Wednesday, October 8, 2014

... AND THIS IS WHY I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THIS IMAGE


This image has gone really viral over the past few months or so, and I should say, it's something I totally disagree with. Why? Because the image is not a message of benefit but one of humiliation. I know that some of you might think I say this only because I am a Niqabi and I've taken this way too personally. The fact is, I have. Being a Niqabi, it is natural to take a message like this personally because it does not only insult Niqabis, but the Niqab and the Hijab on the whole. And this is exactly why I simply cannot stand this.

Now to the message of the image. One of the many reasons I disagree with this is because it goes contrary to Islam. For the left side of the image of a non-Hijabi reading the Quran, I have just one question to ask: Hijab is a command in Islam. Surely, all of you agree with this. When the Quran orders that women wear the Hijab, how can we read the Quran while not following one of its orders? The next is that when you read the Quran, you should be in the state of Wudhu and how can your Wudhu be accepted if nail polish has been applied? Once again a contradiction in the message of this picture.

Now for the right side of the image of the Niqabi. It is haraam in Islam to smoke cigarettes and this is true for all Muslims, Niqabi or not.

And finally, for the caption. The 'Don't Judge Me' paranoia has hit the Muslim Ummah really hard and as much as some of you might hate it, I think this is just an excuse some people say to push away any advice ( and I particularly emphasize on *some*). It is true that a person's relationship with Allah is something only between that person and Allah, but our attitude and way of dressing denotes how close our relationship with Allah is. If we are true Muslimahs, we would wear the Hijab and we'll make no excuses for it. 

And please, if you have any respect for the Islamic dress code which is the Hijab and Niqab, please avoid sharing images like this online because not only are you giving non-Muslims, who may not be very supportive of our dress code, a very bad impression of Islam, but you are also pushing away non-Hijabi/Niqabi sisters from donning the Hijab/Niqabi because they may easily believe that the way we dress is not important so long as we are simply Muslims. Dawah should encourage other Muslims towards practicing Islam. Not push them away from it. As harsh as I may sound, this is true. And for those who would like to call me an extremist... Oh well, I've had enough of that! The truth needs to be said, whether we like it or not.



P.S:  Niqabis are humans and they are prone to making mistakes too. Please stop associating their mistakes with their attire.

P.P.S: Niqabis- take this as a wake-up call. When we wear the Niqab or Hijab, we represent Islam and people will scrutinize us very, very carefully, so make sure that your behaviour does not bring any shame to the honourable Hijab or Niqab in any way.

13 comments:

  1. Great post! I completely agree. I'm so sick of seeing that picture pop-up. It's a woman's choice if she wants to wear hijab or not, but there is not justification for NOT wearing it, as pictures like this seem to imply. I recently wrote a blog post on this matter:
    http://lighttuponlight.blogspot.com/2014/05/for-those-who-dont-believe-in-hijab.html

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    1. I completely agree sister. We can't force the Hijab on someone, but like you said, there is no justification for not wearing it.
      I read your blog post and it's great, MashaAllah. You have a great blog :)

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    2. Thank you, Jazak allahu khayran sister. That means a lot to me :)

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  2. This picture is insulting to all muslimahs.

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  3. Good post!!
    People making judgements should not be the reason for change. Change should be because we realise our mistakes and want to please Allah.

    Niqab or hijab or not, humans make mistakes and that is why seeking forgiveness exists.

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  4. wow, this is good. Made me think in another point of view. Thank you so much

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  5. just a point.
    this pic shared is of a single girl holding a copy of Qur'an in her right hand and a lighted cigarette in her left.

    the nail polish colour in both the hands is identical..! and coincidentally also the hands..!!

    the pic of a niqabi is just cropped and pasted on the right half of the pic to deceive at first sight.

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  6. I totally agree with you.. this is one of the common excuses most of the muslimahs make these days and they start judging muslimahs who sin secretly and do hijab or niqab. In the end the point is one must never judge anyone, we all know that but to justify ones sins when one gives advice is totally unacceptable. This is what majority of the muslimahs are doing. justifying their acts by saying only God can judge me. So yes God did judge these women by saying they won't even smell the fragrance of Jannah from so and so distance. Hijab is a command and not a choice which again is the contradiction these muslimahs aare putting themselves into. May Allah guide us all. Ameen :D

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  7. Well that's how some ppl show their ignorance, as we say...idiots have no corns:)

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  8. Great post! I agree with much of what you said but I would just like to point out that smoking is not haram as it is not stated to be in the Qur'an. If it is not haram then there are varying levels by which it is classified as, ie permissible (or halal), disliked, mekruh etc. Thanks!

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  9. Sometimes I feel like all the memes like this are simply excuses to make people who don't like following the religion feel better. It's hard to generalize, but wearing the niqab in America is usually a sign of real dedication. So yes, if I see a niqabi sister I will judge her as someone really trying. Judge me, honey.

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  10. Not trying to attack you here, but I know many girls who wear hijab/naqab just for a show, and don't even know when and how to pray. SOME PEOPLE, SOME I REPEAT, wear just to show how religious they are so that people will respect them, when they don't follow the basic rules like listening to songs which give out a bad message, interacting with men they don't know, etc. (This is not directed at you, trust me, I knew this one girl who does exactly as I'm telling you). And yes I listen to songs occasionally, and I know its not acceptable, but I don't shame people for it, like that girl used to shame me while doing the exact same thing. And she didn't even know the ABC of Islam or how to pray and read Quran. I'm not a hijabi, but I still pray 5 times a day and read the holy Quran too. I know enough about Islam, and I KNOW that I don't follow all of the rules, so I don't stop people for it. The purpose of that picture was, your dressing does not matter if you have a connection with Allah.

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