Hijab is such a beautiful symbol in our religion, and that’s exactly how each woman should feel when wearing the hijab. Hijab should not just be seen as a cloth one puts on their head. Rather hijab is a symbol of our worship and servitude to God. It is a symbol of modesty that is not just about our attire; it extends to our whole demeanor. The sense of modesty, privacy, and morality it brings to a young woman is enchanting. Hijab is worn by the young and the old but often not done for the same reasons. Although hijab should not be forced upon a young girl, many parents want their daughters embracing the veiled concept in order to protect them, in theory this would sound great but in reality it can be a disaster.

DIFFERENT REASONS FOR PUTTING ON THE HIJAB

THE BOND OF LOVE:

This is the most beautiful reason to wear the hijab. You have contemplated for a while whether or not you want to commit to this piece of material that will alter your life forever. It’s almost like a marriage, you’re committing to something that you have no idea what the future may hold. You study about the hijab, learn the meaning, and eventually learn to absolutely love it. The risk becomes the reward.

 PRESSURE:

Women who do not wear the hijab but are surrounded by women in their life who do wear it, these are the type of women who feel pressured to wear the hijab. Everywhere they go they get asked "why they don’t wear the hijab?" They succumb to the outside pressures and put on the hijab. Yet they question all the time whether it was the right decision or not.

TRAGEDY

This is the toughest one of them all. When a sudden tragic event emerges in an woman’s life, like a death the immediate reaction is to put on the hijab. Events like that should remind us of Allah and Islam. Although the reminder is a positive aspect of the situation the immediate reaction to put on the hijab may not be. When we do things straight out of emotion it can be irrational. Once we allow some time to pass by, our rational logic may kick in and that’s where the decision of putting on the hijab may have been a quick one.  This is where the irrational and rational ideologies may not collaborate.

 FORCED

Being forced to put on the hijab is a tough pill to swallow, in reality you are allowing another individual to have control over a piece of your identity. We tend to see this with parents or with the woman’s significant other. When forcing someone to put on the hijab, the meaning of the hijab becomes lost. It becomes a burden rather than tranquility.

I am not saying that girls should not put on the hijab, Inshallah every woman finds peace and love once they decide to put on the hijab. I want the women in our community to feel empowered and beautiful veiled and not feel like its infringing on their being. When I was nine years old I was confident that I wanted to put on the hijab, sixteen years later I still have the same feeling. Hijab is a way of life for me and I can honestly say it’s the most beautiful decision I have ever made.

Side note, if your daughter decides to wear the hijab when she is younger make sure she doesn't become a fashion disaster like myself. At a young age I thought I had it going on. Looking back now I looked like a thrift shop. 

Dont show this picture to your sons, they might fall in love. I have no idea why my pants are so high up. But I did think I looked extra good that day lol.