Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Hijab


"To love God is not to be obedient, but to love what you're doing in order to please God."

Today, I feel like writing something about hijab.

I started to wear hijab when I was about 12 (not fully). The reason for me to wear hijab is because I thought it was a tradition in my family. (Yes, it sounds so ridiculous.) When I started high school, I somehow trying to understand the reason of why we, Muslims should wear hijab and what are the benefits of wearing it. 

But, is a hijab makes you a pious woman? 

Wearing the headscarf doesn't automatically make me a "pious" person. I am still a sinner, still. But what the hijab does for me, it reminds me of the person I should be. It makes me to remember my duty as a Muslim. If I'm an icon of Islam by wearing hijab, I should be able to do other important things perfectly such as pray 5 times a day, fasting in Ramadhan, paying Zakat and performing Hajj (one day, Amin). I cannot be a good Muslim just by wearing my hijab. Hijab makes me want to be better because I know I'm carrying the identity of my religion.

I could see some of our teenagers are so aware of the importance of wearing hijab and seriously I am so impress with this kind of attitude. But unfortunately, the way they want to ask someone to start wearing hijab is not something I would prefer. Some of us (teenagers) spurting bad words to those free-haired girls just because they are not wearing hijab. They would said how sinful those free-haired girls without noticing are they good enough? I'm not saying I should not promote my free-haired friends to wear hijab. Obviously a no. It's just that I think, there is always a proper way to ask someone to do a change in their life. Sometimes, they need some time to think and reflect.

Wearing the hijab doesn't give me or you the power to look at someone and say

"I'm better than you because I'm covering up."

Maybe physically, yes. Just because a person isn't covering up, doesn't mean she's any less of a Muslim than you. She might not cover up, but she doesn't miss her prayers and have good connection with Allah.You don't know what Allah knows, so you shouldn't judge. Pray for your sisters instead, but by all means do not think that you are better than anyone. 

I never felt that wearing hijab limit me to do what I want and how I express myself. Wearing it doesn't mean I cannot speak out anymore, doesn't mean I cannot be myself (super loud person). Wearing it doesn't mean I can't talk about other stuffs. Wearing it doesn't mean I have to cut ties with my friends who are boys or my friends who don't exactly understand why I wear it. Wearing it doesn't mean I have to be quiet or less-sociable. It's all about knowing where the line is and knowing well enough not to cross it.Wearing the hijab is not just about whether you can see my hair or not, it's about modesty. It's about being modest in every way and everything I do. Modesty is a sense of shame. 

I wish everyone was supportive, regardless of what race or religion you are. If someone wants to change for the better, support them. I think these days it's come to a point where Muslims are making it harder for other Muslims to cover up more than the non-Muslims. We have all these people, who are trying to cover up, who are practicing and working on their journey to become better, and then you have this other group of people who go:

"But your jeans are still tight"
"Kau pakai macam tu, sama je macam tak pakai tudung."
"Pakai tudung tapi perangai macam apa, baik tak payah."

Why must you say that? Instead of:

"Hey, I think it's really really great that you wear the hijab. I'm so proud of you for taking that big step once upon a time,  but I think you'd look perfect if your clothes were a little looser. It's okay, take your time."

And end it with bunch of xo's.

I think if everyone was that nice to each other, the journey of a lot of girls wearing the hijab would be a lot more peaceful. I think we should appreciate those who are trying. Nobody is perfect. I myself, are not any better in the way I dress myself. I am so.... far from being a good example as a good Muslim. Appreciate the effort. Be happy for one another. Get rid of the hate. All of you ! Nobody is benefiting from your loathing comments, so stop it.

Okay I guess it takes forever to write something about this. My advice for whoever are trying to become one step better than yesterday, be one, slowly. Just be yourself, put all those hatred aside, and you try to find the reasoning and everything on your own. And for those who are already practicing hijab, try your best to be a step better in taking good care of your connections with Allah, with your family members and your friends. 

xx

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