Things I’ve Learned Since I Started Wearing Hijab – Hidjabaya
It is extremely difficult to change your life completely at the peak of your youth. At this phase of your life, your emotions and hormones are in frenzy. All the illegal and risky things excite to the level that it becomes the sole goal of your life to discover it all. I started my journey as a hijabi girl at the age of sixteen.
In the amidst of all that was happening around me, controlling and restricting myself from the excitements of the world was not easy. As most of the young girls think, in order to liberate themselves from the restrictions of their parents and society, they need to show off their body.
However, this thinking is totally toxic and immature, you can be confident and free even without revealing your body. But all of this should be your own choice and decision and should not be derived by rebelliousness.
Like any other belief and faith, the will to follow Islamic teachings should come from your heart and soul and should not be forced. In fact, everyone should have the right to decide their choice of clothing, and they should never be judged for it.
I’m going to share my experience and things I’ve learned since I’ve started wearing hijab in this article.
1. Getting judged at every corner:
In spite of living in a Muslim community, people judge you non-stop. It does not matter if the person that is judging you is Muslim or not. As in most scenarios, the judgment is passed by fellow hijabis and by those who do not wear hijab alike.
Other hijabis judge you on the amount of hair and skin you show or reveal, and non- hijabis assume that you must be forced or oppressed to wear hijab. Furthermore, if you carry a hijab whilst wearing jeans or some western cloth, then people call you names. But it does not matter what other people think as long as you are wearing hijab for yourself and for pleasing Allah.
2. My hijab is my shield:
Wearing a hijab gives me a sense of security that I never thought I could feel. I believe it protects me from evil eyes and unnecessary attention.
The feeling of security that I feel when I wear hijab is unimaginable and unexplainable. It shields me from the lust of evil men.
3. Source of Strength:
As far as I can remember, the hijab has always given me strength. Before I started wearing the scarf, I spoke very little and did not have the courage to stand up for myself. But my hijab gave me confidence and a mind of my own.
Now, I am not afraid to raise my voice against bullying and inappropriate behavior. I freely talk about my thoughts on women wearing hijab. In addition, I also don’t tolerate any unfair or unjust behavior against anyone anymore.
4. Showing off my identity without saying anything:
My hijab speaks a lot about me and my identity as a Muslim. Now, I am a walking advertisement for Islam and my manners and behavior represent Islam. I am not afraid to show off my religion and my religious beliefs.
No one can misunderstand me as a Hindu Indian girl, as most western people think that anyone who has brown colored skin tone is from India. I am proud to be recognized as a Muslim.
5. My dedication to my faith will remain firm:
Our relationship with needs constant maintenance and growth. Sometimes, our faith might waver due to the excitement of the world, as the new meaning of “beautiful” is to roam around half-naked and show off your beauty. These new standards of beauty might cause some cracks in your faith. But I feel in my heart that I will not feel beautiful just by showing off my body.
I hold great pride that my body is not open to everybody’s satisfaction, instead, it is a prized possession that only my husband can see. My beauty should be reflected in my actions and manners, not in my clothes.