Why do some Muslims wear turbans? And does the color of the turban mean anything?

Question

Why do some Muslim women cover themselves up completely so men can't see them?

Cheryl Young, Thank you, thank you, thank you. As Ghomer Pile would say.

I think you are correct. I had a vision of a smiling guy, unshaven with a black turban on His head. I believe the Lord was showing me the root of terrorism at the time.

Correction for last statement. He was a clean shaven smiling guy with a black turban on his head.

Don't know why I wrote unshaven.

readkoran, I believe you wrote an interesting side to the total covering idea for women. But, you are a guy and writing it from a guys perspective. Personally, I don't think women like to be covered from head to toe. Some women might, as a way to hide from others' critism that way.

Answer 1

A good article about turbans with illustrations of different styles of Sikh and Muslim turbans can be seen at:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/lifestyles/links/turbans_27.html
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=turban270&date=20010927

Shiite Muslims wear white or black turbans. The Shia clergy in Iran wear a white turban and an aba, a loose, sleeveless brown cloak, open in front. A sayyid, who is a clergyman descended from Muhammad, wears a black turban and a black aba.Only a man who can trace his family back to Muhammad can wear the black turban. Such a person is called a Sayyid. For example, the Supreme Leader of Iran. Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Hezbollah's Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah all of whom are Shiite Muslims.

According to wikipedia: Sayyid (Arabic: سيد‎ ​) (plural Saadah) is an honorific title often given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hassan and Husayn, the sons of his daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (who was Muhammad's younger cousin and had been raised in his household). Female descendants of the same lineage are given the name Sayyida, Alawiyah, Syarifah or Sharifah. However if one's mother is a descendant of the Prophet whilst one's father is not, than one cannot bear the title Sayyid, but may still claim descent.

From wikipedia, the color white is often believed to symbolize purity and peace. Many Muslims wear the color white when they attend Friday prayers. The color black is considered the color of mourning in Western and Mediterranean countries. It is often worn by Shi'a Muslims, who mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali, killed at the Battle of Karbala. It is the color of the chador worn by devout Iranian Shi'a women and of the cloaks worn by the ayatollahs, the Shi'a clergy. In many Shi'a countries, a black turban is worn only by male sayids, men who descend from Muhammad though his daughter Fatima and his son-in-law Ali.

One article states, Black is the Shiite color – it reflects a dark mood of oppression, victimization and reverence for martyrs that they have felt ever since the two founders of the Shiite tradition, Ali – a son in law of the Prophet - and his son Hussein, were killed in the seventh century.

The distinctive dogma and institution of Shia Islam is the Imamate, which includes the idea that the successor of Muhammad be more than merely a political leader. The Imam must also be a spiritual leader, which means that he must have the ability to interpret the inner mysteries of the Quran and the shariat. Therefore, when a Shiite wears a black turban, it has a great deal of significance.

Sunni Muslims may have different customs regarding the turban. I could find nothing written about it in particular it seems though that they favor the white turban.

This was a reader's comment in a newsgroup:
Green is the colour of Islam; since the Sunni comprise the majority of Molems they appropriated that colours. As for black: remember Ali was killed in an ambush. Thus black is the traditional colour of mourning. Black also is the colours that Moslems used when on the attack. So there might a double layer of symbolism

Also a comment in a newsgroup:
How to tell a Sunni from a Shiite Great primer. “A very conservative Shiite man may be unwilling to wear a tie. … Shiite holy men wear either a black or a white turban (depending on their lineage) and a robe. Sunni clerics would never don a black turban … Sunnis and Shiites also differ in the way they hold their hands during prayer—up toward their chests or down at their sides, respectively.”

Although not a turban, the kaffiyeh is a common head covering. It is a checked square cloth that is folded into a triangle. Yasser Arafat wore one. The yashmagh must be another name for the same thing or something very similar.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why do some Muslims wear turbans? And does the color of the turban mean anything?
Why do some Muslim women cover themselves up completely so men can't see them?

Answer 3

Turban information

"There is no requirement to cover the head," said Reda A. Ammar, President of the Board of Directors of UConn's Islamic Center.

A representative from the Islamic Center of the University of Connecticut, Shakur Haji spoke of the danger of stereotyping.

"First of all, there was an occasion when a Sikh was killed in Texas [because] he was wearing a turban," Haji said. "Even if he were Muslim, because he's wearing a turban doesn't give [them] a reason to kill him."

"Islam teaches Muslims to dress up, [to] wear nice clothes...it's a tradition," Haji said. "A turban or head covering is a way to dress up...the prophet was wearing a turban."

Ammar said there is an emphasis in Islam to dress neatly and appropriately and although turbans are not mandatory, many people in the Middle East and Asia wear them for protection from the sun.

Islamic Women & the hijab

The practice of hijab among Muslim women is one based on religious doctrine, although the Qur'an does not mandate it. Instead, it comes from the Hadith of Sahih Bukhari. The Hadith, the "tradition of Mohammed," reveals the teachings of the Prophet to believers. Bukhari's version of this text is generally regarded as the standard one, although numerous versions exist. In a very broad sense, the relation the Hadith has to the Qur'an resembles the New Testament's to the Old in Christian scriptures.

Many believe that the veil is a way to secure personal liberty in a world that objectifies women. Several women have argued that hijab allows them freedom of movement and control of their bodies. Understood in such terms, hijab protects women from the male gaze and allows them to become autonomous subjects.

Answer 4

the men wear turbans as a sign of wealth

Answer 5

Those who study religious sciences in special schools to become mullahs, they wear turbans.Iranians wear white turban, while those who are from Arab origin wear black turbans. The black turbanists are racist. They call themselves masters. They are still ruling in Iran. They are descendents of the savage arabs who attacked Iran and destroyed the Iranian civilization.

Answer 6

Every Muslim is encouraged to be religious and pious, and every Muslim is encouraged to be like prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the best of humankind in every way, from the behavior to the clothes he wears. Because messenger of Allah, the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the best in character, he was a best father, husband and a leader. He was a best politician, statesman and imam. It is an honour for every practicing Muslim to look like him.

Therefore wearing turban means that the person who is wearing it is trying to follow the way how the prophet used to dress. Color is not important.

Muslim women covers themselves so that other men besides their husbands and siblings do not see them. Unlike in western cultures (women is treated as sex objects) Muslim women are treated with dignity, nobody forces them to wear that way, they choose to wear themselves in accordance with the teachings of Quran.

Answer 7

i wonder what you like that way in the strange and false answer of cheng something ? what white and black turbone ...????????? are you guys crazy? the word sayyid means "Mr. " so i am sayid amgo ..etc. , maybe it's a tradition in iran to call their big guys Sayid , or to let the big men wear in black , but first they are shiaa not sunni , and sunni are the majoriti , second that is not religious , that is a tradition

Muslim women shouldnt cover themselves up completely , they can show their faces and hands , like most muslim women today ... and you can see that in Hajj pelegriming in Mecca , but those covered women you see are first minority , second follow the most strict schools in islam with it's most strict and extreme explanation of islamic rules .

by the way why are you so skeptiful and dont belive muslims , and dont believe me in particular ???? read my comments at your %s question, please.

Answer 8

The turbans are a cultural thing. Women wearing berkas (sp?) is a control issue. The men of that society feel in so little control of themselves that they don't even want to see any part of a woman. Husbands are the only ones who are allowed to, and some of them don't.

Answer 9

Turbins are largely Shiks, although Khomeni did seem to wear one, didn't he!

The ultra conservative group demand that only the eyes be exposed. The more liberal group simply want the head covered.

Answer 10

Don't know the origins of this but I think covering you head
is someway of showing a humbleness before God. I think this is why Jewish men wear yamulkes too.