By:
Mariam Ghanem
Let
me begin by warning you; that this is a rant. Lately I’ve noticed that people
of my own religion are insulting me. Comments like, “All hijabis are
[explicit], so what difference does it make if I wear hijab or not?” or “I’m a
better Muslim than most of the hijabis I know;” are very degrading.
There
are so many things wrong with those comments. Before I go any further, let me
apologize if my comments come off as offensive that is honestly the last thing
I want to do. The first reason that those comments bother me is the
generalization. There are about 8 billion people on this planet, many of which
are probably hijabis. Those comments insult billions of sisters. No matter how
many friends you have on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr, do you mean to tell me
that you know a billion people? Just because you meet a couple of hijabi
sisters who are not fulfilling your idea of Islamic decorum does not mean that
ALL hijabis are the same. In the society we live in these days, everyone is
struggling for “individualism” and “independence.” What’s interesting is that
many of the people throwing these comments are advocating such ideologies as
independence, yet they are completely contradicting them with their ignorant
comments. We are all completely different from one another so there really is
no point in creating such stereotypes.
This brings me to my next point. As Muslims, we are constantly explaining to the outside world that you must not look to Muslims to learn Islam, rather you should look to Islam to learn Islam. Read the Qur’an and the Seerah, we tell our non-Muslim friends, and learn what Islam is really about. Because of this blind stereotype that is being placed on hijabis, we are doing the exact same thing as people who claim that “terrorism” is synonymous to “Islam”. We are forgetting the basic Islamic teachings because shaytan (Satin) is doing his job and leading us astray. Hijab is clearly stated in the Qur’an:
“And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests.” 24:31 Qur’an
Yet some sisters use the actions of others as an excuse to ignore what is written in the Qur’an. On the Day of Judgment, you stand alone. You have no one and nothing to speak for you but your actions. So, on the Day of Judgment, that hijabi girl that you claim “isn’t Muslim enough”, will not be there to stand as an excuse for why you chose not to wear hijab. You cannot call on her actions to justify why you chose not to abide by something clearly stated in the Qur’an. You see, in the life we are living now, it does not matter what everyone else is doing because at the end of the day, you are not being tested based on the choices of others.
Your life is your test. Your choices are your answers. So do not waste your time judging others because you don’t know what is really going on with them. Allah is the only one who has a right to judge, for He is perfection. You are not perfect, and I am certainly not perfect, therefore how dare we judge others for their mistakes when we make so many?
This brings me to my next point. As Muslims, we are constantly explaining to the outside world that you must not look to Muslims to learn Islam, rather you should look to Islam to learn Islam. Read the Qur’an and the Seerah, we tell our non-Muslim friends, and learn what Islam is really about. Because of this blind stereotype that is being placed on hijabis, we are doing the exact same thing as people who claim that “terrorism” is synonymous to “Islam”. We are forgetting the basic Islamic teachings because shaytan (Satin) is doing his job and leading us astray. Hijab is clearly stated in the Qur’an:
“And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests.” 24:31 Qur’an
Yet some sisters use the actions of others as an excuse to ignore what is written in the Qur’an. On the Day of Judgment, you stand alone. You have no one and nothing to speak for you but your actions. So, on the Day of Judgment, that hijabi girl that you claim “isn’t Muslim enough”, will not be there to stand as an excuse for why you chose not to wear hijab. You cannot call on her actions to justify why you chose not to abide by something clearly stated in the Qur’an. You see, in the life we are living now, it does not matter what everyone else is doing because at the end of the day, you are not being tested based on the choices of others.
Your life is your test. Your choices are your answers. So do not waste your time judging others because you don’t know what is really going on with them. Allah is the only one who has a right to judge, for He is perfection. You are not perfect, and I am certainly not perfect, therefore how dare we judge others for their mistakes when we make so many?
"On the Day a man will flee from his brother, And his mother and his father, And his wife and his children, For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him." 80:34-37 Qur'an
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