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Niqab is so strange to most people, yet I find it to be absolutely beautiful. Many people ask me why I started wearing it, and all of my reasons are probably similar to any other niqabi, but one of the reasons why I started wearing it was because I think it is just beautiful. It is a feeling very difficult to describe. Something I wished to make apart of me. So I did. Allah has amazing ways of making you fall in love with something that the vast majority find so 'ajeeb. I wish I had started out earlier; however, I am aware of taqdeer. So this is how it was meant to be :) I truly feel like it makes me more conscious of the things that I say, do and even how I behave in public or even with my family. I also noticed something cool. I tend to be shy and very polite, so sometimes when I feel a certain way about something, I may not say it, because I don't want to offend the other person. For example, when giving da'wah, it is not my intention to debate, because I am only there to educate people about Islam. But occasionally, people will want to debate and say things that have no basis, so you have to give it to them straight and I have. But I find that to be done much easier while wearing the Niqab versus just my regular Hijab and abaya. So inevitably, there is an element of strength or courage that accompanies the niqab and that, my brothers and sisters, is very cool.
I was at a Thai festival two days ago and WhyIslam, of which I am a member, had a Da'wah booth there. Fifteen people embraced Islam as their way of life at the booth. Alhumdulillah! I wore the niqab there too. I spoke to several women about hijab and covering up (because those topics were what they specifically had questions about). One woman was standing across the street from our booth, for a while. I asked her if she had any questions about Islam, she said she'd like a translation of the Qur'an. So I gave her a free translation. Then, immediately after, she said, "I want to see your face." lol! It wasn't a shocker to me and I understood. But of course, I declined nicely and continued on with the conversation about Islam and joked around with her. She said, "this is so surreal!" I asked her why she said that. She stated that she had never seen anyone like me (niqabi) in real life, but only on t.v. She also said she only knew about us [Muslims] because of what she sees on t.v. Suddenly, it hit me! I said to her, "let me ask you something. Were you standing across the street earlier because you were intimidated by us? I am only asking because of what you said about the t.v." She said, "yes!" Subhana'Allah! So then I said, "what do you think now?" She said, her perception has totally changed! In less than about 5 minutes, her entire perception of Muslims changed! I was amazed.
This change in perception was extremely important to me, because at first I was debating whether I would be doing "anti-da'wah" by wearing the niqab. Some had told me that it was so, because people get scared, intimidated and turned away from Islam and that I would be creating barriers instead of building bonds with my non-Muslim brothers and sisters (remember, our father is Adam [May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him]). However, that experience did exactly the opposite! I am not claiming to know the unseen, but I feel as though Allah put me in that situation specifically for people like that lady so that they would have a change of heart, because maybe had I not been there, the lady would have continued to believe all the stuff on Fox News. Taqdeer. Subhana'Allah, how many a times we have belittled the religion of Allah only to find out that His religion is the only answer to every problem. May Allah forgive me for thinking that wearing the niqab may be "anti-da'wah." Astaghfirullahi wa atubu ilaik.
May Allah forgive me for having stated anything wrong or sinful, and may He make this beneficial for others and a cause for entering Islam. Allahumma ameen.
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