Convert to Islam
By: Sister Sumayyah Joan
(Originally published in Resalah, December 1999)
It will be three years ago, this December 25th, that I stood before two
Muslim sisters and declared openly my belief in Allah and His
Messenger, Sallallahu-‘Alaihi Was-Sallam, and thus freeing and liberating myself
from my former self-imposed bondage. Stepping out of the darkness of disbelief
into the light of Islam, it’s funny that I found such freedom in the very thing
that was keeping me from Islam in the first place; the hijab. Even though I
get the wide gamut of strange stares, points, and comments, this covering makes
me feel honored, safe, and cherished.
The word hijab comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to hide from view
or to conceal their beauty in this society and do not give in to its oppressive
system, are looked upon as invisible, without sexuality, and backward. Because
I’m often mistaken for a nun, a terrorist, who may be hiding Allah knows what’s
under all that stuff, or the poster-child for oppressed womanhood everywhere, I
feel the reactions to the hijab for many women, is the truest test of being a
Muslim. In instructing us to wear the hijab, Allah has given Muslim women what
they can bear of injunctions and obligations. For Allah says,
"And we do not lay on any soul a burden except to the extent of it’s
ability, and with Us is a Book which speaks the truth, and they shall not be
dealt with unjustly." (23:62)
Unfortunately, Satan and his cohorts are calling the Muslim woman to enslave
her to the creation, and to forget about her servitude to her Creator. Chastity,
modesty, and piety are deceptively marked as shackles on personal freedom. Allah
warns the believers that they should not let Satan deceive them, as he deceived
their parents, Adam and Eve. Under the guises of fashion, culture, and
modernism, however, Satan has succeeded and is succeeding to lead the Muslim
woman into immodesty.
From the dawn of civilization, flowing dresses and headscarves has always
been associated with "Godliness" or "God consciousness". Even the Christian
pictorial representation of the earlier prophets and their womenfolk bear
familiar likeness to the dress ordained for Muslim men and women. This tradition
of modesty is reflected in the Qur’an, wherein Allah says,
"O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves
(screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment. But the raiment of
righteousness, that is better" (7:26)
But since the heyday of feminist movement, there has been an increasing
amount of scrutiny placed on the dress and status of Muslim women. According
to these "liberated" women, the hijab not only covers the head, but also covers
the mind, will, and intellect. They say that our dress code is outdated and
oppressive, and it stops us from being productive human beings. They speak out
of ignorance when they say that our hijab does not belong in these modern
times, when due to the constant decrease in moral values in the world
today, circumstances make the hijab even more necessary. More than ever
before, sex crimes are rampant and "liberated women" in the larder society
now face increasing higher chances of being raped or sexually harassed. The
Federal Government conducted research in which they found that in America, a
rape is committed every six minutes.
The women, who uncover their beauty and show off their bodies and made-up
faces for all to enjoy, expose themselves to be harmed by wolves in human
clothing. Allah enjoined hijab on the Muslim woman to protect her from harm.
He knows his creation, and knows that when women make a dazzling display of
themselves, with immodest clothes, perfumed bodies and made-up faces, it serves
to increase the sexual deviance of the overall society. Many of those who are
misguided would have us thing though that the hijab is a portable prison that
restricts our minds, lives, and hearts. It is none of these things, and in
order not to fall victim to their plots, we must begin to understand what the
hijab truly is.
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