He feels uncomfortable about wearing the ihram garments
Question

                My question is about the ihram garments, as I feel uncomfortable about wearing them, especially as the possibility of the body becoming uncovered is greater, especially the upper part of the body, and I feel embarrassed by that, and also uncovering the right shoulder in tawaaf. The reason for this problem is that the fact that women’s seeing the man’s body may be a cause of fitnah (temptation), and men seeing one another may also be a cause of fitnah, especially since some of them – may Allah guide them – do not care whether their bodies are covered or not, so they are content to wear the waist wrapper only. Some of them are old and some of them are young. I hope that you can help me to deal with this problem.’
Praise be to Allah.
	Ihram is 
	prescribed as a demonstration of the individual’s humility before his Lord, 
	by appearing dishevelled and avoiding any means of adornment that may 
	generate feelings of pride and superiority. When the muhrim (pilgrim in 
	ihram) wears the two ihram garments, he feels humbled and it dispels any 
	feelings of pride and conceit that happen when one wears fine clothes. It is 
	well-known that adornment and fine clothes are things that make one feel 
	proud, conceited and arrogant. Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh 
	(3485) from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him) said: “Whilst a man was letting his izaar (waist wrapper) drag out of 
	conceit, he was swallowed up by the earth, and he has been sinking into the 
	earth (and will continue to do so) until the Day of Resurrection.”

	Muslim (2088) 
	narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be 
	upon him) said:  “Whilst a man was walking, admiring his long hair and his 
	fine cloak, the earth swallowed him up and he will continue to sink down 
	into the earth until the Day of Resurrection.”

	Hence wisdom 
	dictates that the muhrim should take off his ordinary clothes and put on the 
	ihram garments that are worn by all people alike, rich and poor, old and 
	young, black and white, masters and slaves.

	It says in 
	Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (11/129):

	There are many 
	reasons why it is prescribed not to wear stitched garments during Hajj and 
	‘Umrah, including the following: to remind us of how people will be on the 
	Day of Resurrection, for on that Day they will be raised barefoot and naked, 
	then they will be clothed. Reminding people of the hereafter offers an 
	important exhortation and lesson. Another reason is so as to subdue the nafs 
	(self) and make it feel humble, and purifying it of the taint of pride, and 
	so as to highlight the principles of closeness, equality and minimalism, and 
	to keep away from ostentation, and to show empathy with the poor and needy… 
	And these objectives may be attained by performing Hajj in the manner 
	prescribed by Allah and explained by His Messenger (blessings and peace of 
	Allah be upon him). End quote.

	Whatever Allah, 
	may He be exalted, has prescribed for the believer, he should do it without 
	any hesitation or embarrassment. This is the condition of faith and the sign 
	of surrendering to the rulings of the Lord of the Worlds. Allah, may He be 
	exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“But 
	no, by your Lord, they can have no 
	Faith, 
	until they make you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) 
	judge in all disputes between them, 
	and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept 
	(them) with full submission”

	[an-Nisa’ 4:65].

	So not feeling 
	any resistance (or embarrassment) towards the ruling of Allah, may He be 
	exalted, and the ruling of His Messenger is a condition of faith.

	Ibn Taymiyah 
	(may Allah have mercy on him) said in as-Saarim al-Maslool ‘ala Shaatim 
	ar-Rasool (1/37): 

	Allah, may He be 
	glorified, swears by Himself that they can have no faith until they make him 
	(the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) judge in all 
	disputes between them, then find no resistance in themselves against his 
	decision or verdict; rather they accept his verdict both outwardly and 
	inwardly. End quote.

	Ibn al-Qayyim 
	said in at-Tibyaan fi Aqsaam al-Qur’an (652 – ‘Aalam al-Fawaa’id edition):

	Allah swears by 
	Himself to affirm that people do not truly believe or have faith until they 
	make His Messenger judge in all disputes that arise among them, concerning 
	both fundamentals and minor issues and rulings of sharee‘ah, and believe all 
	that He has told them about the resurrection, the divine attributes, and so 
	on. 

	Their faith is 
	not proven by merely making His Messenger judge in such cases, unless they 
	no longer feel any resistance, which means discomfort or hesitation, and 
	their hearts become fully at ease with his decision or verdict, and they 
	accept it completely and wholeheartedly.

	Their faith is 
	not proven thereby, until there is added to it acceptance of his decision or 
	verdict with complete approval and submission, with no dispute or objection. 
	End quote.

	He also said in
	as-Sawaa’iq al-Mursalah, refuting the Jahamis who denied the divine 
	attributes (1/266 – Adwa’ as-Salaf edition):

	Allah, may He be 
	glorified, swears by Himself that we will not truly believe until we make 
	His Messenger judge in all disputes that arise among us, and accept his 
	decision or verdict wholeheartedly, so that there is no resistance or 
	hesitation concerning it, and we submit fully to his decision or verdict, 
	and do not object to it on the basis of some argument, personal opinion, 
	whims and desires, or anything else. End quote.

	Hence you will 
	realise that the discomfort that you feel in your heart towards this Islamic 
	teaching (of wearing the ihram garments) is something that must be fought 
	until you feel comfortable and at ease with the command of Allah, may He be 
	exalted, and until your desires are in accordance with what was brought by 
	the most truthful one (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). 
	

	Allah, may He be 
	exalted, also says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“It 
	is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have 
	decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And 
	whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain 
	error”
	

	[al-Ahzaab 
	33:36].

	Ibn Katheer (may 
	Allah have mercy on him) said:

	This verse is 
	general in meaning and applies to all matters, because once Allah and His 
	Messenger have decreed a matter, no one has the right to go against it or 
	have a choice concerning it, or any different view or opinion, as Allah, may 
	He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“But 
	no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) judge in all disputes between 
	them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and 
	accept (them) with full submission”

	[an-Nisa’ 4:65].
	

	According to the 
	hadith: “By the one in Whose hand is my soul, no one of you truly believes 
	until his desires are in accordance with what I have brought.” Hence Allah 
	speaks sternly about going against that, as He says (interpretation of the 
	meaning): 

	“And 
	whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain 
	error”
	

	[al-Ahzaab 
	33:36].
	

	This is like the 
	verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the 
	meaning):

	“And 
	let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah 
	be upon him)) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of 
	worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah 
	(disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a 
	tyrant, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them”

	[an-Noor 24:63].

	End quote from
	Tafseer Ibn Katheer (6/423)

	Ibn al-Qayyim 
	(may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	This indicates 
	that if it is proven that Allah and His Messenger have decreed a ruling 
	concerning any matter, or have told us something (about matters of the 
	unseen, past or future), then no one has the right to choose for himself 
	anything other than that ruling and choose anything contrary to the decree 
	of Allah or believe anything contrary to what He has told us of matters of 
	the unseen, because no believer, male or female, has the right to do that in 
	the first place, because doing so is contrary to faith.

	End quote from
	ar-Risaalah at-Tabookiyyah (36).

	With regard to 
	what you mentioned about fitnah (temptation) being caused for some women or 
	men because of that, this is easily remedied and dealt with. Whoever adhere 
	to the ruling of Allah, may He be exalted, to lower the gaze, avoid pushing 
	and shoving, and avoid dubious situations, will be safe from fitnah, in sha 
	Allah.

	Allah, may He be 
	exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“Tell 
	the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), 
	and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is 
	purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do.

	And tell the believing women 
	to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their 
	private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) and not to show off their 
	adornment except only that which is apparent”

	[an-Noor 24:30, 
	31].

	And Allah knows 
	best.