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A REVERT MUSLIM SISTER'S
VIEWS ABOUT VEIL
Sister Amatullah
One of the most difficult decisions many Muslim sisters face is the decision to
start wearing Hijab. This is certainly true for reverts, but may also be true
for sisters whose families or even whose cultures are not particularly
observant. As a revert myself, I have been through the whole thing. I would like
to offer some advice that I hope InshaaAllah will be helpful to sisters who are
considering wearing Hijab but find that something is holding them back. The
first step is to learn about Hijab. There is so much information out there.
Muslim sisters will assist you in this regard.
This is where the difficulties usually come in. For many sisters, it truly is a
Jihad. I remember very vividly how scared I was the first day I used Hijab and
went out into public. As long as you are just wearing the modest clothes, nobody
has to know that you are a Muslim. Once you complete your Hijab, you are
suddenly announcing to everyone who sees you that “I am a Muslim”. Here is some
advice based on own experiences:
1) Wear it for the sake of Allah Almighty: 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 Almighty has commanded it. Whenever
anyone asks you, why do you dress like that, that’s the only answer you need to
give him. Allah Almighty is the source of everything we have - our existence,
our life, our capability, even our goodness. If He even stopped sustaining us,
we would vanish in that instant. If He 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 to
do. Surely, wearing Hijab is a very small thing that you can do for Him compared
to what He does for you!
2) Wear it for hope of the paradise: Allah Almighty 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” (patience). Allah Almighty does not lose the work of
anyone, ever (see Surah Aal-e-Imraan, verse 195). Even if it seems like nobody
is paying attention to you or notices or appreciates the good things that you
do, Allah Almighty has seen them and He will not forget them. Even when it seems
like the whole world is against you, Allah Almighty is always there for you when
you turn to Him. Remember this. Allah Almighty 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 Almighty 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 Almighty has promised the paradise to those who remain steadfast
in their faith in Him and who trust in Him. The more difficult it is for you to
be patient, 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 InshaaAllah the eternal bliss of the paradise? Let’s face it, the old
cliches 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 this 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 Almighty, I swear to you sisters, this is the path to
the paradise, and when you look back on the Day of Judgement, you will know that
it was worth it and have no regrets.
3) Wear it today and trust in Allah Almighty for tomorrow: What do I mean by
that? What I mean is that you should take it one day at a time, or even one
outing at a time. 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 keep your mind focussed on what is
immediately at hand. Allah Almighty 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 Almighty 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 Almighty 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 realise that
you have been wearing Hijab for quite a long time and it isn’t really as bad as
you feared, and Allah Almighty helped you get through it. Don’t be ashamed.
Sometimes it is like this. The most important thing is to be patient and keep
your trust in Allah Almighty always.
4) Wear it and spite the Satan: My dear sisters, the worries and fears in your
mind are the whisperings of the Satan. He wants to take you out of obeying Allah
Almighty. It is very easy to keep going around in circles in your mind and to
dwell on all the things that could go wrong. I know that I myself have a
tendency to do this. I put it off and I dither and wait for “the perfect time”.
If I let myself be, I would never do anything at all! So the thing you have to
remember is that you do not need to be perfect in faith 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. Trust me on this, sisters.
True courage is going ahead to do what’s right even though you are still nervous
and scared. So don’t listen to the Satan. Ignore the worries and fears he
whispers into your mind. Tell him that you will not let him keep you from
obeying Allah Almighty and you will not let him rule your life.
5) Make the decision to wear it: Once you have come to know in your heart that
you must wear Hijab, then all you have to do is 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 Salaat ul Haajah. Make Du’aa. Make lots
of Du’aa. Do not stop making Du’aa. Ask Allah Almighty 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 the paradise.
Remember that remaining patient and faithful through difficulty now may lead to
the paradise, InshaaAllah. 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 Almighty until it gets here. That’s how you do it.
Final words of encouragement I have been wearing Hijab since years. I do not
regret it. I have never for one instance regretted it. InshaaAllah, you will
discover that you feel the same. 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.
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