The idea of Niqab crossed my mind when I was like 13, for I’m into my religion since I ever remember, then it vanished & I crossed a couple of bad stages of fashion & makeup stuff when I got into college. I really hated myself for how men stared at me, I was raging, like extremely raging. I still get raged when someone in the street flirts, because the main state of mind that normal women always seek is to feel safe. And here are my reasons for wearing it:
A Calm Face
I remember my mom once told me that I have a calm face that makes people feel so comfortable when they look at me. Maybe she’s right, but that actually makes men stare at me for a long time, long enough for me to falsely think the guy is really interested; and he might be, but men don’t go with their emotion flow, they’re stopped by their plans, and that’s when things stop with me too. Tons of men liked me, but no true call, or at least no serious enough call to be crowned by marriage, and that actually broke my heart many times. So, I decided they should feel calm out of the face.
From my side also, it’s better for my religion to stop exciting men. In Islam, modesty is healthy for the entire community, and as much as a woman can help men to be modest, she should. Both sides have duties in this part. Modesty is faith; Prophet Muhammad –may peace & mercy be upon him – said:
Indeed modesty is a branch of faith.“ [Sahih](1)
So, not to be heartbroken and not to break anyone’s heart was the main reason I guess.
Fashion Waves & Series
I used to go shopping, and only find jeans, tight ones. Some non-Muslims nowadays ask “Why do Muslim girls wear tight jeans on Hijab?” Unfortunately, I’ve been there, nothing in the market except that. I know it’s unbelievable to happen in a Muslim country, but that so happens; you can barely find Abaya (the Muslim dress), barely any skirts or dresses. The only solution for me was to force myself to wear the Niqab to avoid getting drowned by the fashion wave over and over; it’s Niqab now, handle it, even if you’re going to have to deal with a tailor.
Niqab is for the Elite Muslim Ladies
By the word “Elite” here I don’t mean rich or classy in the commonly known way. “Elite” in the true understanding of Islam refers to modesty, knowledge and manners; this is the real thing. Being elite is rising above your desires, and being -seriously- rich means rising above your needs. And when it comes to modesty, it’s part of faith, a true and main part of it, controlling your desires in order to direct them in the right direction (not to delete them totally). And this is being elite.
I remember I saw once in the news a “Sandwich Mouth Cover” in Korea popped up newly in restaurants. I thought to myself: Oh how modest and elite is that! Whatsoever pushed people to invent something like this, to cover their mouths while opening them wide to eat, must be a very modest way of thinking, and that’s so close to the idea of Niqab, the motivation of.
Did I Wear It Because it’s an Obligation, Preferable, or Just an Option?
I should proudly and loudly say that: WHEN I WORE NIQAB, I WAS TOTALLY IGNORANT ABOUT THIS PART, and I’m saying it loudly hoping that both Muslims and non-Muslims accept the idea of being ignorant about something. People in our world fight against/with ideas they don’t have enough knowledge about, spend years of fighting for/it, then discover they were wrong. A Muslim should be a Free Follower, Muslims have to gain knowledge for themselves from Quran, Sunnah (i.e Prophetic Teachings), & the early Muslim scholars, also non-Muslims should; mentioning that searching and investigating in this specific topic may take years & years till you find the final conclusion, & it’s not my priority currently. Yes, I wore Niqab for a religious reason, but I wasn’t sure then if it’s obligatory or optional, all I thought that it was better for me to do.
The Niqab argue is like arguing about the car body while it’s motor is broke, so you start with the motor, then you decide to fix the car body, and when we talk about religious issues, we MUST start and end our argument with The Oneness of God, Whom we must be obeying in the first place, know Him before we talk about a Niqab issue. Allahu al-Wahed (i.e God is One).
The Idea of (Forced to Wear Niqab) is a Hack!
Sorry to shock you, but when I wore Niqab, my mum was like: meh; my younger brother didn’t hate it, & my elder brother (more like my type) asked me “Why?”. Also most of the ladies I know wearing Niqab; their families didn’t agree on, & some of my friends wish to wear it but their families don’t agree. This is in Egypt, not sure about other countries, but I know you can find the same in round countries like Jordan & Palestine, and in some of the -European adapted- Muslim countries, such as Tunisia & Morocco; also you must know that Egypt is the largest Muslim community in the Middle East.
Niqab is the Mothers-of-the-Believers’ Wear
Niqab was Prophet Muhammad’s wives’ style, so if a woman wishes to adopt the style of Mothers-of-the-Believers, she’ll wear Niqab. Following others’ style in Islam must be for some value, not just a copy-paste; you’re following someone for some valuable reason, not just a blind adoption of a tongue ring, or a Tattoo.
Does it Come Against Work?
Well, some “closed-minded” mentalities in some companies would refuse, but surely this is not the mentality I’m looking for at work, neither it is the atmosphere that would get the best of me, which is focusing. They choose cloth style over loyalty and productivity!!! But we can never generalize, it’s different from one culture to another. And for me, accepting Niqab requires the same modesty level that took me to wear it.
More Blessings:
- Amazing skin protector.
- Hard laughter under Niqab is never noticed, lol!
- The “talk to my mind, instead of looking at my body” really works with Niqab!
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said:
Whenever there is modesty in a thing, it adorns it. Whenever there is indecency in a thing, it debases it.“ [Sahih Al-Albani](2)
And strengthening our knowledge & relation with Allah is the main core of all actions.
This is only what I know, and Allah knows better.
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