Say, I was wondering - I like to frequent the beach quite often during the spring and summer months. What would be the appropriate attire for a Muslim brothah and sistah to wear at a public or private beach?
Wear what you want
Going to the beach nearly naked is simply against Islamic law. There's nothing the least bit subtle about it. Strict Muslims do not do it. Muslims are not supposed to do it. There's no doubt about this at all. Having said this, I'll admit that I do go to the beach in a bikini, have worn a thong, have gone topless on the beach in France and elsewhere and have no problem showing off my body, which I bust my butt keeping in beach-ready shape. But I don't kid myself that it's OK within Islam.
Going to the beachside is fun! It doesn't mean we go there to swim in our bathing suit but to get the best of what nature gives us. It really doesn't matter what you wear. Being a woman and wearing a thong to the beach doesn't change the world, as long as the male gender doesn't have wrong intentions.
You are born naked....the prophet would agree.
Modesty is the best policy
Buy a wetsuit, get a map and find a quiet cove somewhere. And you don't have to go where the water is warm either. It works for my daughter - and her brother wants one as well now...If you have to go where the fashionable herds go, I think the problem is a bit deeper than not being able to go for a swim.
Maybe when these ladies are old and shriveled they won't be so hot about bikinis. And those wrinkles come quicker with all that sun. Please, when or if you reach old age, do not wear a bikini, oh please, God stop.... :)
I was a lifeguard for many years. Being a brother and "shaped" like a brother if you will, I couldn't wear the Speedo type trunks the other fellas wore without it becoming totally haram. As a result, I wore a super long t-shirt or sweat pants to cover my trunks.
Don't go there
Well, Allah says in the Quran for both men and women to lower their gaze. Since the beach is full of bikinis, underwear and what nots, I would say, don't go. Women are supposed to be covered in front of each other from the navel to the knee. You don't get that at beaches.
This is a very strange topic indeed. We know that the attire of the people and the general atmosphere at the sea beaches is unlikely to be endorsed by the Islamic principles. So where is the question of a practicing Muslim person to go there? Going to a beach with so many nudes and half nudes all around you, taking all sorts of liberties and then expecting someone to keep his or her eyes and mind away from what is going on all around is simply ridiculous. Can we not keep away from such places? Is it essential to run at the sea beaches in bikinis to prove our credential as civilised people?
The beach is a place full of fitnah and is not really a good place for Muslims to be. I'm not saying that Muslims can't go to the beach, but maybe they can go like on a weekday when it's pretty quiet. You can still enjoy yourself. But do it in a halal way.
To Beach or Not to Beach: Join the debate.
