By Amina Ansari (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
Ramadan 2012, I said to myself looking into the mirror, “It’s now or never!”
And here I am. It’s been two years since I started wearing Hijab.
And as I recollect my one year’s journey, I realized that despite of the ups and downs (the devil trying to play smart with me!) the experience has been quite amazing.
Alhamdulillah! 🙂
But how did it all start and what made me love practicing Hijab is what every “Non- Hijabi” yearns to know.
Life before Hijab
Yes, the very thought of doing hijab always made me go like, “NO!”
I knew very well that Hijab was and is obligatory on every believing woman.
But I terribly feared about what people would think or how they would react. I feared not being noticed. I feared I might not be able to enjoy life while doing Hijab and above all I feared looking less beautiful in front of the world.
I always strived to be the greatest daughter, the greatest wife and the greatest mother. But then there came a point in my life where my inner voice questioned me,
“Are you the Greatest Muslimah?”
“Are you Allah’s favorite?”
“Have you entirely obeyed Allah and His Book (Al-Quran)?
“Are you flawless to stand in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment?”
And my answers were a “NO”…
I thought to myself, what am I going to gain looking drop dead gorgeous in the eyes of the world, when I will ultimately end up being a “Big Loser” in the eyes of Allah! 🙁
This made me feel awful and I had to do something about it!
I knew for a fact that to love doing something, I will have to understand its thorough meaning, purpose and benefits.
And that’s how my journey started…
Understanding Hijab
It was clear to me from the Holy Qur’an that Hijab was a religious obligation, which every single believing woman “had” to undertake. It was a command from Allah that came in the most beautiful manner, for her own protection, her own elevation, and her own dignity.
I understood that Hijab was not just a piece of cloth on my head!
Hijab reflected in the way I talk, the way I walk; the very way I carried myself in public to encourage modesty while still being part of a functioning and healthy society.
Why Hijab?
“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known (as a free respectable woman) and not be abused. And Allah is ever forgiving and Merciful.” (Qur’an, 33:59)
The purpose of Hijab is to protect and safe guard our dignity from wrong intentions of (some) men. This includes various forms of sexual abuse and harassment which has always been very common.
The Hijab sends a signal to men that the ‘wearer’ is a modest and a chaste woman who should not be bothered or even looked at with an immoral intention.
Most importantly Hijab is the command of Allah, The Almighty, which cannot be disregarded and over looked.
So basically, there is no question of WHY! 🙂
Devil at work! (Satan)
Iblees [Satan] said, “My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them (mankind) on earth, and I will mislead them all. (Qur’an 15: 39)
Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].” (Qur’an 7:17)
Every time I dreaded doing Hijab, I knew it was Satan playing a big role in constantly trying to misguide me. So I came back stronger than before . I prayed to Allah to help me fight the Satan.
I constantly kept trying and continued to have the perseverance to follow the true path, the path of Allah, the path which promised Eternal Happiness and Success.
I knew that Allah loves those who try! 🙂
Hijab is for the sake of ALLAH
“O Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you clothing to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the clothing of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive warning.” (Quran7:26)
When a Muslim woman wears Hijab she is obeying and submitting to Allah. And it’s as simple as that!
I thought to myself if I am going to worry about “what people might think” then I am simply giving them higher priority over Allah (The Creator), which was very wrong.
I had to understand that their thoughts and opinions were none of my concern. They won’t even be bothered about me on the Day of Judgement!
Trying to alter the practice of Islam for the sake of other people who have absolutely nothing to do with my present, future or even Akhira for that matter was unjustifiable, worthless and unwise!
I made myself understand that Hijab was between Me and Allah, and not them!
Hijab a ‘Blessing’ and not a Burden!
“It may be that you dislike something and in it is goodness for you” (Qur’an, 2:216)
Remember, Allah knows what you do not. Just know that Allah has made it obligatory on you because He loves you and wants for you ultimate protection and well-being.
I have realized that it’s so wrong to feel that Hijab would prevent me from enjoying my life. In fact I got to appreciate life more by being relaxed, carefree and untroubled, while staying in the boundaries of Islam, pleasing Allah and hoping for a better Akhira as well!
Now isn’t that a Jackpot!? 🙂
Convincing myself to start doing Hijab took me 7 years.
It doesn’t matter how early or late you start doing it, what matters is how well you understand its sole purpose and start loving it with all your heart. Then only will you happily practice it.
Hijab made me spiritually connected to Allah, got me closer to my religion and made me a better Muslim than I was before (though I still have a long way to go!)
I felt like this beautiful armor (protective covering) guarding me from all the negativity around me.
It definitely is a big transition, but once you actually start doing it, you wouldn’t want to leave it!
Trust me on this one! 🙂
You will feel elegant, respectable and in turn have high regard in public.
May Allah make our hearts firm and steadfast on our religion, and grant us patience and strength in our spiritual struggles. In sha’Allah!
More on the author: www.aminansari.com
Very well written. Here’s a general comment..
If you have any doubts about wearing hijab, just put your trust in Allah SWT. Has Allah ever asked you to do something which is harmful for you? Has He ever asked you to abstain from something that was good for you?
Seriously, think about it. Have you ever done something for Allah SWT and then regretted it? Think about it. No, it’s impossible. Have you ever committed a sin and then regretted it? What does this tell you? Everything that Allah wants us to do is good for us, and will improve us and make us happier. Whenever we disobey Allah, we lose.
So my point is, the benefits of wearing hijab are obvious and amazing. However, all one really needs to know is that Allah orders it, and that should be enough to observe it. May Allah SWT make it a lot easier on everyone who struggles with this.
Allah SWT knows best