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To Hijab or not Hijab
Posted by Habiba
Khan under Family, Islam,
Life,
Personal,
Religion,
Spiritual | Tags: Family, hijab, Islam | My mom is the kind of
person who calls things straight up. No beating around the bush with her. We
went to a gathering yesterday and my mom was telling people that their shirts
aren’t long enough and its not “Islamic.” I was
embarrassed, so I just changed my location. My cousin’s daughter followed me,
and started a conversation. I couldn’t pay attention to what she was saying, instead I was staring at what SHE was wearing. A
short, short sleeve shirt that was terribly short in length. In my head I was
thinking how is she going to pray in it, and worst of all what will OTHERS
think when they hear my mom preaching to them but her own blood isn’t dressing Islamically. She prayed Dhuhr, short sleeved, and having her
hair shown. I
decided to talk to my cousin’s daughter about wearing hijab. So I asked her if
she had any friends that wear hijab. She told me in Karachi no one wears hijab.
I’m a little short tempered when I am lied to so I told her that's a lie, since
most of my friends are from Karachi and they do wear Hijab. She told me that
she doesn’t want to wear hijab because then people will make fun of her. I told
her that if your intention is for Allah, then God will bless it… I didn’t get
through to her… I’m disappointed, it made me wonder
how will my future daughter be. She told me that its
not fashionable and its foreign wearing hijab. I told her that she’s in a
Muslim country its not foreign, its just foreign to her since she’s exposed to
midriff’s brought to Pakistanis from Bollywood. I told her if anything its
foreign here in America but those who are steadfast in Religion wear it with
pride. We reached home, and we didn't talk about it more.
Wear it for the sake of Allah
SWT Various statements are made about
why you should wear hijab, such as for modesty or for protection, but the real
reason that we wear hijab is that Allah SWT has commanded it. Whenever anyone
asks you, why do you dress like that, that’s the only answer you need to give them. Allah SWT is the source of
everything we have, our existence, our life, our capability, even our goodness.
If He ever stopped sustaining us, we would vanish in that instant. If He ever
took away what he gives us, we would never have even a speck of it. If we
worked for millions of years, we could never repay Him for all that He has
given us. And yet He does give it to us, and all He asks in return is that we
do our best to obey what He has commanded us. Surely wearing hijab is a very
small thing that you can do for Him compared to what He does for you! Wear it for the hope of Jannah Allah SWT makes tests for us in
this world. He makes things difficult for us. He wants to see if we will
remember Him, if we will have faith in Him, and if we will trust in Him. These
qualities are what is meant by “sabr“. Allah SWT does not lose the work
of anyone, ever (see Surah Ali Imran ayah 195). Even if it seems like nobody is
paying attention to you or notices or appreciates good things that you do,
Allah SWT has seen them, and He will not forget them. Even when it seems like
the whole world is against you, Allah SWT is always there for you when you turn
to Him. Remember this. Allah SWT always wants the best
for us and in His wisdom He knows why each thing that happens to us is in fact
best for us. When it seems like everything is going wrong and life is just one
disaster after another, it is easy to forget this and to become bitter and
skeptical. Yet we must remember always to have faith that Allah SWT knows best
why He has willed this for us, and we must always ask Him only “Make me pleased
with what You have willed for me”. This world we live in, although
it seems at times to be the only real thing, is actually fleeting compared to
the Hereafter, which is better and more abiding. The trials of this world will
seem as fleeting as a nightmare when seen from the Hereafter, and the pleasures
of this world will also seem as fleeting as a dream when seen from the
Hereafter. It’s our happiness in the Hereafter that we should be most worried
about attaining, because it is what will last forever; and it’s our suffering
in the Hereafter that we should be most worried about avoiding, because it also
will last forever. Allah SWT has promised Jannah to
those who remain steadfast in their faith in Him and who trust in Him. The more
difficult it is for you to have sabr, the greater the reward for it. So what
will it be? Ease in this world, and perhaps the eternal sufferings in Hell? Or difficulty in this world, and Inshallah the eternal bliss of
Jannah? Let’s face it, the old clichés are true: there’s no such thing
as a free lunch and you can almost never have your cake and eat it too. We’ve
all got to face difficulties some time. Better by far that they be in the world
than in the Hereafter. So that’s what you should set
your mind to. Yes, it’s difficult to wear hijab. You may be rejected by your
family or your friends, you may face harassment and
persecution or be fired from your job. These are very scary
thoughts. But if you have sabr and keep trusting in
Allah SWT, this is the path to Jannah, and when you look back on the Day of
Qiyamah you will know that it was worth it and have no regrets. Wear it today and trust in
Allah SWT for tomorrow Sometimes the future seems to
stretch on forever and ever and you don’t think you can make it that long. You
want to give up before you even begin. So sometimes the best thing to do
is to keep you mind focused on what is immediately at hand. Allah SWT will take
care of the future. If you have to go out to the market, then concentrate on
being able to wear hijab just for this activity and on getting through it. If
you do get through it and nothing bad happened, then give thanks to Allah SWT
for making it easy for you, and turn your mind to your next outing. Or if you have to go out to
school or work, then concentrate on being able to wear hijab just for this one
day and on getting through it. And give thanks to Allah SWT when you have made
it, and turn your mind to the next day. Eventually the outings will turn
into days and the days into weeks, and the weeks into months. One day you will
realize that you have been wearing hijab for quite a long time and it isn’t
really as bad as you feared, and Allah SWT helped you get through it. Don’t be
ashamed. Sometimes it is like this. The most important thing is to have sabr
and keep your trust in Allah SWT always. Wear it and spite the Shaytan The worries and fears in your
mind are the whisperings of the Shaytan. He wants to talk you out of obeying
Allah SWT. It is very easy to keep going
around in circles in your mind and to dwell on all the things that could go
wrong. So the thing you have to remember
is that you do not need to be perfect in iman to wear hijab. If perfection were
a qualification, where is the sister who could wear it?? You must also not fall into the
trap of thinking that you should wait until all your worries and fears have
disappeared. They never will! True courage is going ahead to do
what’s right even though you are still nervous and scared. So don’t listen to
the Shaytan. Ignore the worries and fears he whispers into your mind. Tell him
that you will not let him keep you from obeying Allah SWT and you will not let
him rule your life. Make the decision to wear it Once you have come to know in
your heart that you must wear hijab, then you have to set a
day and JUST DO IT This is the only way. Set a day
and when that day comes, you have to do it. Don’t back down. Don’t give up. Do
it. Offer salat al-istikhara. Make du’a. Make lots
of du’a. Do not stop making du’a.
Ask Allah SWT to give you strength. Ask Him to make it easy for you. Ask Him to
help you. He will, I swear it to you. He is always there for
you when you turn to Him. Remember how much He has given you, how everything
that you have, even your very existence, is due to Him. Remember that He
deserves this from you. Remember the promise of Jannah. Remember that remaining
patient and faithful through difficulty now may lead to Jannah, inshallah. Even if bad things happen, keep these thoughts
in your mind. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Just concentrate on getting through
today, and leave tomorrow to Allah SWT until it gets here. That’s how you do it. I have been wearing hijab since
September 1999. I do not regret it. I have never for one instant regretted it.
I do not regret it even one iota. Inshallah, you will discover that you feel
the same. Even within a few months I came to feel that I would not be properly
dressed if I went out not wearing hijab. This is when you know that you have
made it! Never feel that you are alone, or
that you are the only one who is scared and worried and nervous. Just about
every other sister who has travelled down this road has gone through the same
things. I know I have. Your sisters are here for you. We have been where you
are. We are encouraging you and cheering you on. We know what it takes because
we had to find that in ourselves too. We are praying for your success just as
we prayed for our own. http://habibaak.com/2008/06/26/to-hijab-or-not-hijab/ |
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This
is where the difficulties usually come in. For many sisters, it truly is a
jihad. As long as you are just wearing the modest clothes, nobody has to know
that you are a Muslim. Once you complete your hijab with the headscarf, you are
suddenly announcing to everyone who sees you that “I am a Muslim”. Here is some
advice based on my own experiences.