“Allah will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts; and He is Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing. “ Al-Baqara: Verse 225

 I truly believe as a Muslim community and more specifically as Muslim women we should constantly be asking ourselves what our intentions are in any situation we face. Taking a more micro level approach and zeroing in on the Edmonton community, we hold strong values in religion, culture, family, and moral values. In the very same breath we contradict these very values.

 Lately, anything I do or say I constantly ask myself what was my intention behind it.  When I started Afflatus Hijab I wanted to make sure I had a clear intention of why I was starting this whole business venture. Was it to make money? No. Was it to become popular in the community? No. I have a great career and I could care less who knew me. But what I wanted to do was to shine a light on women’s rights in our community as well as destigmatizing Mental Health, and Afflatus Hijab was going to be my platform in doing this. 

 The more I interact with the women in our community the more I realize that as Muslim women we should constantly be renewing our intentions. The power of a hurtful word, the harshness of judgment, and the debilitating action of gossip has paralyzed women.  We are constantly bringing each other down. Instead of finding the positives in the situation we critique what they could’ve done better. Remember the last time you’ve ever had someone say something negative about you? How did it feel? Imagine living in a world where you didn’t have to deal with that. How great would that be? As women we should not be tearing one another down but rather building each other up.

Don’t get me wrong, there has been a lot of great women who I have met along the way during this whole little Afflatus Hijab era. They have been encouraging and loving towards the whole concept of Afflatus. Afflatus is not just “dresses and skirts,” to me it’s a way of life. Everyday should be a new learning experience, and we should constantly say Alhamdiallah for that.  Continue to remind yourself “what is your intention,” when doing anything.