Having a Bad Hijab Day?

Salam everyone!

Remember I said I was going for the production meeting of The Torch on Friday? Well, one of the outcomes was that I ended up volunteering to write an additional article for the Al-Risalah section, the home of the Islamic articles.

I'm really excited about what I wrote and just can't wait until October 28th for people to read it, so I decided to post it on my blog, just to share it with you guys :D

Even though its an article about hijab, which is a female-centric topic, I hope you males out there could read it as well and spread it to your female friends.

Also, again, allow me to warn you that on October 28, when you get your copy of The Torch, Issue 2, you might find this article either radically altered, or absolutely non-existent. You have been warned!

***

Having a Bad Hijab Day?

By Anisah Shurfa Mohammed Shukry

Out comes the hijab from the front compartment and shoved hastily onto the head; from the backseat, an abaya (robe) is swiftly retrieved and thrown over the body.

 “I’m just not ready to wear the hijab full-time,” the sister sighs as she drives through the literal gates to The Garden of Knowledge and Virtue.

There are many reasons she may give for being underprepared; (1) she doesn’t want to be branded a hypocrite, (2) she feels that it’s unflattering, or (3) she just doesn’t think it’s necessary.

“I don’t want to be a hijabi hypocrite!”

Many of us feel that we shouldn’t be wearing the hijab unless we’re paragons of goodness and all things wonderful in Islam.

Otherwise, wearing the hijab when we don’t really “mean” it or aren’t “sincere” about it will cause us to languish in the lowest depths of hell-fire for being a hypocrite.

The real truth, however, is that donning the hijab, even if it is with mixed feelings, is a step towards the right direction: that of becoming a better Muslim.

After all, as Yusuf Islam says, “Islam is not a state of being. It is a process of becoming.”

It’s perfectly natural to feel awkward, or uncomfortable, when first wearing the hijab; to expect otherwise would be unrealistic. But give it some time, and eventually you’ll become so used to wearing it in public, not wearing it would be as weird as leaving the house without pants on. And you’ll appreciate it just as much.

But if you still feel like a wretched “hypocrite” for wearing the hijab while indulging in certain “activities”, here’s a suggestion:

Don’t quit the hijab – it’s your conscience calling out to you. Instead, quit the activities and find something to do that won’t make you feel like ripping that cloth off your head in shame.

 “But people say I don’t look pretty when I cover up!”

Ask people what they think is attractive, and you’ll get all sorts of answers; tall and thin / voluptuous and curvy /small and cute. In fact, some people even have an affinity for sparkling vampires.

The bottom line is, what people think is beautiful doesn’t matter. We humans are fickle and our preferences are shaped by our society and cultural values.

For instance, now vampires are all the rage, but who says that by 2012, human-robot-fish hybrids won’t be The Next Big Thing?

On the other hand, Allah’s preferences always remain consistent throughout the centuries.

 And, honestly, would you prefer Allah see you as beautiful, or that greasy guy with the smoker’s breath you bumped into on the streets last week?

Besides, nowadays, so many hijab-clad women are emerging in the media to challenge the notion that Bare Skin is Beautiful.

Hijab hotties: Yuna and Hana Tajima

For instance, Malaysians are currently head-over-heels with Hana Tajima, the petite, adorable fashion designer from London with her own unique style of wearing the hijab.

Even websites like welovehijab.com, which offer suggestions on how to pull off a look that is simultaneously beautiful and modest, are cropping up everywhere.

In the end, ask yourself this; if you can cover parts of the body that the Westerners deem inappropriate for the public eye, why can’t you also cover the parts that Islam says are too precious to be exposed?

“I don’t need to wear the hijab to be a good Muslim.”

You could say that there’s more to Islam than covering your body, which is completely true.

You could say that hijab isn’t a measure of one’s faith, which is an undeniable truth.

You could say that the most important thing is to have a purified heart.

That is also true.

In fact, it is mentioned in the Qur’an that on the Day of Judgement, “...only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart” (26:89).

But then, ask yourself this – how do you go about purifying your heart in the first place?

Being a real Muslim encompasses your physical aspect, and not just your spiritual aspect.

Otherwise, we might as well have been created as gassy substances doomed to worship God in spirit form alone, for all the good that we were doing with our limbs.

As such, covering your aurah is just as monumental a part of being a Muslim as praying five times a day, performing acts of charity, and sharing the beauty of Islam with one another is.

Remember, your end goal on this planet is to attain Allah’s love and pleasure. So would you honestly let your hair get in the way of that?