The Qamis in History: From the Companions to the Present Day

The qamis spans fourteen centuries of Islamic history — from the tunics of the Companions to the contemporary thobes of Riyadh and Paris. Here is the sweeping story of the garment worn by Muslim men since the beginning.

Origins: the Garment of the Prophet ﷺ

The word “qamis” appears in the foundational texts themselves: the Quran uses it in the story of Yusuf (Joseph’s qamis, Surah Yusuf), and the hadith describe the qamis as the Prophet’s ﷺ favorite garment: Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that “the garment most beloved to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the qamis” (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi). This sewn tunic with sleeves, extending down over the body, differed from the draped garments (izar and rida) also worn at the time.

The Classical Era: Diversification of Traditions

As Islam expanded, the principle of long, modest clothing encountered local textile expertise — and took on different forms:

• The Arab world developed thobes and jubbas, while scholars adopted distinctive codes (turbans, scholars’ cloaks)
• Persia and Central Asia contributed structured tunics and rich woven fabrics
• The Maghreb and al-Andalus created the djellaba, burnous, and gandoura — responses to the climate and expressions of their own textile craftsmanship
• Islamicized sub-Saharan Africa developed the boubou and its majestic woven fabrics
• The Indian subcontinent blended its heritage with kurtas and shalwar

Unity of principle, diversity of forms: the Ummah’s clothing map took shape.

The Modern Era: Upheaval and Resistance

The 19th and 20th centuries shook up Islamic wardrobes: colonization, the Westernization of elites, and authoritarian reforms (the ban on the Turkish fez in 1925, along with clothing policies in several states). Western suits spread through administrations and cities; traditional clothing retreated to rural areas, older generations, and religious occasions.

The Contemporary Revival

Since the 1970s and 1980s, the trend has reversed: the global Islamic revival has restored traditional clothing as an openly embraced marker of identity. Three phenomena have converged:

• Khaleeji standardization: Gulf prosperity has spread the Saudi-Emirati thobe as the global reference for the qamis
• European diasporas: generations born in Europe are reclaiming the qamis — not through inherited tradition but as an identity choice
• Global Islamic fashion: dedicated brands, e-commerce, and the influence of social media — the qamis has also become a market and an aesthetic

The Qamis in France: The Latest Chapter

From the first immigrant workers who kept wearing the djellaba of their homeland to today’s urban young people ordering their kandoura online, the French qamis tells the story of three generations: the garment of memory, then the garment of prayer, and finally the garment of quiet affirmation — worn daily, shaped by contemporary codes, and embraced in the public sphere.

Conclusion

From the qamis loved by the Prophet ﷺ to the online boutiques of 2026, one thread runs through the centuries: a garment of modesty and dignity, constantly reinvented by the cultures that adopt it. Wearing the qamis today means putting on fourteen centuries of history — and writing its next chapter.