By Wan Fakhira Wan Mhd Noor
I remember when I was 17 years old and just finished my SPM. I was searching for a part-time job in the mall to fill my free time. It was quite an experience for me to find a suitable job at the mall because most of the jobs that I tried to apply required me to take off my hijab. Somewhat, in that situation, as for a teenager who was eager to experience work and earn an income, I felt discouraged and disappointed by their perception of me wearing a hijab.
At that age, with the amount of the salary that they promised me I knew that I could just take off my hijab and go against my principle. Somehow it makes me feel proud of myself because I did not fall into that ‘trap’.
As I got older, I started to understand better and appreciate more of my religion. I learned that hijab is not only just a piece of cloth that covers my head, it is so much more than that. The Almighty works in a mysterious way and He has created us for an amazing purpose in life. The purpose that need to be achieved consists of three elements that a human was being have been created – the soul, the body and the intellect.
Being created as a female, I realised that Allah’s divine commandment of wearing hijab protects not only my soul and my body, but most importantly my dignity. This is because a simple piece of cloth that I wear everyday serves as a constant reminder for me, as His creation, that the ultimate purpose of life is to live in fulfilling the obedience to the Almighty.
Moreover, as a Muslim, the hijab serves as a constant reminder for me. It reminds me that the intention of me wearing a hijab is not to please others but to please the Creator. Indirectly, it also helps me to shape my identity. As a female who wears a hijab, it is part of my responsibility to guard my behaviour and attitude against the shariah.
I remembered reading an article on how women should see ourselves as diamonds. As a renowned author said that, “would we leave a diamond bare for the world to see?”
“Would we just leave it anywhere where anyone can touch it? Never, because it has value.”
It shows that Allah has created women with value. In fact, the Islamic teaching reminds us that as a woman, we must guard our modesty and dignity. This is to avoid fitnah, to protect the lineage, and to protect the image of our religion.
We have such a status in Islam, it can be said that the hijab is not only just something for our head, it is about your mind and your heart.
Some people questioned why only women have to wear hijab but not men. Well, in Islam it is the necessity to dress modestly, for both men and women. As a matter of a fact, Allah reminds both genders to lower their gaze. ***
Photo credited to Rumi FB Page