The Role Of Hijab In Islam

Hijab is an Arabic term for “cover” or “barrier” which carries the meaning “to cover and to veil”. The most visible form of hijab is in a form of head covering that many Muslim women don in their lives. In Islam, it carries a broader meaning; it symbolizes the ideologies of modesty and humility in terms of manners and the dressings of both Muslim men and women.

The act of wearing hijab has been laid out in Islam; nonetheless, there are various reasons as to why Muslim women would don the hijab. A portion of these women truly believe that it is a decree from God and the act of wearing the hijab would mean they are fulfilling the commandments from God. On the other hand, some Muslim women include hijab in their lives as a way to distinguish

At what age did you decide to put on hijab?

19 years old

2. What drove you to make to make that decision?

I had always felt like wearing the hijab since I was doing my part 2 of my diploma but put off my decision until the third semester. One day, while I was driving, I had witnessed an accident which left a huge mark in my life as it made me think “What if I was the one who got hit and at the time I still haven’t included hijab in my life. In college, I had this religion class where I had to wear hijab throughout the whole time, and when I did so, I had this sense of calmness and did not feel like it was getting in the way. I thought to myself, my days of wearing short skirts and inappropriate clothes are behind me, I’m moving forward to better things, and that is applying hijab in my life.

3. Was there anything that held you back from putting it on before you made you decision?

Yes, without a doubt. Before deciding to put the hijab on, I asked my friends who have been wearing hijab on the impressions they received from others especially when your group of friends do not wear hijab, which made me doubted myself and my decision. I have witnessed cases in which those who have put on hijab for a certain amount of time, decided to not wear it anymore. I do not want that to happen to me. However, after sticking with that decision, I believe that my day would be incomplete if I do not don the

A few times, in the early days especially. This happened when I look at myself in the mirror with hijab on and I get the hunch that I would look better without it. Notwithstanding that, one night a nightmare occurred while I was in my deep slumber. In that, I dreamt that I was out and did not wear my hijab on and I tried hiding myself from others so that no one would see me. In a way, I took this as a sign from God as to what would actually happen if I decide to take it off.

8. How would you persuade young Muslim women to wear hijab?

My advice would be, when you get the urge to wear the hijab, try to bring yourself closer to those who often carry positivity when it comes to hijab or listen to Islamic talks. When I first started out, I listened to a whole heap stories on Mizz Nina (Malaysian singer turned Muslimah). Pick someone to be your own role model.

9. Do you think hijab is obligatory upon every Muslim or if it is a choice to be made by every individual?

Religiously, every individual knows that he or she needs to cover up but I believe everyone should be given the choice to choose whether or not one would want to wear it without enforcement from others. It is a better choice to wear it sincerely than to wear it