to comply with the principles of fair employment practices as promoted by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) government agency.” 

The employee may also file for employer misconduct by doing the following: 

“Most workplaces in Singapore should allow the tudung to be worn. However, if you know that there are no restrictions on wearing tudung at your workplace, yet are still being asked to remove your tudung, you can report the incident to TAFEP. TAFEP will be able to investigate and assist you with the matter.”

(Singapore Legal Advice)

(https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/muslims-wear-tudung-work-singapore/)

For the third group of women; women who are working as nurses, in healthcare or in uniformed services such as the police or army, the rulings may alter entirely, based on the context and situation of the career. In Singapore, there are Fatwas in place that have discussed at length on the issue of wearing the tudung in such sectors. 

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) issued a fatwa addressing how Muslim women in uniformed professions, particularly nursing, can navigate situations where covering the aurah (the parts of the body Islam requires to be covered) is not always fully possible due to workplace requirements. The ruling draws on core Islamic principles that God does not burden individuals beyond their capacity, and that religious observance should adapt to context and circumstance rather than create undue hardship. Practically, this means nurses must still comply with clinical safety standards like the “Bare Below the Elbow” policy, or accept alternative headwear such as surgical caps when operational needs demand it accommodations MUIS frames as religiously permissible rather than compromises of faith. This is also in line with the understanding that working as a nurse is also considered a job that is Fard Kifayah, and Muslim women who work in this field have represented the Muslim Ummah to be involved in this noble job. 

However, for sectors beyond healthcare; such as the police or armed forces, where uniform policies may not accommodate the tudung at all, MUIS leaves the decision to each woman’s individual judgment, guided by a classical Islamic framework that ranks essential needs (like earning a livelihood and contributing to national stability) above matters considered religiously desirable but not obligatory in the same way. Under this reasoning, a woman who continues working without being able to fully cover her aurah because her role serves an essential need is not considered lacking in faith. The fatwa also calls for communal compassion rather than judgment; urging Muslims not to pressure women into wearing the tudung at work, nor to view those who don’t as any less devout. This flexibility is evidence that religious practice and professional life can coexist without threatening social harmony in Singapore’s multi-religious society. (For the full Fatwa, go to: https://www.muis.gov.sg/resources/khutbah-and-religious-advice/fatwa/fatwa-on-the-wearing-of-headscarf-english/)

It must also be reminded that for a person who intends to work in such jobs, she must be in-line with sound beliefs about the hijab outside of her work. This means that she should already believe that the Hijab is wajib, and be wearing the hijab, or at least making efforts to stay consistent in it. This is essentially what is most important when it comes to this issue; that even with a career that disallows it, she must have full faith that the hijab is a part of Islam, and ordained as a sign of modesty and obedience to the Syariah. 

For every hijabi woman navigating the workplace today; whether she wears it freely, wears it despite friction, or has had to set it aside for a season while her heart remains firm, her struggle is seen, and it is valid. The hijab was never meant to be a barrier to her ambition, competence, or contribution; it is a marker of conviction, not limitation. This should serve as a reminder that a Muslim woman’s worth in the workplace is not something she needs to prove twice over, but it is also an opportunity: to let her diligence, integrity, and excellence speak as loudly as her identity does. She can be the colleague who is reliable when it matters, the employee who exceeds expectations, the professional whose character earns the same respect as her skill, even with the Hijab. In doing so, she does not just represent herself, rather she represents a faith that has always called for excellence in every sphere of life, and reminds those around her that modesty and ambition, faith and professionalism, were never meant to be at odds. A Muslim woman can wear her identity with quiet confidence, work with sincerity, and know that Allah SWT sees the effort behind every struggle she carries  even the ones no one else notices.