On women wearing high heels............

Todays topic: is it allowed to wear high heels for muslim women, is it makrouh or is it even haram? First of all............ this article is not made to point with the finger on someone, nor as backbiting....... This topic came to my mind as i spent the last 6 months in UAE and i came a few things across which were really shocking. Being a typical "abaya-girl" i used to debatte on topics like: are jeans and generally pants allowed for women in islam? Is hijab compulsory (fard) for us muslim women? etc........ During my time in Dubai i realised im addicted to abayas, to an extent that i even started to design myself. In the typical khaleeji style, which i really prefer compaired to the so called T-shirt abayas, mainly worn in the "balad sham" (Syria, Lebanon, Jordania). This T-shirt abayas are very simple, so far fitting in the concept of modesty, but in some cases, specially when the muslima got some curves, are not really covering perfectly. The khaleeji abayas are bigger, mostly in kimono-style, with really loose sleeves, or even in butterfly style, which are not showing the shape of the body at all. This abayas became a fashion-statement in todays arab-gulf countries. What i really adore about them: the most famous designers of this abayas are women, against the designers of the western world, where the whole fashion and cosmetic industry is mainly dominated by men. 

BUT, and this is the sad fact about todays khaleej society: many of this abayas are open in the front,  and specially young girls are wearing skinny jeans below, showing the contour of their body, combined with high heels, which makes them looking taller......... and here we arrived by my topic: high heels for muslimas is it permissible or not??? By my research to this topic i found a few fatwas, let me share with you some of them...... 

According to the Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat li’l-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/397: 

Praise be to Allaah.  

At the very least it is makrooh,

 Firstly because that involves deceit, as they are worn to make a woman look tall when she is not.

 Secondly they pose a danger to the woman, as she may fall.

 Thirdly they are harmful to a woman’s health, as has been stated by the doctors.

Well so far the fatwa on islam-qa.com regarding high heels. Farther i found: 

Wearing high heels is not permissible because it exposes women to the risk of falling, and we are commanded in sharee’ah to avoid danger in a general sense, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning)

“and do not throw yourselves into destruction”

[al-Baqarah 2:195] 

It also makes women look taller than they really are and makes their posteriors appear more prominent, and this is a kind of deception and showing the adornments which the believing woman is forbidden to show, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam)” [al-Noor 24:31] 

From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, Majallat al-Buhooth, 9/46. 

Moreover, it also makes a woman lean forward (maa’ilah ila al-amaam), so there is the fear that the warning issued to those women who walk with an enticing gait (al-maa’ilaat al-mumilaat) may apply to her too [in the hadeeth which says that such women will never even smell the fragrance of Paradise from afar]. It also harms the back, as has been proven medically. The heels also make a sound which attracts the attention of men and is a temptation to them. We ask Allaah to keep us all safe and sound.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Myself found the third point of the first fatwa much more interesting:

they are harmful to a woman’s health, as has been stated by the doctors.

Than what do toe pain, mid foot pain, heel pain, ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain, mid back pain, upper back pain, and headaches all have in common?

They can all be caused by wearing high heels on a regular basis.

Recent research suggests that up to a third of women suffer permanent problems as a result of their prolonged wearing of 'killer heels', ranging from hammer toes and bunions to irreversible damage to leg tendons.

Many of the problems - which can occur simultaneously - are caused by the increased pressure high heels put on the ball of the foot; the higher the heel, the greater the pressure. The knee and back can also be affected.

High heels in the form of stilettos first became popular in the Thirties, but while heels used to be largely 'special occasion' wear, thanks to the success of shows such as Sex And The City they have become de rigueur for every day.

One in ten women wears them at least three days a week, and a recent survey found a third had hurt themselves falling while wearing high heels.

There are other consequences, as consultant podiatric surgeon Mike O'Neill, spokesman for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, explains: 'High heels make you raise your heel and as soon as you do that your centre of gravity is pushed forward.

'What happens then is you bend your lower back to compensate for this and that changes the position of your spine, putting pressure on nerves in the back.'

This can cause sciatica, a painful condition where nerves become trapped, triggering pain and numbness as far down as the feet. Another common problem, says O'Neill, is that the Achilles tendon - which runs up the back of the leg from the heel - becomes permanently damaged.

'This tendon is designed to be flexible, so the foot can lie flat or point. But many women who wear high heels too often suffer a shortening of the tendon because once the heel is pointed upwards, it tightens up. Stretching it again can be very painful.

'When you try to put your foot into flat shoes you get a lot of pain in the back of the heel. I've seen 70-year-olds still hobbling around in high heels because they can't put their feet flat any more, it's just too painful.'

Most women can avoid this by sticking to heels no higher than 1.5in, he adds. But 3in or more can shorten the Achilles tendon - and you don't have to be wearing them every day, just more than once or twice a week.

Other common complaints include bunions, bony growths at the base of the big toe caused by tight, ill-fitting shoes, and socalled 'pump bumps', where straps and the rigid backs of pump-style shoes cause a bony enlargement on the heel.

Many women also develop hammertoes, where tight-fitting shoes force them to crumple up their toes, shortening the muscles inside and leaving them permanently bent.

The risks to today's teenagers are thought to be particularly great as they begin wearing high heels at an early age, before their bodies are fully developed. They run the risk of hip trouble in adulthood and problems with back pain from the stress placed on their spines as youngsters.

None of the fatwas is really stressing out, that high heels are mostly worn for attracting more attention, particularly the attention of the opposit sex. 

All in one: high heels are not really fitting in the concept of modest covering, so my approach for all sisters who are confidently wearing hijab or niqab: please, for God sake: avoid high heels. 

And Allah knows best............