|
My Hijab Story
Asalaamu Alaikum,
I had been engaged in halaqah (religious circles, classes, etc) for some time when I realized that hijab for me was inevitable. Having this realization in mind, it was now time to convince my family and muster up enough courage to actually do it.
I was around 17 at the time. I was taking a course in World Religions that term, and the only Muslim Sister there. So I found myself defending Islam often, and being the only one to question other faiths. The time came when our class was to visit our local Masjid to meet with our Imam for a session on Islam. Naturally, I had to wear the hijab for this trip out of ‘respect.’ So that day I showed up with the hijab on, and the students didn’t really say anything, although they stared, they knew why I had it on. The trip ended and we returned to school, but something struck me, and I was physically, mentally, and emotionally unable to take the hijab off. I thought to myself, “What kind of example will I be? All this talk about how great Islam is, and I can’t even adhere to a simple dress code? What kind of a hypocrite am I?” So that was it, and my hijab became part of me.
A few days passed by, and my World Religions Teacher took me aside and asked about my hijab. He originally thought that I had kept it on because the Imam was also do to visit our classroom the day after the trip, but when he noticed that I still had it on the days to follow, he was ‘concerned.’ I explained that I had decided to wear it, and even thanked him for his persistence in encouraging me to question myself and my beliefs throughout the term. I told him that it was only through this personal analysis that I was truly able to embrace Islam in my life.
I also had a part-time job at a department store. Wearing it to work was a lot harder for me then wearing it to school was, since I was dealing with the public at large. My mother was a tremendous beam of support, May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala bless her. Something that really helped me was repeating over and over, “Just get through the first day, it will surprise people once, and tomorrow it’ll be over.”
From the moment that I donned the hijab, I felt Allah’s Blessing, and truly felt that He was with me in all that I did. Having the hijab on was important for me and my identity, and was a literal reminder of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala. I’m 23 now and I feel like I’ve been wearing hijab my entire life, and in many ways, it has been the whole of my ‘life.’ Islam stirred my heart, and I am a Muslim. Alhamdulillah 
Wassalaamu alaikum.
