Inside A Shell...
The dainty Pearl shone like a gem, so rare
A teardrop of a maiden in despair,
Like the brightest star discovered by man,
Both beauties combined of here and There.
- T.R.
"Why, you ask, do we cover ourselves?" asked she, as I sat up straighter in my chair and listened intently. "You don't really have to dwell that deep into it. It is because we are pearls; the most beautiful pearls there ever were. For who would want their pearl to get stolen?"
And it was as simple as that. Just a single comparison and the message was understood. Sometimes, you marvel at the intricacies, lost too deep into them, and forget to look at the clearer picture. We are blessed to be born into Muslim households, where each individual is given his or her due right, where every human is considered an equal of the other, where the only authority is but of the Almighty. Why then do we confuse ourselves? The answers are all present in His Glorious Book.
“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (Quran 33:59)
The Lord, ever so gently, tells the Prophet of what is better. It is not an order. Rather, it is an advice for what is better for the women. Today, we see that some of the women may opt for the hijab while the others might not. They may think that wearing one is a sign of suppression. I couldn't disagree more with them for I believe the hijab liberates women and gives them more confidence. They can go about their duties without being subject to harassment. What they should understand is that they are too precious to be viewed by everyone.
I find that I learn more each day and that once upon a time, I was among those who did not understand what wearing a headscarf was like until the day I decided I wanted to wear it. After all, isn't it the Creator, Allah, whom we should work towards pleasing than His creation, man? I used to think I would not have enough strength to face the questions thrown at me but when I decided to take up on this simple habit, things became easier themselves. Nobody told me that I should cover my head. Not friends or family. It was my own decision and I now pride upon it and pray that I never change.
The wearing of a hijab is quite simply one of the acts for thanking God for His blessings, for creating us the way we are. It does not make us less intelligent or smarter than the other women. It only makes us a notch better on the spiritual scale. Where women in the 21st Century are striving for their rights - and more specifically, for their education - they should also work upon illuminating their soul. For what could be better for the generations to come than a woman who not only had a pure heart and a sharp mind but also a luminous soul?
To conclude, the bounties of the Hereafter are undoubtedly too great to overlook such simple matters but what could be better than to improve yourself to make this world a better sojourn?
you choose one of the most contorversial topic of today and covered it beautifully!! I ask every girl to read this. :)
ReplyDeleteAll praise goes to this post.
ReplyDeleteReally thought provoking for all Pro-Western minds of today, especially females because the Fitnah of Women(the heart of whom are dead) was according to The Prophet Sallallahu Alayihi Wassallam the greatest Fitnah that He Sallallahu Alayihi Wassallam has left for the Men of the Ummah of Islam.
ReplyDeleteJust an advice to you Tazi jee, it's really great that after all this fuss going around the Hijab today, you adopted it as part of your life, but as you tried wearing the Headscarf, try wearing the full Hijaab as well. Because scholars as of today don't consider the Headscarf only to fulfilling the role for which hijab was made compulsory. I hope you understand my point :)
Again, a really nice and enlightening post :)
really nice Tazeen.:)
ReplyDeleteMa'shaAllah, very lovely. :) inshaAllah will be taking a closer look at this bloggy :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, and very very inspiring Masha Allah!
ReplyDeleteThe ayah of Surah Ahzab is a commandment, why? We can think of it from the following,
ReplyDeleteLooking or showing off the awra of a muslim men/women is Gunah-e-Kabeera(i.e.Major Sin) meaning a sin which will not be forgiven until or unless repented sincerely.
The awra of men is the part of their body from the navel to the ankle
The awra of women is all of their body except the face and hands.
So, showing off the awra(not covering) has this grave a sin, can this just be an advice, that if you do it's better if you don't then there's no sin?
This(if you do it's good, if you don't there is no sin) is for Nafl hassanaats not for the commandments of the Quran :)