Tips on Wearing Hijab

It can be tricky, especially if you are just trying out the piece of attire for the very first time. Here is an interesting way to wear your headscarf - it is simple and stylish:

For more tips and tricks and a bigger picture of the one above, click here!

Blue – The Colour of Fomality and Serenity

Blue is a popular colour in the office. It is formal and professional yet is simple and easy on the eye – without any fancy adornments. Blue attire is a popular colour as it implies seriousness without being overbearing or overly-intimidating as black.

Whether it is a pant-suit (with a long jacket) or a dark blue abaya, blue brings the aura of strict focus on work in the corporate environment. Whether you are amongst colleagues, networking with clients or participating in presentations, the colour will never fail you.

In fact, blue is such an easy colour to wear at work, it would be highly unlikely for you to feel embarrassed if someone else is wearing a similarly designed outfit or hijab as you.

Blue also denotes serenity. You may be hanging out with your friends after work of enjoying a lazy date with your spouse. Blue communicates to your company that you are feeling relaxed and at peace at their presence. Blue has a distant effect on problems and worries and has the power to unclutter your mind.

Blue also represents the bright blue sky on a happy day and the vastness of oceans and seas. Appreciating the colour blue reminds us of the natural gifts that Allah designed specially for us – through His emaculate beauty and adornment.

Blue is an essential colour around the house to declutter the mind and unwind. Blue curtains, blue paintings, blue bedspreads all create the illusion of space and distance.

With peace and serenity in mind therefore, spending time in prayer is also useful when gelled with the colour blue. It is easy on the eye and can relieve you from your physical pains and aches through deep concentration on things that matter most.

You Look Phat!

That could be misinterpreted in more ten ways, especially if the person saying it to you did not write it out on a piece of paper and hold it over her head. And even worse, it would bring on more than ten mood swings within seconds!

It's not phat to be fat. Magazines grace stalls by your walk way; advertisements skinny dip on your tv set; bill boards spin heads while you drive. It's not phat to be fat. Skinny is the deal. Skinny is beautiful. Thin is neat. Thin is in. It's not phat to be fat.

That's what aesthetics shout out today. Dieting, looking good in clothes, a body without lumps, bumps, backs and fronts, are what beauty manufacturers are screaming out to women nowadays. They have capitalised on that fear of being a little overweight. One too many curves will cause a whirlwind of headaches. It's not phat to be fat.

How do these beauty gurus empower women who feel depressed, upset and even a little sad about the little bulge called a belly; the extra kilo called age; and that extra skin called skin?

They empower us with diet pills, diet shakes, tummy trims and other fancy frills. In the plight to be skinny, many of us, once in a while, fall prey to the jingle of tablets and to the fizz of a flab burner shake.

It happens, but it should not. If you listen a little closer to the jingle and the fizz, you would learn that there are stories behind the tablet and the drink. Some are not very nice and some are quite dangerous.

Know that these diet supplements are not all approved by your health ministry or authority. Know that these diet supplements could contain far more medication than approved supplements (such as multivitamins) to speed up favourable results. Know that these diet supplements hack away at your insides, they erode your body to allow you to slim down to the figure of a 1. Know that these diet supplements may affect your liver due to their high content of chemicals, and your liver may not be able to process them. Know that these diet supplements can act as a silent time-bomb in your body, waiting to explode when time is most unlikely. Know that these diet supplements can cause cancer.

We are born into this world that is laced with beauty. A new mother embraces the beauty of her child. When friends and family come a-calling, their comments let the word slip and slide.

But as the baby grows up, the word is used less and less... and is more callously defined by the people around her.

It's not phat to be fat. Teenagers fall prey to anorexia and bulimia around the world. There is so pressure to be thin and to stay thin. There are too many "friends" keeping a close eye on how they look in their skinny clothes.

But wanting to be thin is one thing, wanting to be healthy is another.

It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and it is generally accepted that obesity represents an unhealthy lifestyle. But it is untrue that skinniness should be associated with good health. A woman who is slightly overweight but is a happy and confident person is healthier than a woman who is severely underweight and feels compelled to keep up with the trends.

If you feel that you are overweight (which most of us do) and feel like shedding a few pounds, whatever you do, stay away from diet pills. They are harmful and harm is unlawful in Islam. Instead, respect your body and take care of it the healthy way.

Exercise, exercise, exercise - a good workout gets your body working and burns off calories effectively. You do need to exercise, not only to lose weight to be build up stamina, ward off illnesses and to essentially live longer.

Also, observe a good diet. Steam food rather than fry; grill your meals rather than buy. Take control over what you eat.

Keep your fridge stocked with fresh vegetables that you can chop up as a salad and plenty of fresh fruits when you need to snack. Eat a balanced diet with a colourful array of protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals. Eat well during breakfast to ward of hunger pangs that lead to bingeing. Have a light early dinner and drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Your body deserves this. You deserve it.

You will feel better, lighter and more energetic.

So, it is not phat to be fat - but it is not wise to be unhealthy and fall prey to vulture advertising that so-called beauty gurus impose on the insecurities of women.

And as for skinny clothes - :) - alhamdulillah, Islam provides for this too - wear Hijab, love Hijab and live Hijab - be the confident, healthy and happy Muslimah, Allah intended you to be. You will look phat!

Hijab Fashion Shows - What do these say about Hijab?

Islamic fashion shows are becoming popular in some Muslim countries as well as the West. Many of them feel compelled to demonstrate what an Islamic dresscode entails. It's true, models are dressed up in different forms of hijab - where the model is covered from head to toe, save for their faces and hands.

Fashion designers use different fabrics, colour and cuts to display a full hijabi attire that Muslim women are allowed to wear in public. However, not all fabrics, colour and cuttings adhere to Islamic ruling. Some fabrics are transparent, displaying inner garments of the model, which are clingy or body-fitting. Though there is no general restriction on colour in Islam - some designers combine colours of their outfits, or emphasise highly on one fluorescent colour - defying the whole purpose of Hijab - which is set out NOT to attract attention. Some fittings are a cut too tight and show off the Muslim woman's figure. Though these types of clothing are not appropriate for a Muslim woman when in the presence of non-Mahrams, she is allowed to wear them in the comfort of their her own home - with her Muslim sisters and Mahram brothers in Islam.

So, if Islamic fashion shows comply completely with Islamic rulings, are they allowed? Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti, director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas still says "no."

With models walking up and down the catwalk with an array of spectators gliding their eyes all over them commenting on their "appearance", there is nothing really to be modest about. Hijab disallows and disencourages non-Mahram men from looking at women and requests them to question their faith and modesty when in the vicinity of non-Mahram sisters. Modesty and shyness is no longer an element of Hijab if it is being paraded around by models, who need to use their appearances as the core element of their career. And in general, most models do not even observe Hijab in their daily lives.

Muslim fashion designers therefore, are required to find alternate creative means in promoting their work. In fact, they should look into the more "religious" aspect of Hijabi clothing rather than prey upon the aesthetics and materialism that Islamic fashion shows entail.

Anti-Hijab Fever in Kosovo

It is unfortunate that Muslim countries have adopted ridiculous viewpoints regarding the Hijab. This ban in Kosovo obviously denotes the blatant lack of education with respect to women's rights in Islam.

Not only is the school violating these students' rights to dress as modest young women, they also have placed the image and appearance of the trio of greater importance as compared to their excellent academic track record.Apparently how they dress is more important that their intellect! Astarghfirullah!

It is misleading that three brilliant students should be kicked out of school for doing nothing but abiding by their Islamic beliefs.

For a country that claims to be a Muslim country or Muslim inhabited country, the demonstration of these 2 schools contradict the practices of the religion.

Denying a student, male or female, the right to a proper education is just a passport to stupidity and ignorance. Denying a woman's right to dress modestly is passport to calamity. What has happened to this country?

May dua's be said for Fatmire Jashari, Valbona Kabashi and Mihane Veliu. May Allah guide them in times of their difficulty.

Sikhs Under Tighter Surveillances at Airports

This has obviously got much to do with brothers of the Sikh faith. It is not impossible that Muslims too will be subject to these checks. Just a heads-up!

Four Sikhs Subjected to Mandatory Turban Pat Downs Over Past Two Weeks

New York, New York (August 19, 2007) - The Sikh Coalition has learned that Sikhs are being subjected to heightened screening procedures, including mandatory turban pat downs, at all U.S. Airports.

The Coalition became aware of the change not from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), but through 4 Sikh air travelers who were subject to mandatory turban pat downs during the past two weeks. While theTSA acknowledges a change in policy has occurred, it has declined to providedetails of the policy change for professed security reasons.

The new procedures are in direct contradiction to a detailed turbanscreening <http://www.sikhcoalition.org/FAAGuidelines.pdf> policy(http://www.sikhcoalition.org/FAAGuidelines.pdf) that has been in placesince November 2001.

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks in New York andWashington, D.C. Sikh<http://www.sikhcoalition.org/pr.asp?mainaction=viewpr&prid=39> community groups worked closely (http://www.sikhcoalition.org/pr.asp?mainaction=viewpr<http://www.sikhcoalition.org/pr.asp?mainaction=viewpr&prid=39 with Department of Transportation officials to devise an airport screeningprotocol that would meet national security requirements, while safeguarding religious pluralism.

The Sikh Coalition is very concerned that a policy affecting millions of Sikh air travelers went into effect without any community group input. The resulting procedure revokes longstanding regulations on which our community has come to depend, and opens the door to legitimizing practices that undermine religious pluralism.

The Sikh Coalition is sending this advisory to alert millions of Sikh airtravelers of the change and to provide advice on what to do if subjected tothe new screening procedure.

What is Happening?

Over the past two weeks, four Sikhs -- Prabhjit Singh, Inderpreet Singh,Pritpal Singh, and Prabhjot Singh --- were all required to submit to turbanpat downs in order to board an airplane. At San Francisco International Airport, where three of the incidents occurred, TSA screeners insisted that Sikh travelers submit to pat downs oftheir turbans as a condition of flying on both domestic and international flights.

Similarly, at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, a Sikh air traveler was pulled aside by TSA screeners and told his turban would be patted down before boarding this past week. When requested, screeners did agree in three instances to conduct additional screening in a private area. TSA screeners, however, refused a request inone instance to wand the turban instead of patting it down. Screeners also refused to provide a copy of the new screening guidelines citing security concerns.

The Sikh Coalition's Response to the Policy Change

Since the Coalition first learned of the new procedures this past Thursday, we have been working to confirm whether a change in policy has occurred andto understand the parameters of the new policy.

On Friday, August 17th, a TSA representative confirmed that a change inairport search procedures has occurred. The TSA, however, refuses to provide the public with a copy of the new search policies, citing security concerns.

Nevertheless, the TSA has assured the Sikh Coalition that it will provide the Coalition with information it can share with the Sikh community by Monday, August 20th. The TSA has also promised to meet with Sikh Coalition staff members early this coming week to discuss the Sikhcommunity's concerns about the new policy.The Coalition will report back to the Sikh community once it reviews theinformation the TSA provides on Monday, and after it meets with the TSA later this week.

Let us Believe...

In all distress, there is comfort;
in moments of darkness, there is light;
in moment of despair, there is hope.

There has to be - because we are Muslims.

In actual fact, we have to unite. Unity in the Ummah is the only way we can overcome adversities such as this. But there is always hope when all else is lost. There are always ways to help.

Hope is through Allah and to him alone. Let's pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters who steadfast believe in becoming better Muslims - the same way we should pray for ourselves!

Hijab always in focus -

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty sheds light on an important question here.

It is not unusual to have bouts of uncertainty concerning Hijab once in a while. Is it really ordained? Why women? Why only women?

It can be confusing with the surrounding controvery. Hijab always being in focus, always talked about, always scrutnised.

Sometimes everything gleams at us so clearly and we fully understand and accept Hijab as our own.

Luckily for us, there are plenty of Hijab resources on IOL. This can be your starting page.

Happy learning!

High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed, but say, "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge." (Ta-Ha: 114)

Ten Things I Love About You (part 2)

(6) I am proud of who I am
Now, I am proud of who I am. I have eliminated worries about my weight, my height, my waist line. My brain has emptied out all these useless insecurities and filled itself up with ambitions that have brought my career to sky-rocket, my children to excel in school and my marriage to flourish. My parents are always proud of my achievements. I am able to lend a helping ear to those in need and hand-hold through to comfort without worrying about myself all the time.

I continue to strive and to learn and to harbour as much knowledge as possible with every passing moment as my nose will never be caught between leaves of cosmetic magazines sending signals to my brain that those glamorous pictures of beautifully computerized women are true to life.

My esteem is rock-steady because I know how to water it and fertilise it and reach for the light, the sun – rather than grovel in the soils of self-pity in search of worldly happiness that is as shallow as its glossy roots.

(7) I gel with the weather
I am always cool and comfortable with you around. You are loose around my body and do not stick to me on a hot blazing day. You give me air to breathe and when I am on the move, I glide easily as I do not worry about what I look like from behind or from the side – in fact I have nothing to hide, because I am all hidden.

If I feel cold, I slip an extra piece of clothing on – something just as non-revealing and it keeps me warm throughout the different seasons in the year.

(8) You have given me a sense of belonging
I do not wonder around aimlessly hoping for things to get better and worry why I do not fit in. This is because you have given me a sense of belonging that I belong to the believers of God. That by committing myself to you, I have made a commitment to the Muslim Ummah and insha’Allah will always be part of the Muslim community.

I have no qualms about not joining in on the latest hip parties or glamorous societies. I have you and you have linked me to true believers and advocates of Islam.

(9) I have become a better person
Now that I have you, I actively find ways to become a better person. It only fits the purpose as when you are around I feel the inner me must find ways to improve itself to suit the outer me. If I want to demonstrate the beauty of Islam, I have to do it from within as well as from the way I look from the outside.

I pray more diligently and smile a lot more. I provide for charity with whatever I do not need. I love my family more and pay attention to my friends. I shop wisely, and drive with greater care. I take time to laugh and I take time to cry. I appreciate everything that happens to me and it makes me a better person. I take my time to learn from my mistakes and never to repeat them again because I appreciate my every milestone I make in becoming a better Muslim.

(10) I feel closer to Allah with you around
And because of all of this, I feel so much closer to Allah. I am a more conscientious Muslim and I live from day to day in remembrance of the Lord. I do not worry about the shallow matters of dunya and concern myself with things that can make my life in the akhirah the most rewarding experience.

Thank you Hijab,
I hope you realize how much you mean to me!

Ten Things I Love About You (part 1)

Dear Hijab,

I am writing this letter to tell you how much you mean to me. Though there are so many reasons why I cherish you and appreciate every moment of the day with you, I thought I would list the top 10 reasons why I love you this much!

(1) You keep me protected
I feel safe all the time with you are around. I attract much less negative attention from those men at the stalls, men at the construction site, men across the road, in their cars, in the office and at the mall. In fact, they do not bother to look even twice because they know I do not bother about them. I do not care for their attention, their cat-calls or free drinks. They know that I can take care of myself and do not require their attention to feel appreciated. In fact, I can buy my own drinks, and I proudly do so while they do not look on.

(2) You are kind on my wallet
Because of you, I do not feel compelled to run out and buy that latest top or newest edition of designer lip stick. I am not obsessed how my hair looks or falls or sways with the wind so I don’t visit the hair saloon religiously nor do dish out bundles of notes to buy their expensive hair sprays / conditioners / shampoos / hair dye. I don’t need to plague my weekends with shopping sprees to make sure I look like the next top model or rising TV personality.

I am all kept and proper and I buy only what I need when I need. I am not a display ornament that has to be beautified by those products that brandish endless shelves at the beauty sections of shopping malls or are obscenely displayed in beauty magazines.

I can save money for more important things because of you. Like alms for the poor and my pilgrimage to the holy land. I have stashed money away for me to pursue my PHD and take care of my parents when they are older. In fact, my children’s accounts are thriving thanks to you – insha’Allah they will be given the best education possible.

(3) I have learned to love myself for who I am
Now that you are here, I look in the mirror before going out and I see someone without make up and without a strand of hair dangling for attention. I see myself as me, the way God made me. I do not have to look like anyone else or pretend to be someone else. I learned to be myself and appreciate all the natural beauty I have been honoured with, by the grace of God. I am perfectly imperfect and I love myself for looking like this.

I love my eyes and I love my smile – I love my skin, though none of them are perfect. I love them because they are invaluable presents for God and I appreciate them for all their imperfections.

(4) I know people who truly love me for who I am
I need not be obsessed with how others see me. Should they not like what they see, then it is obviously a certain shallowness speaking to them as I am much more than just “a look”. People who appreciate me love me for who I am and what I can do to make the world a better place.

There are those who think that I am not up to their standard to befriend because I don’t wear the latest skirts and my earrings are covered by my scarf. Or maybe it is because chocolaty strawberry is the latest blusher and my cheeks are as naturally rosy as ever.

But I do not mind them. In fact, because of you, they do not fit into my standards when they do not understand my opinions on 101 contemporary issues that surround us today. People who appreciate me for that are my true friends and friends that will last a lifetime.

(5) My husband, he always feels like so good about himself
It’s funny how girlie magazines are always ranting about how to sooth that male ego to keep your man happy, yet when you are with me they think that I’m succumbing to my husband’s dictatorship to the depths of a bottomless pit.

They do not understand that the reason you are with me is because I truly succumb to God and not my spouse. Yet, magically, by this submission, my husband and his ego are always a-smiles! He always feels secure when I am out and about because he does not feel threatened of any unwanted attention. He is assured that I am safely guarded from the public eye curbing the dangers that may befall the vulnerability of any woman on the street.

And when I am at home, with him, unveiled, that really massages his ego. He knows that he is the only man who is allowed to see me with make-up on, pretty jewellery and a short denim skirt. He really feels like a chump because of you.

Sharing the Responsibilities of Hijab

Men and women complement each other. We are both halves of a whole – says the Qur’an, as it has described spouses to be garments for each other. What do garments do? They protect us from unwanted attention, protect us from the weather, disguise our imperfections and beautify us.

What more the garment known as Hijab? Hijab is an obligatory fulfillment ordained by Allah Ta’ala upon women. Muslim women are required to don the headscarf and wear loose, non-transparent and long clothes when in the presence of non-mahram (marriageable) men. Men too have the same obligation to dress the same – save for the head cover.

However, the Hijab, always a media hype, seems to be the most controversial piece of clothing for the practicing Muslim woman. When asked why the head-covering is required, Muslims always answer: a woman is not allowed to display her beauty in front of men who are not related to her.
Yes, this is true by all means, but sometimes, interpretation to this sentence brings yet another wave of misconceptions where women have to be covered and have to be protected and somehow or another women are the oppressed gender in Islam. What is more? Men in Islam force this dress-code upon women. As mentioned, these are misconceptions, and misconceptions easily brought about by a simple truthful sentence.

So as Muslims, let us think: let us turn it around and see how it sounds. If a woman is not allowed to display her beauty, how does this affect the man?

The next time someone asks you about the Hijab, whether you are a Muslim man or woman, tell them: a man is not allowed to look at a woman’s beauty if she is not his wife nor is not related to her.

This sentence tells us the same thing that woman are to be covered and have the utmost right to be protected from the ogling of the opposite gender, yet, men are the second half of the whole, and they are the ones who must guard their modesty and steer clear away from any form of proximity.
This elevates the true Islamic status of a woman by women are not meant to be seen as sex objects, but are to be recognized as women of substance. When a man marries a woman, he does only vow his loyalty and dedication towards a woman of piety, he is also allowed to enjoy her beauty as she is allowed to unveil in front of him.

The Qur’an requires believing men and women to lower their gazes and guard their chastity when dealing with the opposite gender. It further requires women to drape their hair veil over their chests – this sentence just exemplifies how attractive women are to the opposite gender that Allah prompts us with a friendly reminder that women are to concentrate on improving their inner beauty rather than their physical attributes.

The Hijab therefore requires men to be equally responsible to guard the Hijab of women through advising their wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and other relatives the importance keeping the veil and at the same time, the practicing Muslim man guards his own Hijab in more ways than one.

Bringing Out the Inner You

It is not always easy to be a good Muslim. It sounds easy in principle – anything you do for the sake of Allah, which is good and pure in intention awards you merits. However, practicing what is preached is not always easy. We live in a world full of temptations that tingle our nafs in many ways more than one, and easily distracts us from the core reason of our existence – to praise and worship Allah.

Yet there are moments in the waking day when we know we are aware our good deeds and try our best to live up to the expectations of our Lord.

Grooming the inner Muslimah is always harder than the outer Muslimah. The Hijab can always easily be worn according to Islamic principles but that inner Muslimah sometimes feels left out of the hip and happening circle where women dress to kill and to please. Taming the inner Muslimah shrew is not always be easy.

Then there are the accompanying issues – while dressing up like a Muslimah may not be a problem, the heart is always vulnerable to evil slurs and innuendoes.

There have been many times where I hear comments of Muslimah X, who wears the Hijab, but has a bad habit of back-biting. Muslimah Y, who always covers, is a serial dater and has quite an obsession with the opposite gender. Muslimah Z, who dresses modestly, committed embezzlement during the closing of her company’s accounts.

These uncharacteristic personas contradict violently with the image of a Muslimah. It is not only a short fall of a Muslimah to act in the manners above but it is detriment to Islam when she dresses the right way but acts the totally opposite.

Keeping Up Appearances

Remember, we become advocates of Islam when we don the Hijab – we are known as the Muslim woman whether a daughter, wife, mother, in-law, colleague, neighbour or student.

When this happens, realize that you are representing Islam on the outside through your Islamic dress and whatever you do from the inside will reflect upon Islam. Though negative behaviour is never related with Islam, the religion walks a fine line between truth and misinterpretation. A little stumble by a Muslim towards un-Islamic behaviour causes the whole religion to be construed. Do not allow your actions lead to Islam taking the defense stand in a court case.

Guard your modesty, says the Qur’an, and it does not only refer to covering your physical beauty –
it also refers to purifying your heart.

Always engage in good deeds as they will actively eradicate bad deeds. The more pro-active we are in representing Islam in its true light, the closer to Allah will be and the brighter will His guidance shine.

Keep good company, as friends or also known as our sahabah play an important role in our lives. True Muslim friends help us maintain our modesty and amplify good Islamic behaviour at all times
and encourage us to become better people.

Learn from the Prophet’s sahabah, his first company of followers. Many of them were women – his wives, relatives, children and other Muslimahs of his time. Read up their histories and learn how they practiced Islam. Inspire yourself to live like them and feel honoured to be part of the ummah.

Never lose faith in Allah – always keep your relationship with him sturdy. Build up on Islamic knowledge and your ibadah (worship). Take time away from the world, be it only an hour a day and ponder upon the blessings He has bestowed upon you. Truly believe that He has chosen you as a follower - because He has - and that is the greatest gift anyone could have.

So the next time you don the Hijab, look into the mirror and ask yourself, really ask your Inner self, what you are going to do today to bring out Islam through to the Outer you.