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A Coach “wristlet”, a wallet that can be hung around the wrist, averages for about $150-$200 dollars.  Yes, you read correctly, I have not accidentally added extra zeros to those numbers.  Following this line of exorbitant pricing, a medium sized handbag sells for about $300-400!  I shudder to think about the price of those huge, big carry-all purses that are in vogue  at the moment.  Now keep in mind that all these purses can boast is that they are “designer” handbags, from the company called Coach..  They are not studded with precious stones, they are not able to deflect bullets, and they cannot save you from a burning building.  So why are so they so expensive?  Because like all brand name manufacturers, Coach has managed to successfully scam the average female consumer,  who has money to burn, into thinking that if they buy a product with a designer label, they are somehow bigger and better than the average “Joe the Plumber”.  (Okay, I don’t think Joe the Plumber carries a purse, maybe Coach makes tool belts but I think you understand my point!).  Personally I cringe every time I see someone carrying around a Coach bag.  And I feel even worse when this accessory is dangling from the arm of a Muslim fashionista.  My dear sisters, why aren’t you thinking this through?

First, the cost of your Coach handbag cannot be justified, no matter what your income.  Whether you are a millionaire or you are not blessed to earn a 6-figure income, as Muslims we are accountable for how we spend our money.  There are plenty of stylish and attractive purses out there for less than $100 that are attractive and trendy.  I am no hypocrite.  I know that carrying around a pretty purse makes you feel good.  I am not quite sure why that is, but I understand that the female psyche needs some strange things to maintain an equilibrium of happiness and contentment.  A fancy purse, an attractive pair of sandals, a well matched outfit, even a designer jilbab,  can foster a great sense of well being for the average woman.  We like our pretty things. 

But no one said the pretty things have to cost as much as a kidney! 

Sisters!  Remember that your wealth is a precious Amanah from Allah and that we will be held to account with our Creator as to how we utilized this Amanah.  How can we justify paying hundreds of dollars for something we use to carry around keys, cell phone, wallet and some tissues?

Second, the cost of the Coach bags is artificially inflated to say the least.  Please consider that the average cost of a Coach handbag could sponsor an orphan child through Islamic Relief.  Coach wants women to believe that the “C” on their purse is somehow alien technology that can automatically imbue you with status and prestige.  Women all over the world (yes, I saw Coach bags even in India!) are being victimized by the designer-fascists of this world.  (Oh, look, I coined a new term with the word “fascist” in it.)  A woman carries a Coach handbag because she wants people to know she spent oodles of money on herself, because she deserved it and she is worth it.  And because now she has this designer bag, her friends also want to own this status symbol, and the cycle perpetuates itself throughout a community and society at large.  Yet no one is stopping to think about the enormity of plopping down hundreds of dollars for a mere handbag.  A purse.  An accessory.  I just don’t understand how that’s possible, especially for those of us who are blessed with the moral compass of our beautiful deen, Islam.

Now some of you out there may blame me for being judgmental or high minded.  I am sure, many owners of a Coach handbag have no wish to flaunt their apparent economic success, or use their purse as a status symbol.  The way I see it, as Muslims, we should be striving to set ourselves apart from the materialistic pitfalls of mainstream society.  I am not saying we need to live or look like hobos, but I am definitely saying that to own an expensive “accessory” goes against the very nature of simplicity and restraint espoused by our dear Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). 

Wait for the sale, shop at discount stores, and you can still walk around with a trendy handbag at the fraction of the cost.  And feel good about it.  And donate any extra money you may have to charity.  We are on this Earth for such a little time...do we really want to be spending hundreds of dollars on fashion accessories?  We should be shining examples for average citizens on codes of dress, conduct and fiscal responsibility, especially in the economic climate that we are all struggling through.  The evil of excess is like a boomerang.  You can have a whole lot of fun throwing it out into the world, but it will definitely swing back to hit you in the head!  If you own a Coach bag and you are reading this, I hope and pray I am forgiven for offending you.  May Allah guide us all to make the right choices that will lead to His Pleasure alone and His company in Paradise!

“Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds (five compulsory prayers, deeds of Allah’s obedience, good and nice talk, remembrance of Allah with glorification, praises and thanks, etc.), that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope.” Surah Al-Kahf, Ayah 46.

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Comments (10)

• 2009-05-04 18:40:55 |99.255.33.xxx| khaleelr  - Good Article
  I know this article is targeted for sisters but I feel it’s good enough for me to put my few thoughts & observations. Austerity is a vital part of a Muslims' life. More often than not it’s the women folk opposed to austerity then men, forgive me if you disagree but this has been my observation. They are the one behind designer labels and are proud to show off and unnecessarily spend astronomical amounts on them. I have seen that the first choice of Hijab label is “Calvin Klien” and any Islamic brand is virtually unknown or not at all preferred, if exists any. I have witnessed big stores of Western labels (Helena Bluenstein, Donna Karen, Giovanni, etc.) in the Middle-east flocked by our Muslim sisters on spending spree and any Muslim shop selling generic stuff is yearning for customers. May Allah grant our mothers, sisters and daughters the wisdom of piety and austerity.
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• 2009-05-21 14:01:48 |75.148.6.xxx| Nadia  - Pretty Pursees Make Petty Priorities
  This lady is off point. Astaghfirullah but these people can be recipients of gifts or using giftcards. Who is she to tell people what and what not to be? :pinch: :angry:
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• 2009-06-03 05:07:32 |70.21.11.xxx| UmmIsmail
  :( I am deeply saddened by this post. If a sister can afford to spend on this and give charity, who is to blame? We are not all going to be poor, Allah has already determined our social class and made it so that there are those in every category. May Allah makes us all from the successful. Ameen. By all means, if one cannot afford to buy Coach or any other designer label, she should not spend her wealth there. The idea is that we exercise financial responsibility and only live within our means.
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• 2009-06-08 05:44:28 |68.244.29.xxx| Sameera
  Women folk are not more opposed to austerity but in the spirit of feminism, I suppose just as opposed to austerity as men. Designer accessories and luxury cars are about as gendered as Babies R Us. I agree with the writer, "we should be striving to set ourselves apart from the materialistic pitfalls of mainstream society". The evidence of the excesses in human consumption are all around us. We have poisoned the earth, the sea, the air. If we as muslims fail to see the meanings and deeper implications of our everyday activities in relation to the reality of our condition, not just as Americans, but as members of the human race, then who can and who will? The [b]C[/b]'s that embellish a handbag should remind us of the prison suite we inhabit when compared to the rougher deals our brothers and sisters elsewhere get in the[b] c[/b]apitalist penitentiary much of the world is trapped in. If this is too much stuff to constantly carry on ones shoulders then we could follow a simple rule that our shoes, and handbags, and other pretty things accessorize us and we do not accessorize them.
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• 2009-06-08 16:40:15 |173.79.28.xxx| Anonymous
  I don't think she meant whether or not a Coach was affordable or not. I think she meant [i]why [/i]a Coach, and not something else? Is it the brand name? Many would say it was so, and that it is a better quality bag. I think not. I think you could buy many excellent quality handbags, both stylish and durable for a tenth of the price. But are you willing to give up the Western brand name to carry on your shoulder? Are we not promoting materialism at its best? And what if it is a gift? The aunty who gave it, meant it as a sign of status--the Coach bag for the new bride. I could think of a dozen reasons to justify splurging on a Coach, but when I ask myself whether or not vanity has something to do with this, at least for me, I have to admit it does, so I refuse to "[i]buy into[/i]" that! How is Coach any different than our youth wanting to buy Nike's?
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• 2009-06-29 20:26:17 |98.169.90.xxx| Anonymous
  I think we should keep certain things in perspective. You live in the United States- EVERYTHING IS MARKED UP IN PRICE- It's not materialism, it's capitalism. Coach is a Name Brand- Out of all the "name brands" they are actually one of the cheapest. I think one should be more concerned about people who do not give zakaat and use that money to buy "name brands"- Not buying name brands in itself- During the prophets time (including the prophet himself (p.b.u.h.)- Muslims were quite wealthy and were known to dress the best as there are many hadiths out there that outline Muslims should look as well as smell nice. The prophet as you know bought many perfumes for himself and hated bad smells- All of his ashab including himself had multiple garments and were quite clean- Lets keep things in perspective... it seems this is leading to the same thing that some brothers and sisters regress towards... being humble = by being cheap. The more holes you have in your socks the more holy you are. Mashallah to our confused people... :P Lets worry about helping our brothers and sisters rather than dictating to them and preaching how they should live and what they should buy.
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• 2009-07-31 11:13:46 |68.49.73.xxx| Anonymous  - Despite materialistic aspect, quality/more expensi
  Salaam, we strive to be, do and have the best. Even for health reasons it's better to have real leather quality made handbags than cheap, vinyl polyurethane ones with lead. See: http://www.rodale.com/lead-and-purses
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• 2009-09-19 02:31:40 |98.231.222.xxx| abdul hai sheikh  - Muslims and Bathrooms
  Over the years I have visited mosques in Makkah, Medina, Riyadh, Pakistan, England, Spain, and USA. Invariably, I found the cleanliness of the bathrooms much to be desired. Now I make sure that I do not have to use the bathroom in a mosque. If I am traveling, I may even stop at McDonald or Starbucks to do the wadu or use the toilet facilities before I go to the mosque. It is so discouraging to see Muslims dressed in their best clothes come to the mosque and then how they treat the bathrooms and wadu areas. They leave water all over including the toilet seats and wadu area seats. They litter the place with toilet papers, coffee cups, stones etc. Some of these things block the toilets which eventually cause huge disruption and inconvenience to the organizers. I always wonder why the mosque establishments and Imams do not come and address this issue in their speeches and comments. We always talk that Islam teaches you be clean and their are laws and regulations specified in the Quran about cleanliness, I do not know why we do not practice them when it comes to the bathrooms. At times, I am tempted to post a rude note in the mosque which says, "Please clean the bathroom area after you finished unless your mother is going to come afterwards to clean it." In Pakistan, I will modify the note to say, "please clean after yourself unless you have arranged for your christian maid to clean after you." The worst experience about bathrooms I have encountered is when I fly into Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. The plane bathrooms are usually in a terrible shape and not accessible. The dirty water from the bathroom flows out of the bathroom on to the plane seating area. I learned my lesson the first time I went for Umrah flying from Cairo to Jeddah. There was no way I could go the bathroom and change clothes and wear Ihram. I now tell everyone to wear Ihram before you board the plane when traveling to Saudi Arabia. I believe, we need to have a training for bathroom use every few months in each mosque. In addition, in Pakistan, every one who is flying out of country first time should be asked to take one day course on things to watch for overseas. When I lived in Korea some 20 years back, the government will not issue a passport until the applicant has taken such a course.
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• 2009-10-13 05:59:36 |128.183.228.xxx| Abu Saliha  - Ameen.
  The bathrooms are pathetic. Sounds like I need to write a Wudu Woes : Part Deux. I agree with the author but this goes to the brothers driving Beamers and Benzes too. My wife has a coach purse but we believe its a knockoff, btw. But point taken.
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• 2009-10-29 12:31:11 |98.191.212.xxx| Abu Zakariyya  - heh.
  'Allah has determined our social class"... The test of the poor is the test of the rich... your test is MY test... my test is YOUR test... the struggle of your brothers and sisters are not THEIR struggle alone.... why don't people understand this? the way "WE" react and interact is PART of OUR struggle.. anyway.. i agree that Coach's prices are rediculously ballooned, however, they are actually quality peices with quality materials... the knockoffs are nowhere near in quality. lol @ Korean travel requirements... its always been one of my dreams for the USA to enforce extensive Proper Driver's Etiquette courses before allowing immigrants to obtain driving permits, instead of a mere test.
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