A question to those who wear niqab

[hana*]

:salam2:

today at work I was asked many questions about Islam, particullarly prayer, marriage, hijab and niqab. I love when people ask me about Islam as this is an ideal opportunity for me to rectify the Image of Islam, in particular- the Muslim woman.

anyway, one question posed do me was that of niqab and the reasons why women choose to wear it. whilst i am good at answering questions with respects to hijab, prayer, etc, I dont think niqab is my strong point because personally I do not wear it (but i wear hijab) but I did try my best to give them good answers.

okay, so my question posed to those who wear niqab is:

what made you wear niqab? or what was the deciding factor that made you wear it (maybe sis palestine can help?)

I know it is youre choice etc but i want a strong response so that I can convey this to these people. I also told them that there are many american/british reverts who chose to wear niqab because they strongly believe in it. I need something which a typical scottish woman can understand: something simple, but strong.

jazakAllahu khairan

 

[Aapa]

Salaam,

Although I do not wear niqab a dear sister does. A woman wears what is comfortable and spiritual. In cold it makes sense...it keeps the wind out. In times of germs..it is sensible to prevent catching germs. My friend has cancer. Wearing a veil makes it easier on her not to get sick. It is a simple way to dress. You never have a bad hair day; you never have to worry about all the lumps and bumps showing. You can walk very freely. Your interactions become minimal; at times this is good. You are safe. It is a wonderful male repellent.People show you the utmost respect. And you are marked as one who belongs not to the dunya but you belong to Allah subhana talla.

 

[Janaan]

Wa'alaikum salaam ukhti

I also do not wear niqab, but i hope to do so in the near future insha'allah. I have an older sister who wears it though, and when i asked why, she said, women are supposed to lower thier Gaze and not show thier teeth(smile) infront of men. Basically she ment that if women wear niqab, their teeth will be covered, they'll be respected by men and will learn how the women are suppose to act. even Allah says:

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils)* all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Al-ahzab 33:59
I hope that *sort* of helped ukhti

 

[revert2007]

Well alhamdulilah i wear niqab.The reason I choose to wear it because i do not like men staring at me and wondering if am egyptian or foreigner and if they know am foreigner they will start to talk to me.

Besides that,it was an urge from my heart which wants me to do it.People can argue whether it is obligatory or not obligatory but recommended.Whatever it is,it comes to the individual who is wearing
it.It is an act of worhip to seek for Allah's pleasure and a way of following the sunnah whereby the wives of the prophet pbuh wore it.

I do not wear niqab strictly as what people might think.I do no wear niqab in front of my brother in law and infront of my husband's nephews and their father and infront of men who are above 50 and they have seen me before.I wear it when there are strangers and when i go out of the house.Thsi si the condition of my husband before he allows me to wear it so i must obey him and i am fine with it as long as i wear it outside of the house.

If someone asked then just say it is sunnah and a way to get closer to Allah inshaAllah and if she doubts that someone is looking at her or there is fitnah,then she should wear it.

If the niqab is threatening her life and because of the niqab she might be killed or abused then she should take it off because niqab is not obligatory and wasn't mentioned in quran.so here the obligatory thing is to take care of urself and if the niqab brings danger to your life then you should remove your niqab and remain with hijab.Same goes to beard if a man who has beard might be killed,then he can shave it because having beard is sunnah and taking care of your life is obligatory.

Alhamdulilah so far i haven't face such situation except annoying words from ignorant and arrogant people.

 

[palestine]

Walaikum wasalam. Well, i'm new to the new, today was my fourth day wearing it and so far it's been a bit difficult. before i answer your question, i thought i might share something interesting. at school today, there wasn't good lunch in the cafetiria, so i decided i was going to go to the coffee shop at school. they sell little snacks and stuff. so i went in, and i asked if i could please have a cookie and a bottle of water - the woman standing there, tells me, "nope, first uncover your face". and i look at her as if i've been stabbed and i say, "no, i'm practicing this as a part of my religion". and she says, "it's like the hat policy in our school, and until you uncover yourself i won't let you buy anything from here". my blood boils and i'm shocked and seriously hungry, and i try explaining to her but she refuses. i leave, and i tell some other staff members and they talk to her, and she still refuses. so tomorrow, i'm gonna go back in there again and see what she says InshAllah. if she keeps it up, this will definitely air on pbs. my friend is doing a documentary and she wants me to talk about that stuff inshaAllah. they'll censor my voice and face. sorry ukhti, should not talk that long. ok so here i go...

I studied the niqab for around two years from internet sources. I was already a hijabi, but i felt that i needed to climb higher on my ladder of faith, i didn't want to stay at the same position always. I was looking for a way to get closer to Allah and earn more rewards. I knew the niqab was hard, but thought, well good results and endings dont' come that easy, they have to be earned. I chose the niqab out of love for Allah swt, to be closer to him and to reach a higher form of modesty. When i saw pictures of sisters who wore the niqab and videos about the niqab, it made me feel that women, muslim women who wear the niqab are true pearls. These were my thoughts of course and still are. I believe women who wear the hijab or the niqab are pearls, that they are a light within the Ummah, that they set an example for others to follow and that they do what they can to earn the love of Allah swt. The Niqab is not just any material that covers your face, it is a way of maintianing modesty along with your actions/deeds and so much more. The niqab is a precious material that in my mind is worth much more than than any millions or billions of dollars. It is simply a way of finding inner peace, of getting closer to Allah, and a way of finding your self esteem in the midst of this crazy chaotic world that makes you think you have to be a certain way to fit into society. Muslim women, wearing the niqab and hijab, and among those who have good iman, are Torchbearers and a light in a world that is dark and cold.
hope that helps ukhti, that is truly how i feel about it.
take care.
wasalamu alaikum.

 

[hana*]

thank you all for youre responses... sister Palestine you are amazing! i know how hard it is to wear hijab at high school in a western society but niqab, thats even harder! we have to fight for our rights and you tell that woman that it is not like the 'hat scenario'- a hat is not a religious symbol whereas niqab is. there is a lot of hate here for niqab and hijab, but that dosent mean we stay soft or appologetic! when i was at high school, alhamdulilah i got so much respect from the male students and teachers- it was the girls who were the problem!

what frustrated me is that nobody thinks twice when a woman walks down the street wearing next to nothing, whilst another woman who choses to cover and respect herself is subjugated to 'male dominance'!

I also understand what sister revert07 is saying, that is the sad reality with men in those countries and i have experienced similar.

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

:salam2:

mashallah i wear niqaab.i do it coz i'm a muslim.being amuslim means total submission to ALLAH's will.it says in surah al-ahdab to cover your faces so i do it.besides it's more comfortable and you feel more confident since you kow you are allllllllll covered.

and you must have heard how gold and jewels are found deep within the earth.so are muslim girls covered completely from head to toe.like jewels

 

[naz haider]

Masha Allah

:salam2:

mashallah i wear niqaab.i do it coz i'm a muslim.being amuslim means total submission to ALLAH's will.it says in surah al-ahdab to cover your faces so i do it.besides it's more comfortable and you feel more confident since you kow you are allllllllll covered.

and you must have heard how gold and jewels are found deep within the earth.so are muslim girls covered completely from head to toe.like jewels

Assalam Alaikum sisters,
Well said sister Seeking Allah's Mercy.
I have started wearing the Naqaab only since a month and I do not have it as hard as some of my sisters in the west. India being a land of diverse religions, I do not face any kind of problems in wearing the naqab. But i do get comments like 'Terrorist' and 'Ghost' and not to forget the weird stares. The bad thing is that these comments are generally made by fellow females, and I sometimes do give them a piece of my mind to shut them up (May Allah forgive me for that)
The best thing about Naqaab, the fact which makes me feel good about wearing is that I am spared the bad stares from guys, rather I have experienced that men look upto me with respect... but it is the females who seem to hold a grudge against the fully covered women. While travelling (I travel in the ladies compartment of the train) there are atleast a couple of females who keep staring at me continuosly, and make me feel uncomfortable.
I seek Allah's help and mercy and beg him to give me the strength to follow my deen. Insha Allah

 

[IslamicGirl24]

Assalmu alaykum.

Almost all of the females in my family wear the niqaab Alhamdulillah. So, as a kid it was a real passion for me to wear it one day as well.. I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that I should really start wearing it. Alhamdulillah since then i have never regretted my decision and I just pray that may Allah swt make me firm on this. Ameen.

P.S: I have some serious breathing problems and thanks to the niqaab I don't get infected very much, nowadays...

 

[revert2007]

This is a good thread where i can find all the sisters wearing niqab

 

[hana*]

:salam2:

mashallah i wear niqaab.i do it coz i'm a muslim.being amuslim means total submission to ALLAH's will.it says in surah al-ahdab to cover your faces so i do it.besides it's more comfortable and you feel more confident since you kow you are allllllllll covered.

and you must have heard how gold and jewels are found deep within the earth.so are muslim girls covered completely from head to toe.like jewels

yup, I use the diamond/jewel analogy too for when it comes to hijab

 

[hana*]

Assalam Alaikum sisters,
Well said sister Seeking Allah's Mercy.
I have started wearing the Naqaab only since a month and I do not have it as hard as some of my sisters in the west. India being a land of diverse religions, I do not face any kind of problems in wearing the naqab. But i do get comments like 'Terrorist' and 'Ghost' and not to forget the weird stares. The bad thing is that these comments are generally made by fellow females, and I sometimes do give them a piece of my mind to shut them up (May Allah forgive me for that)
The best thing about Naqaab, the fact which makes me feel good about wearing is that I am spared the bad stares from guys, rather I have experienced that men look upto me with respect... but it is the females who seem to hold a grudge against the fully covered women. While travelling (I travel in the ladies compartment of the train) there are atleast a couple of females who keep staring at me continuosly, and make me feel uncomfortable.
I seek Allah's help and mercy and beg him to give me the strength to follow my deen. Insha Allah

i totally agree with you sis, it is the females that have the problem with both hijab and niqab not the males.. actually i gain alot of respect from males: they know at work im a 'no go zone' they know not to hug me of flirt with me etc because of the hijab but they can converse with me in a manner most respectful- and this is what they do. i think for non-muslim women in the west, it is, for them, a sign of 'male power'.. these very same women fought so hard to be 'co-equal' to men- by that they think that driving a bus or working in a factory etc makes them co-equal. subhanAllah we have more rights than any western woman, who spends endless hours caking her face in makeup, dieting, dressing up (or down) for what? to impress males that see her on a day-to-day basis! talk about opression! alhamdulilah for our rights in Islam- we get it easy- its the men who get it tough

 

[hana*]

Assalmu alaykum.

Almost all of the females in my family wear the niqaab Alhamdulillah. So, as a kid it was a real passion for me to wear it one day as well.. I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that I should really start wearing it. Alhamdulillah since then i have never regretted my decision and I just pray that may Allah swt make me firm on this. Ameen.

P.S: I have some serious breathing problems and thanks to the niqaab I don't get infected very much, nowadays...

Allah strenghthen you with it and inshaAllah i hope youre breathing problems settle soon ameen

 

[Kakorot]

I started wearing niqab late last year and took it off permanently early this year. Personally, I wore it to be more modest and at that time I was researching on scholary opinion regarding the niqab. Some say it's obligatory; whilst others say its optional but recommended. I tried to convince myself that it's fardh but I couldn't so I wore it because it's optional. I wanted to be more closer to Allaah because I heard many niqabi sisters saying "Wearing niqab makes me get closer to Allaah", so I wanted the same experience. Plus, my college allows niqab so I thought that it was my chance. I also had the mindset that why should a stranger look at my face at that time and everytime I used to see niqabi sisters, I used to think I want to be just like them. It did help me lower my gaze and stuff, it was much easier to btw. So maybe you can explain to your colleagues of how in Islam we are supposed to lower our gaze and wearing niqab helps. Also, some sisters believe that they should not be looked at by strangers and only the men who are related to them should. At the time of the Prophet salAllaahu'alayhi wa sallaam the female companions may Allaah be pleased with them used to cover their faces, and they are role models and inspiration for us Muslim females today and so we follow them. We don't follow fake people and celebs, so maybe you can explain this to them as well. Hope that helps.
I took off my niqab because (everyone is different) but I didn't feel as though I got closer or was getting closer to Allaah by just wearing niqab, I felt the same, but that's just me.

 

[Faxima08]

:salam2: jazaki'Allah sister revert2007 then website that u posted really really helped me i never been there b4 now i knw how important My Islamic Blog is. :salam2:

 

[IslamIsLight]

assalamu aleikum
I do not wear Niqab but inshaAllah one day I will .
My question is to the siters who wear Niqab .
It is ok to uncover your face in front of women right ,even if they are non muslims? From what I seen usually Niqabi siters don't uncover face even in front of women ...

I just think it would be easier to deal with people ,if there is no men around for example.
My question is for sister Palestine.Like for example if there were no men around in the coffee shop ,wouldn't be ok just to uncover your face quick in front of that woman ,even though she was really mean and I'm sure I would probably got mad too .

May Allah give strength to all Niqabi sisers.It really needs a lot of strength and courage to wear Niqab ,especially in the West ..


waaleikum salam

Sister Palestine

 

[Aisya al-Humaira]

:salam2:
honestly the first time when i logged in again to TTI, this thread with its question has grabbed my attention first and foremost
and wallahi it feels nice and wonderful to read our pious sisters' stories on wearing niqaab
but in the same time it makes me sort of crying inside my heart as this has always been my wish too and i had told my mom about it
but i guess it isnt my time yet as my condition doesnt allow for it now
but inshaAllah if im still here - in this world and Allah make things much easier for me, i will with all my heart wear a niqaab inshaAllah
and for now i wish to perform all ibadahs perfectly-perfecting the inside and spiritual first as well as the physical soon inshaAllah
as for all the niqaabis sisters, u have my utmost respect and i pray to Allah may He make u all istiqamah wearing it until the end aminn

 

[palestine]

assalamu aleikum
I do not wear Niqab but inshaAllah one day I will .
My question is to the siters who wear Niqab .
It is ok to uncover your face in front of women right ,even if they are non muslims? From what I seen usually Niqabi siters don't uncover face even in front of women ...

I just think it would be easier to deal with people ,if there is no men around for example.
My question is for sister Palestine.Like for example if there were no men around in the coffee shop ,wouldn't be ok just to uncover your face quick in front of that woman ,even though she was really mean and I'm sure I would probably got mad too .

May Allah give strength to all Niqabi sisers.It really needs a lot of strength and courage to wear Niqab ,especially in the West ..


waaleikum salam

Sister Palestine

i guess i would've if there were only women in the coffee shop, but she never gave me that option. she scolded me in front of her customers and embarrassed me in front of her workers. but Alhamdulillah, all things happen according to Allah's plan. wasalamu alaikum.