Randomness #3: We Love Hijab

In today's episode of Randomness...

I love this website! It's hip, it's cool, it's pretty, and it's Islamic!

We Love Hijab!

Click the link for some fashion ideas and some enlightenment.

If beautiful American Muslim women can wear the hijab loud and proud, then why can't we? ;)

Here's one of the many cool articles from the site.

Hijab 101

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WEAR THAT OUTFIT

1. Am I following my understanding of hijab as best as I can?

There are so many different opinions about what hijab is and what it is not. Some Muslim women only wear black, some Muslim women cover their faces, some Muslim women wear specific regional styles of clothing, and some Muslim women mix it all together. Whatever you choose to wear, as a Muslimah, you are responsible for finding out what Allah expects of you. My beliefs of how we have to dress are clearly presented on this website, but you have to do your own research. Ask Allah for guidance and then follow what you understand hijab to be to the best of your ability. As long as your intentions and actions are good, Allah will be pleased with you, inshallah. And that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?

2. Am I trying to make someone jealous or envious of me by wearing this?

We’ve all heard of the phrase “dress to impress”, but some women take this concept too far. It’s one thing to make sure that you look good for, perhaps, a job interview. (You don’t want to show up in tattered, old jeans do you?) But, it’s another thing to be completely arrogant in what you wear.

If you’re the type of girl who dresses up just to go to the grocery store (I’m guilty of this and actually, I recommend it!), you probably don’t dress that way out of arrogance. For me, it’s about how I feel about myself. When I dress up, I feel confident, presentable, and pretty - Allah loves beauty and there’s nothing wrong with feeling it!

On the other hand, you have women who dress up only when they’re going to be around certain other women. Many of us are guilty of doing this at one time or another. Only you know what your intentions are, so be mindful of them. Dress to make yourself feel good and be careful not to be a Show-Off.

3. Is my clothing tight?

Some people would have you believe that wearing a big, black abaya will completely conceal your curves at all times. Well, what happens when the wind blows your abaya to the right while you’re walking to the left? Sometimes, your shape will accidentally be revealed and no matter how many layers of clothes you pile on, you simply cannot disguise a healthy booty or a big chest! That said, you still need to be mindful of how tight your clothing is so that in ordinary situations (when the wind is not blowing your clothing all over the place), you’re covered properly.

A few things to think about: If you had to stretch your shirt over your chest just to button it up, your shirt is too tight. If you can clearly define the shape of your body when standing still in front of the mirror, your clothes are too tight. If you broke a sweat trying to put those pants on, they’re way too tight! There are a few other things to look for when trying to figure out whether or not your clothes are tight, but they’re all pretty obvious… When in doubt, check yourself out in the mirror again!

4. Is my clothing see-through?

What girl doesn’t love a frilly, lacy bra that’s worthy of a Victoria’s Secret runway show? I know that I love them, but I also know that I need to keep them to myself (and my hubby of course!). Transparency is a big fashion trend for Spring 2008. You’ll be seeing sheer tops, jackets, and pants all over the place, but those things are definitely not fit for Muslimahs. We all know that layering comes with the territory when you’re a Muslim woman, so if you find that whatever you’re wearing is a bit see-through, just throw on something opaque (like a t-shirt) underneath of it and you’ll be good to go!

5. Is what I’m wearing extravagant?

We already spoke about the fact that Muslim women shouldn’t dress up just to impress other people, but that rule is based on your intentions. Extravagance is a bit more difficult to define because what’s extravagant to me might not be extravagant to another Muslimah.

What does the word “extravagant” mean? One of the definitions of the word “extravagant” is that it is something that is excessive and unreasonable. For example, wearing a wedding gown on your wedding day is great! But, wearing your wedding gown outside on any other day is extravagant. You get the idea, right?

A few tips: If your entire outfit is shimmery, glittery, sparkly, and beaded, it might be a little extravagant. If you have jewelry on every single part of your body (rings on all 10 fingers, bangles up to your elbows, and a huge nose ring), it might be a little extravagant. If you’re abaya is trailing behind you like the train of a wedding gown, it might be a little extravagant. Ok, now I’ll admit that those 3 examples may have been a little extravagant themselves, but you get the idea! If you just can’t figure out whether or not your attire is a bit too much, take off some of your jewelry, or take off one of your decorative items and replace it with something that’s more simple in style.

6. Is my hair completely covered?

We’re all friends here right? So, let’s be real with each other. If you’re going to cover your hair, you probably should cover all of it. No bangs are allowed. No deliberate baby hairs plastered to your forehead with hair gel. And please, none of that half-scarf-on half-scarf-off stuff. With all of the lovely hijab pins out there, it’s unfathomable that a Muslimah can’t keep her scarf on properly. If you don’t believe that we have to cover our hair in the first place, well then I guess you’re excused. But, if you’re going to wear hijab, you should try your best to wear it correctly.

7. Is my chest covered?

Cleavage and headscarves just do not go together. It just doesn’t look right, you know? I’m not trying to give you an Islamic history lesson here, but… To my understanding, back in Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.) time, women (both Muslims and non-Muslims) wore headscarves that hung down behind their backs (click here for an idea of what that scarf style looks like). They also wore garments that looked similar to a man’s ihram (click here for an example). These garments left the women’s cleavages and upper skin exposed. Allah revealed verse 24:31 in the Qur’an to address this issue, stating that Muslim women should “…draw their veils over their bosoms…” So, this is pretty clear. If your top doesn’t cover your entire chest area, or if your shirt is really tight on your chest, just be sure that your hijab hangs down low enough to give you the proper coverage.

So that concludes my little list. I hope that I haven’t offended you and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. If you did, please invite other Muslimahs to come and read it as well. As always, I look forward to reading your comments on this article and if you have anything to add to the list, please post it up in the comments!

xoxo Kima

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Have a look through the site, sisters. Have fun!

Lots of love,

from Me.