Wearing the Hijab
Dear all,
Its July 2016 and now 2 years since I decided to wear the hijab. I always wanted to write a post on this but was not sure how and what to say.
One thing I know for sure is that I have always wanted to wear it but did not have the confidence to do so. I was worried then if people will accept me or look at me differently. If my capabilities were limited or if I would be discriminated. Especially since I am studying in the UK and the majority of people there have different beliefs.
I kept this intention deep in my heart and mind and let it be. I thought I would go with the flow and wear it when I would feel comfortable enough and not end up taking it off afterwards. Sometimes it bothered me, thinking why am I making it hard for myself to do something that I want to do and be influenced by the society and people around me.
I admit I do not come from a family background that is super religious. Alhamdulillah both my mum and dad practice Islam and show a good example. In terms of wearing the hijab, my mum wore it after marriage and my grandmother wore it upon getting her first grand daughter close to retirement. Female cousins my age do not really wear it, there are some who do but not many. So I was also worried that I would look much older and not fit in with my family members. I tried wearing it once a long time ago around my early teens and I remember it was during raya time. I went out with my cousins and in the end, they convinced me to take it off because it was getting hot. Sometimes I do not know how to wear it properly and it would start to get messy. Sometimes I would go to shopping malls and see pretty ladies wearing the hijab and would think, I want to be like her too. Wear the hijab and look pretty. Sometimes I feel disheartened by the consequences I imagine to happen if I wear the hijab.
One fine day, I was shopping in Aeon Ampang and passed by an Islamic store. They sold Islamic books, cds, praying mats and Islamic decoration. There was also a small stand in front of the store that sold books. Being the curious me who loved to read and check out new books, I browsed through the books they had and a pink pretty one caught my eye. For the first time ever, I found a book that compiled stories on how these ladies started wearing hijab and why and when. It was a thin book and I thought it was really interesting so I got it right away. It was a few days before Ramadan 2014. I bought the book and started reading. Although it was a thin book, those pages I read really touched my heart. Some made me smile and some made me tear and I would continue reading again until I finished the entire book. May Allah bless the author, it was very beneficial for me.
And upon finished reading, I told myself there was no pressure but I wanted to do things because of Allah and not because of people. I did not want people's view and opinions to affect my choices to do something good in Islam. Sometimes I ask myself, why do we need to wear the hijab? And then I read the Quran and get my answer. Allah is our Creator. He created us and He knows what is best for us in terms of food, daily activities, morality and also clothing attire. He included all this in the Quran- to eat halal food to keep you healthy, the perform prayers to keep you detached from worldly things and to remember Allah the whole day as well as good for your body, to practice patience and respect in order to maintain good relationship with people and then for clothing, for women to practice modestly to protect them and their beauty from evil intention of certain men. And it made sense to me. I would only need to cover myself in public where there are men (who are not family) present as well because the public is too dangerous and uncertain. I am certainly not discriminating but since women are weaker physically, a modest appearance would minimise (if not eliminate completely) the bad intention of certain men. Whenever I am home with family or with female friends, then I do not need to wear the hijab. I began to understand and accept this more.
I would also like to emphasise that I am an open-minded person. I am aware that not everyone thinks or behaves the way I do and I accept that as long as we practice compromise and respect. I have close family members who are not wearing modestly and I am fine with that because it is a personal decision. Nobody should be forced to do something personal that they do not want to or are ready to do. It is a personal thing to me and for any wrong or good a person does, in my opinion, is between them and God. If you do good, you will be rewarded. If you do not, then you will need to answer to Him on the Day of Judgement. So other people should give good advice and show a good example but there should be no 'I am good, you are bad' attitude in either the person wearing or not wearing it.
So during the first week of Ramadan 2014, I decided for myself that I am going to wear the hijab and include it in my daily attire, just like wearing a shirt and shoes every time I go out insya Allah.
Now its been 2 years. Wearing it has been a positive experience indeed. I learned how to match colours, different styles of wearing and also find different textures and hijab design that suited me. It taught me to be more creative and courageous to try new things, new colours and new styles hehe It even made me more confident because now I am presenting myself how I want to be. How people perceive me is their own decision but to me what's important is my good intention and being able to maintain a good relationship with Allah first and then a good relationship with people. If they can accept it, then great, I'll promise I'll be a good friend with God's will.
In the UK, there are many muslims and the people I know are very accepting about it. I have two close French bestfriends and they love it when I wear especially the colourful ones. It is really about how I portray myself and get along with people and when people accept me the way I am, it means even more to me. I try to accept the way they are too and believe that everyone has flaws but when I can get along with the person and maintain a good relationship, then I will work towards looking past their flaws and focusing on their strengths and goodness. And this is what all of us should strive to do in order to maintain good relationships at the same time as being happy with our-self. I certainly believe there is always room for me to improve and this is certainly been a step forward.
Alhamdulillah.
Have a lovely day girls xx
Its July 2016 and now 2 years since I decided to wear the hijab. I always wanted to write a post on this but was not sure how and what to say.
One thing I know for sure is that I have always wanted to wear it but did not have the confidence to do so. I was worried then if people will accept me or look at me differently. If my capabilities were limited or if I would be discriminated. Especially since I am studying in the UK and the majority of people there have different beliefs.
I kept this intention deep in my heart and mind and let it be. I thought I would go with the flow and wear it when I would feel comfortable enough and not end up taking it off afterwards. Sometimes it bothered me, thinking why am I making it hard for myself to do something that I want to do and be influenced by the society and people around me.
I admit I do not come from a family background that is super religious. Alhamdulillah both my mum and dad practice Islam and show a good example. In terms of wearing the hijab, my mum wore it after marriage and my grandmother wore it upon getting her first grand daughter close to retirement. Female cousins my age do not really wear it, there are some who do but not many. So I was also worried that I would look much older and not fit in with my family members. I tried wearing it once a long time ago around my early teens and I remember it was during raya time. I went out with my cousins and in the end, they convinced me to take it off because it was getting hot. Sometimes I do not know how to wear it properly and it would start to get messy. Sometimes I would go to shopping malls and see pretty ladies wearing the hijab and would think, I want to be like her too. Wear the hijab and look pretty. Sometimes I feel disheartened by the consequences I imagine to happen if I wear the hijab.
One fine day, I was shopping in Aeon Ampang and passed by an Islamic store. They sold Islamic books, cds, praying mats and Islamic decoration. There was also a small stand in front of the store that sold books. Being the curious me who loved to read and check out new books, I browsed through the books they had and a pink pretty one caught my eye. For the first time ever, I found a book that compiled stories on how these ladies started wearing hijab and why and when. It was a thin book and I thought it was really interesting so I got it right away. It was a few days before Ramadan 2014. I bought the book and started reading. Although it was a thin book, those pages I read really touched my heart. Some made me smile and some made me tear and I would continue reading again until I finished the entire book. May Allah bless the author, it was very beneficial for me.
And upon finished reading, I told myself there was no pressure but I wanted to do things because of Allah and not because of people. I did not want people's view and opinions to affect my choices to do something good in Islam. Sometimes I ask myself, why do we need to wear the hijab? And then I read the Quran and get my answer. Allah is our Creator. He created us and He knows what is best for us in terms of food, daily activities, morality and also clothing attire. He included all this in the Quran- to eat halal food to keep you healthy, the perform prayers to keep you detached from worldly things and to remember Allah the whole day as well as good for your body, to practice patience and respect in order to maintain good relationship with people and then for clothing, for women to practice modestly to protect them and their beauty from evil intention of certain men. And it made sense to me. I would only need to cover myself in public where there are men (who are not family) present as well because the public is too dangerous and uncertain. I am certainly not discriminating but since women are weaker physically, a modest appearance would minimise (if not eliminate completely) the bad intention of certain men. Whenever I am home with family or with female friends, then I do not need to wear the hijab. I began to understand and accept this more.
I would also like to emphasise that I am an open-minded person. I am aware that not everyone thinks or behaves the way I do and I accept that as long as we practice compromise and respect. I have close family members who are not wearing modestly and I am fine with that because it is a personal decision. Nobody should be forced to do something personal that they do not want to or are ready to do. It is a personal thing to me and for any wrong or good a person does, in my opinion, is between them and God. If you do good, you will be rewarded. If you do not, then you will need to answer to Him on the Day of Judgement. So other people should give good advice and show a good example but there should be no 'I am good, you are bad' attitude in either the person wearing or not wearing it.
So during the first week of Ramadan 2014, I decided for myself that I am going to wear the hijab and include it in my daily attire, just like wearing a shirt and shoes every time I go out insya Allah.
Now its been 2 years. Wearing it has been a positive experience indeed. I learned how to match colours, different styles of wearing and also find different textures and hijab design that suited me. It taught me to be more creative and courageous to try new things, new colours and new styles hehe It even made me more confident because now I am presenting myself how I want to be. How people perceive me is their own decision but to me what's important is my good intention and being able to maintain a good relationship with Allah first and then a good relationship with people. If they can accept it, then great, I'll promise I'll be a good friend with God's will.
In the UK, there are many muslims and the people I know are very accepting about it. I have two close French bestfriends and they love it when I wear especially the colourful ones. It is really about how I portray myself and get along with people and when people accept me the way I am, it means even more to me. I try to accept the way they are too and believe that everyone has flaws but when I can get along with the person and maintain a good relationship, then I will work towards looking past their flaws and focusing on their strengths and goodness. And this is what all of us should strive to do in order to maintain good relationships at the same time as being happy with our-self. I certainly believe there is always room for me to improve and this is certainly been a step forward.
Alhamdulillah.
Have a lovely day girls xx
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