Hijab - Be proud of it!

Sometimes when I do read the papers (I NEVER like reading the papers because it is filled with lies and propaganda...), I am saddened by cases of rape and molest. As the world gets closer and closer to judegment day, it also starts to get dirtier and sicker by the second. Rape and molest are not restricted to women alone but even to children and sicker still but true, even to animals. Astaghfirullah! Allah is Great! He who has created this earth is reminding us again and again, this world, is but temporary. This world...is nowhere near the Paradise He has promised His believers. Albeit my sympathy for the victims of humiliation and destruction of their pride and dignity...I cannot help but point another finger to the victims themselves, primarily to the adults. Let us then leave our children and animals out of this.

Women.

We are the cause of men's lust and uncontrollable sexual desire. Yes! We are THAT powerful. A man can have all the riches in the world but he gets weak in the knees when he is presented a creature so beautiful, so pure and pleasing to the eye. Oh my dear fellow male friends, do not even deny what I have written. You might say not all women are beautiful. But you cannot turn away from events of rape and humiliation of even elderly women, handicapped women, women who are intellectually challenged...these have happened and are still happening around the world. Then again, I turn my attention back to us...as women...are we going to allow this to continue? Are you really going to let this happen to you? To your daughters? To your daughters' daughters?? Wake up! Cover up! You who possess the lustrous body, you who possess the beauty, you who possess that essence of purity and artwork of flawlessness. Are you not going to protect yourselves? You who jog in isolated places in your tight shorts and spaghetti tops, you who dress in your low-cut dresses in the clubs filled with drunkards, you who lay on the beaches in your bikinis and sometimes WITHOUT! And you blame the men for their roaming eyes and hands on you? You entice them with your clothless bodies. Who then is to be blamed? It is unfortunate that there are Muslim sisters who say they feel contricted, unliberated when they have to cover up. I am guilty of the same before. But really? Do we REALLY feel free when we show our skin? Are we only liberated when we are in our mini skirts and bareback- tops? Now, in my hijab, I am respected for my talent, my abilities, my true self. I am not given liberties because of how much skin I flaunt, how much hair I show. A fellow Muslim brother lowers his gaze in respect when we cross paths. A man walks past me as if I were invisible! How powerful is that! I am protected with my hijab on! I AM beautiful...in Allah's eyes. Allah protects all who love Him and whom He loves.

Covering Up in Islam

I have mentioned before in a previous post in this blog that I only put on the hijab at the age of 31 after I had given birth to my first child, Lil' Muhammad. Till today, I wish I had put it on much much earlier. I would have saved myself from many a thing that I refuse to mention here. I used to be one who jeered at my fellow Muslim sisters in hijab. Today, I pray and hope that Allah will forgive me and bestow upon me His Mercy for my rudeness and disrespect towards my own religion. My dear sisters in Islam, let us protect what Allah has given us. Put on the hijab.
What IS hijab? Hijab is not a headscarf. No. Hijab is a veil. What then constitutes a veil in Islam? Our clothes, our garments, our dress from head to toe. The hijab protects us from the leering eyes of men, it protects us from intense heat from the sun, it protects us from the harsh environment that we are living in today. The hijab tells a beautiful story of women in Islam, that we are Allah's creatures who deserve respect, courtesy and manners from others. The hijab shows our daughters and sons that we respect ourselves FIRST before we respect our husbands. The hijab shows how much responsibility we have over ourselves. The hijab reflects that Islam is a way of life.


I am happy to see that more and more of my girlfriends are putting on the hijab. Together we are going on this learning journey of keeping it covered. Together we are always reflecting and correcting our ways. We may not be putting on the ideal hijab but we are trying.
This brings me to another issue. As a fellow Muslim sister, please do not be a discourager. You are in no position to judge any sister on the way she puts on the hijab. It is her parents' responsibility to guide her. If she is married, leave it to her husband to do the job. If you yourself do not put on the hijab, all the more you should keep mum and take a look at yourself in the mirror. Yes, a sister might not be putting on the ideal hijab but at least, she is covering up somewhat. ARE YOU? While she is finding all reasons to put on the hijab, youare  finding all the reasons NOT to put on the hijab. While she is slowly earning Allah's love, you are still quite far off in terms of your dressing, Allah knows best. I have made this mistake before and I hope you will not continue to do so.

Fellow Muslim sisters, let us change before it is too late. Let us not allow others to deter us from what we need to do as Allah has commanded us to do. Let us be proud to be sisters in hijab. Let us stand up for Islam, for our religion and the wonderful values that it imparts. Let us teach our daughters to love themselves, to protect themselves, to have pride and dignity as respectable Muslimahs. Let us take this step ourselves FIRST before we even judge others. If so, let us NOT judge at all for Allah is the Best Judge and the One who knows best.