I never really have worn one, only ‘duputta’s’ which are of course not good, if you thinka bout what the purpose of hijaab is, to cover, well most duputta’s are thin. I have been thinking and searching a lot. And decided to wear a hijaab from now on. I waited long, because I wanted to wear one for the right reasons and with good intention in my heart. I’m curious how it will be for me and how my friends will react on it. I’m happy with my decision.
Are there more sisters here, who starting using hijaab later? How did youmake your decision and how did you experience it?
well, sadya first of all congratulations 
you took a great decision …more power to you! 
i can’t say much how i felt it ,…but in my opinion …if you are deciding it yourself you should stick to that decision no matter what …i started it in pakistan …n when i came to europe i did hear some nasty comments …even one cousin of mine came to visit us from canada n she was feeling it odd to go out with me …but well, i tried not to feel bad …
living in europe , you must have come across some almost naked ladies …do they ever care how odd is that …?? no …they don’t …so why shoould we …???
dunno if i made any sense …but this was what i felt !
u 2 make me so proud 
:k:
well, I couldnt agree more with Afia..
she described the situation well…
and I think you should see this thread in order to get some info regarding Scarf/Hijab…
http://www.gupistan.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110411
Nia Posted some wodnerful pieces there…
and dont think that ppl are concerned.. only think that ALLAH is concerned…
this will make the decision easy for you to stick…
Salam,
Bohat mubarak ho :)
I start to do hijab for 7-8 years ago, and i feel really good with it...kabhi bhi bhool kar bhi pashtawa nehi hoa...
Shuru me thora ajeeb sa lagta tha...aur bohat se logoN se ajeeb ajeeb bateN son ne ko milti thi...im talking about muslims right now, magar jitni zyada mukhalfat hoti he otna zyada iman strong hota he in fact!...idher paksitani culture me to waise bhi normal nehi he hijab karna...but Alhamdollillah today its many girls who is doing hijab here in norway...MAsha Allah...
For me hijab is a big help to practise Islam...like when i use clothes..im very careful...ke woh bilkul hijabi hoN...like full sleeves not tight at all and so on...i never use make up (dont have it either )...and my behaviour....and so on...
I have to say I Love to do hijab..its something very beautiful....:)
Congratulations sisters!
May Allah give you ajar for this. May Allah also show this light to other sisters also!
We are proud of you!
Re: sisters, hijaab for first time
Sadya, i don’t wear the hijab. Have been thinking about doing so for some time. If you don’t mind my asking, what final factor was it that made you decide, with absolute certainty, that you wanted to wear it? Just wondering because i am sort of at that point in my life - where i really do want to wear it. Need to be certain i am doing it for the “right” reasons etc.
i would truly appreciate any input you can give regarding this. My thanks in advance
It says in the Koran, "...And let them draw their scarves (Khumur) over their bossoms" (Koran, 24:31) Khumur is a plural of Khimar, a sheet of cloth that was used by the women of arabia to cover their heads. According to Imam Abdullah Qurtubi "Women in those days used to cover their heads with the khimar, throwing its ends upon their backs." This left the bossoms uncovered. The muslim women were advised to use the same sheet to cover the bossoms as well.
The Chador and Dopatta of the Indian subcontinent are the closest match to the khimar of Arabia, not only in size and style, but also because they are both used to cover the head and the bossom.
There is a debate among the scholars as to if this verse advises women to cover both the head and the bossoms, or if it tells them to move the scarves off their head and on to their bossoms. The other verse says " [Daryabadi]: they should let down upon them their wrapping-garments." (Koran, 33:59) The words of both the verses can be used to argue against the covering of the head. Therefore, the covering of the head, although a majorly believed fact, is debatable. However, those who do believe in covering the head have a variety of options. Hijab therefore is not used by all Muslim women. Some do not confirm to its requirement, and some use other options.
The debate about whether the face is required to be covered is probably a never ending one. According to some scholars, this verse advises women to move their khumur to their bossoms from infront of their faces. There are instances of this practice at the time of the Prophet, which remarkably resembles the ghoonghat of the subcontinent, which again uses either a chador or a dopatta. However, we can't deny that the verse 33:59 says: "[Pickthall]: draw their cloaks close round them. That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed." Since the verse looks to fulfill the goal of recognition, it puts a question mark to the use of Naqab.
Nowadays, the hijaab, for women, is the man’s equivalent of growing a beard. After you grow it, you become accustomed to it and would feel rather empty without it…So do it man, congrats…:k:
Sadya I’ve been wearing hijab since I came to US and I didn’t find any difficulty wearing it because I had a lot of friends who wore it too but after Sept 11th many of my hijabi friends and even my own older sister stopped wearing hijab and that was the time when people tried to convince me to take it off because they said “it isn’t safe”…It caused some confusion in my mind but I’m glad that I didn’t listen to all those people and continued to wear it because I’m not afraid of anyone other than Allah and I believe if He wants something bad happen to me then it will happen regardless of whether I’m wearing a hijab or not! 
Hey do check out this article before you start wearing hijab:
http://www.gupistan.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=109254
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Lajawab: *
After you grow it, you become accustomed to it and would feel rather empty without it...
[/QUOTE]
Yup. That's for sure!! :)
Yes AFia, you make perfect sense, if they don’t care while being almost naked, then why should we when we cover ourselves? You are right.
I can’t believe your cousin thought it was odd to go out with you, jsut because of your hijaab! I have some family members too like, in England. I’m definitely going to stick to my decision. To my real friends it shouldn’t matter, and to me it should only matter what Allah thinks of me.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sadya: *
I can't believe your cousin thought it was odd to go out with you, jsut because of your hijaab!
[/QUOTE]
hehe.....sadya actually its not just hijab ...i cover my face too ....so perhaps thats why she felt odd .....!!
Coolbreeze: thank you for the link! I've seen many different designs here, especially the Turqish women here, have such beautiful hijabs, and htere are so many nice ways to wear it. :-)
Larki Pakstani: It's true, hijaab changes your look on clothes. I don't wear make up, never have, well only when I was married, but some of my shalwaar kameez are, though longsleeved, still tight. So now you think twice when you choose clothes!
Nadia: I don't mind your question. :-)
I don't know exactly what finally made me do it. I just had this strong urge that I should. I guess for me the timing was right. Maybe I wasn't ready yet before. I don't know. For me religion has been an issue for a long time now. I have been pretty mixed up for a while!
I am ashamed to say I even almost lost my faith. But somehow Allah woke me up. I guess my imaan was not so strong. Now it's stronger than ever. I pray it gets stronger and stronger every day. I used to be ashamed to say I'm muslim, and I didn'tunderstand islam completely. I'm learning a lot now. Like it was never explained why hijaab was necesary, and proper hijaab wasn't taught, but duputta. adn when asked why, the response would be 'because you have to, it's requiered', but neveer completely explained. Everythign was strict. But no explanations! Islam is a beautiful religion when you understand what's behind every thing.
We were always frightened, Allah was made a never forgiving God, you know, you pray you pray, but you will still go to hell, because you did that wrong, or we would only hear Allah's wrath, but not the beautiful things, and how full of forgiveness Allah in fact is, how Merciful. How you can ask forgiveness and start over. I had forgotten Him. Taht was my big mistake. Now I'm proud to be a muslim, and not afraid to show it! That's the main reason for me to start hijaab, that I'm so happy to be a muslim, I want to do as much as Allah asks me to do. I want to be identified as a muslimah, I am no longer ashamed, but PROUD to be one. I can't explain exactly what I'm feeling, but it's overwhelming that I sometimes cry of joy. Yeah, I know, I'm a nutbag... I went outside yesterday for the first time in hijaab. It felt great, safe, strong. I felt so strong in my hijaab. :-) I didn't get any negative reaction yet. But I'm ready for those, lol. Some people were a bit surprised, but maybe it wasn't too much a difference for them, since they are accostumed to see me with duputta. I dont'know if this made any sense or answered your question, but I tried to explained as well as possible what I felt. Jsut this urge deep inside that I wanted it!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Afia: *
hehe.....sadya actually its not just hijab ...i cover my face too ....so perhaps thats why she felt odd .....!!
[/QUOTE]
lol!
Still, what harm could it possibly do to her or anyone else for that matter! I remember, we have a maroc mosque here, where there is place for women for hte fridays prayers, I used to wear 'jilaba' , a traditional maroq clothing over my shalwaar kameez and hijaab. I looked like one of them. And my Mom and I would go for friday afternoon's. But then I go tmarried, and my husband didn't like it at the time! I would tend to keep the hijaab and 'jilaba' on for the rest of the day, and dear hubby would refuse to outside with me in that outfit, lol!
Masha’Allah, keep it up sisters, I’m proud of you :k:
It’s great to see everyone returning to Islam… I know so many people who have suddenly become religious in the past few years, the brothers have started growing beards and the sisters wearing hijabs, our generation is even more religious than our parents generation i know of sisters who wear niqab and all, and their moms don’t even wear hijabs..
[QUOTE]
I don't know exactly what finally made me do it. I just had this strong urge that I should. I guess for me the timing was right. Maybe I wasn't ready yet before. I don't know. For me religion has been an issue for a long time now. I have been pretty mixed up for a while!
I am ashamed to say I even almost lost my faith. But somehow Allah woke me up. I guess my imaan was not so strong. Now it's stronger than ever. I pray it gets stronger and stronger every day. I used to be ashamed to say I'm muslim, and I didn'tunderstand islam completely. I'm learning a lot now. Like it was never explained why hijaab was necesary, and proper hijaab wasn't taught, but duputta. adn when asked why, the response would be 'because you have to, it's requiered', but neveer completely explained. Everythign was strict. But no explanations! Islam is a beautiful religion when you understand what's behind every thing.
We were always frightened, Allah was made a never forgiving God, you know, you pray you pray, but you will still go to hell, because you did that wrong, or we would only hear Allah's wrath, but not the beautiful things, and how full of forgiveness Allah in fact is, how Merciful. How you can ask forgiveness and start over. I had forgotten Him. Taht was my big mistake. Now I'm proud to be a muslim, and not afraid to show it! That's the main reason for me to start hijaab, that I'm so happy to be a muslim, I want to do as much as Allah asks me to do. I want to be identified as a muslimah, I am no longer ashamed, but PROUD to be one. I can't explain exactly what I'm feeling, but it's overwhelming that I sometimes cry of joy. Yeah, I know, I'm a nutbag... I went outside yesterday for the first time in hijaab. It felt great, safe, strong. I felt so strong in my hijaab. :-) I didn't get any negative reaction yet. But I'm ready for those, lol. Some people were a bit surprised, but maybe it wasn't too much a difference for them, since they are accostumed to see me with duputta. I dont'know if this made any sense or answered your question, but I tried to explained as well as possible what I felt. Jsut this urge deep inside that I wanted it!
[/QUOTE]
Sister I’ve had exactly the same sort of feelings as you about religion and stuff, In my early teens Islam wasn't really that appealing to me, I use to judge it by bad mannered ignorant desi mullah's who didn't know jack all about Islam, all they knew was how to recite a few chapters from the Quran and that’s about it and stuff that was all cultural bull was shoved down our throats as part of religion but when I started reading stuff in English that I could understand and read the translation of the Quran and read about the life of the holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and did other research it's so touching, God opened my heart to the truth and all I want to do is please Allah Ta'ala, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of me any more... I’m thinking of growing a beard soon but I haven’t yet decided if I should carry on wearing western clothes or wear shalwar-kameez and a amamah (turban) because a beard would suit it more… I know my non-desi teachers; classmates are not going to like the change but who cares about their opinion?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Saif-ul-Islam: *
Sister I’ve had exactly the same sort of feelings as you about religion and stuff, In my early teens Islam wasn't really that appealing to me, I use to judge it by bad mannered ignorant desi mullah's who didn't know jack all about Islam, all they knew was how to recite a few chapters from the Quran and that’s about it and stuff that was all cultural bull was shoved down our throats as part of religion but when I started reading stuff in English that I could understand and read the translation of the Quran and read about the life of the holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and did other research it's so touching, God opened my heart to the truth and all I want to do is please Allah Ta'ala, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of me any more... I’m thinking of growing a beard soon but I haven’t yet decided if I should carry on wearing western clothes or wear shalwar-kameez and a amamah (turban) because a beard would suit it more… I know my non-desi teachers; classmates are not going to like the change but who cares about their opinion?
[/QUOTE]
Well, brother, I think western clothing as long as it's proper, doesn't matter much, Islam doesn't necesarily means wearing shalwar kameez, that is culture. I agree with everything else you wrote. If you want to wear the traditional clothes,you should do it. Doesn't mean what anybody thinks! I read the other day this quote, that reputation is what people see, character is what God sees.
It's so silly when you are a practising muslim, you are often labelled fanatic by non-muslims! If you pray five times, women use hijab, men let a beard grow, stay away from alcohol and stuff, go to the mosque frequently, suddenly you are a fanatic! While you are just practising your religion. People always have something to say. Only matters what Allah thinks of you. He knows what's in your heart.
You should just do what you feel is right for you.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I wanted to share a very beautiful incident. Every year we invite a shaikh or imam from a big mosque. Our town is quite small and our mosque is made in a rented apartment. I live in Western Kentucky.
Last semester, we invited the Shaikh. He is a very learned person, born an raised in the U.S. He really knows how to talk good and eloguently. We arrange an Islam orientation day and arrange for questions and answers. Many people asked all sorts of questions, and by the will of Allah, the Shaikh handled them well.
One question made the whole auditorium quiet. One girl, unfortunately an ultra modern Muslim asked:
"Why does Islam force women to cover their heads. Isn't it bad and forcing of opinion on others"
Even we were shocked to hear that from a Muslim girl.
The Shaikh said very softly:
"I was educated in a Catholic school. It was a religious setting. Everyday I came across a picture in our lobby. It was the most beautiful picture. It was of the most pious women. It was our beloved Virgin Mary!" Everybody suddenly had a smile on their faces.
He continued:
"Please show me one picture in which her hair are showing and her head is not covered. We Muslims try to follow her example! "
And there was pin drop silence!
The follow up question to the Shiekh should have been:
Are pictures allowed in Islam?