Amarah

As Salama Aleykoum wa Rahmatoullah wa Barakatuh beloved siblings,

Muslim women are oppressed, uncivilized and will NEVER be accepted in our society when they wear the hijab and niqab!

This is what the western society associated with the Muslim woman with, but is the reality for muslim women today? As a Muslim woman living in Sweden I feel that the reality is far from it. I feel that it's our SOCIETY that's oppressing muslim women by not accepting our RIGHT to practice our religion. As a result my day has been far from ideal because of prejudices people have against muslim women, but Alhamdulliah it could have been worse. So therefore I thought of writing this post primarily for my Muslim sisters in the hop that it gets you thinking and hopefully helps you prioritize what really matters, which is pleasing Allah. I can only hope that you understand what I'm trying to express and that it motivates you as it has motivated me.

So as previously mentioned, my day has been filled with ignorant and racist people being offended by my Niqab. So offended that they have approached me aggressively because of my clothing and what they ''think'' it represents, in other words oppression and extremism. What they don't understand is that this piece of clothing is my choose and my freedom. Freedom from a society to eager to sell the image of what the ideal woman should look like and that women need to wear less clothes in order to be considered beautiful and accepted. So please, Let's not ask non Muslims about how Muslim women feel, don't make assumptions about I feel and that I am'' oppressed' and in need of saving. Simply because I choose to cover myself instead of sharing my beauty with everyone. When it in fact, makes me feel closer to Allah as it consistently reminds me of our Lord.

We are Muslim, my beautiful sisters , and our religion teaches us to dress modestly to please Allah so that he may reward us one day In Sha Allah. You are able to do so by wearing the Hijab which is obligatory in Islam. Yet many Muslim women don't, because they are to caught up in what others will say instead of thinking of how much it will please your Lord, Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

Allah has honored us by making us women and Muslims. There is nothing more beautiful than a Muslim woman striving to please her Lord. So the question is, what is holding you back from wearing the Hijab my sister? In the end, all you need to do is to weigh the reason keeping you from wearing up with pleasing your maker. Which is more important? That being said, I'm in no way, shape or form implying that it's going to be easy. But in the end, will it not be worth it?

Islam teaches us to value and respect ourselves and to cover our modesty. Walahi, Islam has made me love myself in a way that you could never possible understand. It has made me appropriate myself enough that I don't need the approval of society to know that I am beautiful, I already know I'm beautiful. I don't feel the need to show my skin to strangers so that I may easier fit in and be considers beautiful. When I leave my home, I do so knowing that Allah will In Sha Allah be pleased with me for choosing to follow his instructions and cover myself. And the struggles and hardships that may come as a result will all be worth it. Because in the process of making others unhappy or offended, you are making your creator pleased with you. Know your own worth and value to Allah, my precious sisters in Islam, because you are truly beautiful. This dunya is only a temporary place for us, so please do not please others and in the process make Allah unhappy with you. I'm not writing this simply because I think myself better than you, we are ALL imperfect and only Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the most perfect. We have all lived in a time of ignorance and everyone of us has done wrong. But we most all strive to do better In Sha Allah.

I'm writing this because I love you all for the sake of Allah and we all are consistently in need of reminders, today it may be me reminding you. Tomorrow it will be you In Sha Allah reminding me, this is our duty as Muslims towards one another.

Lastly, if this reminder has benefited even one Muslimah in anyway, than Alhamdulliah I have done what I set out to do. So Barakallahu Fik for reading and may Allah in Sha Allah guide and bless us all.

From your imperfect yet sincere sister, Hiba

As Salama Aleykoum wa Rahmatoullah wa Barakatuh.

From the Quran, verse 24:31
''And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty'' ......'' And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.''