My Hijab Story
Growing up I loved the idea of Hijab but , I was never
forced to wear it . I was surrounded by such lovely women my mom , cousins and
friends who inspired me each day . It was something I knew I would start some
day but , wasn’t sure exactly when . As Hijab doesn’t just mean the headscarf
it’s a modest way of life it includes your apparel , behavior and you
basically represent your community .
I started wearing the Hijab in grade 9 . Prior to grade 9 I
used to wear a pinafore uniform and wanted to transition to the long maxi
uniform so I seized this opportunity to
start my Hijab journey .
Going to school adorning the Hijab wasn’t weird at all as
many of my classmates were Hijabies , it wasn’t intimating or anything of that
sort. However many girls face issues with the initial stage it totally depends
on where you stay. I am so thankful
that I didn’t have to go through any rough patches and had constant support.
I obviously struggled with the draping part and had a whole
weird scarf phase till a friend showed me how she draped it . My face type was
drastically different from her so gradually I crawled my way into finding my
style from the billion ways you can wear a Hijab .
It was all fun and games till I graduated from high school
and flew to India to join university in Bangalore .
On my
first day to college we had an orientation and I was fidgety to find that I was
the only one in a hall of thousands who wore Hijab . At the end of the session
there was an Q&A session and I was called on the stage to speak , I mean it
was that easy to spot me in a crowd . Soon I was known as “the girl who wore Hijab”
, “the girl from Kuwait” and stuff like that . It didn’t take me long to feel
at home in my dorm room . My roomie was very supportive of my beliefs and kept
me positive . I got through three years of college smoothly encountering weird
and funny queries about my Hijab each day . Some of them being “Don’t the pins
prick your skull ?” , “How many scarves do you own” , “How does it not slip
?” and “Do you have hair beneath ?” .
With each year of fresher’s I see more people adorning the Hijab
and it makes me so happy . I am glad I chose this path , as Hijab is such an
indication of purity and dignity . It set me apart from the crowd(in a good
way) , gave me an identity , did not
restrict me from being me and doing what I liked , is a visual reminder of not
crossing the line , thought me patience (summer days ! it’s not easy) , empowered
me by the fact that people went past the outer appearance and focused on my
intellect . Assessed me for my personality and not just physical traits . Although
it is just a physical piece of cloth , it affected me as a person .
However me wearing the Hijab doesn’t mean I am on some kind
of at a "higher religious level” but it’s important to remember that muslim girls who don’t
wear Hijab can just be as religious . Islam is not about appearance, it’s a
religion based on inner intentions . It was my personal choice to dress
modestly , to assert pride in self and embrace my faith openly , with
independence and courageous conviction .
Until next time
Polý agape (lots of love) and stay cheerful :) !
4 comments
Woahhh. MashaAllah, this was very inspiring ❤
ReplyDeleteSalute to u, u actually potrayed wat hijab actually is.. was expecting this blog a long back, came late bt came perfect..��..Miss u..
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sana and Manzar bhai :) I am glad you liked it
ReplyDeletegood inspiring post farheen
ReplyDelete