Muslims and non-Muslims alike have asked me the same question countless times.  While it is true that Islam, in addition to the spiritual enlightenment, has preferred women to wear the hijab for their safety and modesty, there are additional important reasons worth mentioning.

I wear the garment for a further cause. I wear it because of you.  You read that correctly, sister – whether you are Muslim or a non-Muslim, I believe in the right of every woman that has ever lived or will ever live.  I believe that women are not reduced to the carrot-top beauties and big-chested supermodels. I believe that women should be regarded with respect and not because their gait is suggestive.  You, as a woman, should have the freedom to leave the house with dignity rather than be a victim to peeping neighbours and lusting friends.  Women are more than long legs and captivating eyes.  A bikini-clad woman should not be used to advertise cars and shaving products.  Her silhouette should not be used to sell medicine and her curves should not be a tool for sales in a bedding company.

I believe that when men speak to you, regardless of your views in life, they should look into your eyes rather than anything lower, and when you pass by them, they should not stare at your receding form.  I believe women’s barely clad bodies should not be used as the front cover to sell adult or cooking magazines.

Teenage girls, or even pre-pubescent girls, should not turn on the TV and aspire to be a celebrity who is solely judged by her body and not by her character.  She should not view herself in the mirror and imagine her body a few inches thinner.  Our younger siblings should not need to go to the bathroom to vomit what they have eaten because their bodies make them feel insecure and lacking in confidence.

A woman should be judged by her character, her morality, her views on life, her intelligence, her undying pursuit for the advancement in this world, her love for every brother, every sister, and every child.  She should be given a right to speak with her words rather than her body.  Her eyes should be igniting with her self-worth rather than ashamed because the current trend of jeans does not fit her body type.

I wear my hijab for every woman who has walked the paths in this world.  I believe in her rights, her freedom, her mind, and the power that lies within.  A woman can change the world.  She can inspire generations.  She can bridge barriers.  I am proud to be a woman.  I am aware of my confidence and my status as a human being.

I know I am beautiful and these are my reasons to wear the hijab.

I am sure there is no need to impress on you the importance of worshiping and doing good deeds during the next few weeks.  The reward of a single good deed is a thousand times more during Ramadan and we are blessed to be the followers of Allah’s religion in which opportunities of such deeds come in quick succession.  Even if our minds are not complying, our hearts are aching to find the inner peace our soul requires.  With the worldly matters distracting us, it is difficult to heed the advice. In light of these circumstances, how can we make the best of Ramadan?

Prioritize

Sometimes in lieu of necessary things, we squeeze in that extra work that is not necessary.  Doing so is a natural habit that we have accumulated throughout the year and as this month of blessings come by, we have developed a habit of “getting things done.”  As the answer to the problem, I have learned to procrastinate.  No need to scream in horror, procrastinating on things that are not going to effect you tomorrow is, actually, quite wise.  There are many sisters who are with me, I am sure.  (If your heart is palpitating to the thought and perspiration appears on your forehead, go to the next option.) You can put away that cleaning for a while, or the club meeting that you usually go to, or an assignment to “get ahead” in class.  Push that extra credit assignment that is dying to be touched to the future.  There is no need to pick up the phone call from your BFF telling you of the amazing hijab she saw in Al-Shams Market. Ignoring the non-essentials will provide you with time enough for prayers and Qur’an while giving you the opportunity to fulfill your other requirements.  If you still find yourself with a day wasted, then choose…

Plan B

Procrastination is not always so easy. Some things you just cannot leave behind.  You have to pick them up and finish them tonight.  “The assignment has to be turned in or you are risking a failing grade!”  If this is your scenario, ask yourself this: Can this wait ten minutes?  All you need to do is make a sincere intention, pick up that Qur’an or the prayer beads, set up a timer if you must, and dhikr away.  However, the condition of following this advice is sincere devotion.  When an act is carried out with pure love for Allah and a desire to be near Him, it is rewarded with the amount of blessings we can never apprehend.  Devotion to Allah’s remembrance being the key, those ten minutes can be your ticket to Paradise, with Allah’s Mercy of course.

When the timer rings to inform you of ten minutes-well-spent, make the intention of doing it again after the matter at hand is addressed.  When we make a good intention and do not carry out it, we get rewarded for at least intending to do so.  There is nothing to lose, right?

Mathematicians improved upon works of the early Greeks, scientists experimented with new discoveries, astrologists perfected the science of the lunar calendar, and map-makers made the most accurate maps to be found. Even ordinary merchants and sailors helped give rise to this “Golden Age”: through their travels, other countries came into contact with the manners and practices of Islam, many adopting these customs.

As the Islamic Empire grew, it touched borders far past the Middle East. To the west, North Africa was conquered, giving a foothold with which to gain parts of Europe, particularly Spain. To the east, South Asia was won, and through India, the Muslims reached China and Southeast Asia as well.

Traders, merchants, sailors, and other middle-class tradesmen made their way east on trade routes (such as the Silk Road) through Asia, interacting with others and exposing them to the Muslim culture they carried with them. They were known for their incredible manners and honesty when dealing in business, and led an example for the merchants of their time. Their demonstration of Islamic values attracted many to their religion. In this way, many Chinese people became Muslim, and the areas of Malaysia and Indonesia adopted Islam. Today, because of this, both Malaysia and Indonesia are predominantly Muslim with an abundance of Islamic culture, and Indonesia has the highest Muslim population in the world.

To the west, Muslim culture spread to Europe, leaving traces in architecture, language, philosophy, and government, especially in Spain. The Islamic Empire ruled over Spain for about 800 years, with people of all religions living together peacefully. The great Muslim thinkers in Spain influenced their philosophy; Islam affected their values, and Arabic words gradually came into use in the Spanish language. Much of the architecture also has an Arab/Muslim touch, and there are still countless mosques throughout the country.

The Islamic Empire also took on the culture of those areas they conquered, making the art, literature, philosophy, and perceptions vary from region to region of the Empire. This is why there is no uniform kind of Islamic art, literature, or architecture.
During the 9th century, books on astrology and math were imported to Baghdad; the Muslims would then translate these and other works at the House of Wisdom, which, on top of being the knowledge capital of the world, also served as a library where books would be gathered to translate into Arabic. Some of the first works to be translated were Euclid’s Elements and Ptolemy’s Great Work. Later, the Muslims would be the ones to translate these books into Latin for use by the Europeans.

With the aid of these translations, the Muslims expanded on old ideas, conducted experiments, and made new discoveries. The fields of mathematics and science flourished at this time, especially from the 9th century to the 14th century. Early in this time, math was done for practical uses, like trading and banking. Muslim mathematicians developed the standard numerals we use today (0, 1, 2, 3…) and the decimal/placeholder system (like how the zero in “10” stands for a place and it isn’t read as “one”). Al Khwarizmi, a famous mathematician, combined these digits and system with the Greek concepts. The book he wrote on this was so important and popular that it was translated into many languages and distributed all over the world. Another book Al Khwarizmi wrote was “Al Jabr Wal Muqabala” , or Algebra (which comes from the first part of the title – “Al Jabr”). It covered things like quadratic equations, simple geometry and linear equations, along with a long section of how to apply these concepts to solve inheritance problems.

Scientists translated works of Greek philosophy and science. They experimented with light and vision, setting the base for modern optics and establishing the need for experiments. Al Biruni wrote about sociology and geography. Ibn Sina wrote The Canons of Medicine, which is a million-word encyclopedia, and was the first to recognize that tuberculosis is contagious, identify meningitis, and describe the every part of the eye.

Mapmakers and geographists perfected their trade. Muslims made many innovations in this field, because this was needed to find the Qibla (direction to Mecca). Astrologists also continued to make better guides and better lunar calendars, which helped to accurately find out, for example, when Ramadan would start and end.

The Islamic Empire was at the height of its time. Just as most institutes today use the English language, institutes of learning all over the world used Arabic. It was the symbol of intellect, intelligence, and art. These great advancements and knowledge would continue to flourish within the Islamic Empire for over five centuries and eventually lead the rest of the world towards enlightenment.

MuslimGirl.net is covering the entire history of the Islamic Empire in the 30 days of Ramadan 2009! Click here to see the entire series.

It is widely known that before Islam, women were considered inferior to men in every aspect; they were more sex objects than anything else, and they were commonly unacknowledged as individual beings. It was a shame for a baby girl to be born – the infant would be buried alive. Buried alive, just for the crime of being female! But God sent Islam and liberated women from all this mistreatment. Islam tore off the chains that bound us, and set us free from the cage of masculine injustice.

Fast forward to today. Not only are we living in a time of “Neo-Jahiliyyah” (New Darkness), but women are helping speed up the process! It’s strange, but sometimes what you want turns out to be exactly what isn’t good for you, although many girls haven’t realized it. They crave attention from men and obtain it with revealing clothing, make up, jewelry, etc. And those independent, spirited women have only reached their places in society today by fighting decades and even centuries of hardship.  Take America for example: before the Women’s Rights Movement, women were supposed to stay at home to cook, clean, and tend to the children. They were only educated from ages 9-12, while men recieved full schooling. Those females who were forced to go out and find work were paid very low salaries and given few hours compared to men. Only after did they unite and fight were they given a fraction of the rights they enjoy today, and even now there are still struggles for women’s equality! You’d think that now that we are in the 21st century, situations would be entirely different and mind frames would be changed. It’s a shame that we can’t say that for all cases in America, and even less for other countries around the world.

It’s also a shame that people can’t just look to Islam for the answers. Islam is, as was said before, a beautiful and perfect religion. It liberated women 1400 years ago, when it was first revealed.

Islam gave women the human right of equality to men. Now, just because women and men have different obligations doesn’t mean that either one is superior or inferior. It’s like trying to compare a hammer to a saw and saying that a saw is better because it cuts or a hammer is better because it smashes. They are used for different things, so neither is greater than the other. Islam showed us that, and also asserted that women aren’t “evil” by nature as some may assume.

Women were also given the civil right of individuality by expression and the social right (and obligation) of education. On any public matter, a woman may give her opinion and participate in politics. She may also hold position in goverment; Abdul-Rahman ibn Auf was said to have consulted with many women before recommending Uthman ibn Affan for the caliphate.

Islam fosters the idea that a woman’s first care is to raise children and support her husband, yet if she has the capabilities to work outside the house she may do so as long as family obligations are met. Let’s not forget that the Prophet’s first wife was a business woman (who happened to propose to him)! A woman also has the right to earn money (which she is not obliged to spend on the family, for the man must be of support monetarily), own property, and manage assets in whatever way she would like to. What other religion (or society) has offered women as much as that, for longer than an entire millennium?

As a wife, a woman has the right to be treated with care and kindness, as well as be given support by all means regardless of her wealth.

Finally, and importantly, the hijab is an obligation for women as a way to protect her from lustful stares and liberate her from social standards of attractiveness. As a hijabi, I always feel very protected by the headscarf and I don’t feel like I have to prove myself to be as beautiful as a model on a magazine. The Qur’an states, “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they should be known and not molested.” (33:59) The Prophet said, “Allah, Most High, is Ha’yeii (Bashful), Sit’teer (Shielder). He loves Haya’ (Bashfulness) and Sitr (Shielding; Covering).”

Looking at the true and noble values of Islam, it’s AMAZING how much we were given, and how humans have distorted it with the dark side of culture and tradition. As always, we look to the example of Prophet Muhammad for how we should live our lives, so here is what said about women in Islam:

The Prophet said, “Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female).”

Of motherhood, “Heaven lies under the feet of the mothers.”

Of marriage, “The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives.”

Source: Islam101

A person came crying and weeping to Shaikh Shiblee and said, ‘O Shaikh, I have destroyed myself; make supplication for me that may Allah take me away from this world.’

People whose relationship with Allah is strong will never ever dream of committing suicide. Those people who enjoy the pleasures of this world – alcohol, drug, women, dubbing, etc. – are the people who will ultimately, want to commit suicide because they will get sick of this world. Those who enjoy the pleasures of this world by committing sins will be surrounded by problems from all four sides. They have brought these problems upon themselves through disobedience to Allah .

Such people begin to feel they will only find peace if they are dead. An Urdu poet once said, “Now, out of fear, you desire to die, [but] even after death, if you do not find peace, where will you go?”

Now, overpowered by calamities and problems, you desire to die and you consider death a solution to all your problems, but if, after death, you do not find peace in the grave, if you do not find peace on the Day of Judgement, if you do not find peace on the Bride over Hell and you are deprived of entry to Heaven, then where will you go?

So the person said to Shaikh Shiblee, ‘I have a big problem. Make supplication that may Allah take me away from this world.’

The Shaikh said, ‘Calm down, take it easy, what is the problem?’

He replied, ‘I had a very close friend, and I loved him very much. We were friends for a very long time. He sacrificed everything for me and I sacrificed everything for him. I had never thought that he will ever leave me but he has left me. Now my heart is empty. I cannot survive without him. I love him so much that I want him back, and if I cannot have him back, then I want to die.’

The Shaikh soothed him and asked him to calm down saying, ‘Look, there is no need to lose hope. Why do you want to die when there is a solution to your problem?’

He quickly said, very happily, ‘Tell me what the solution is, tell me quickly! Since he has left me I have not been eating, drinking or sleeping. There is no joy in my life. Please tell me quickly.’

The Shaikh replied, ‘The only way to forget a friend who has left you is to make a new friend.’

He said, ‘O Shaikh, after ten to fifteen years of loyal friendship, he has left me and I am suffering, and you are telling me to make a new friend. I fear that if the same thing happens, then what will become of me?’

Shaikh Shiblee said, ‘What if I find you a friend who will never leave you? In fact, if you are disloyal to him and after years of disloyalty, you go back to him saying, “O my friend! Forgive me, I want to be your friend again,” he will immediately accept you again as a friend.’ He said, ‘O Shaikh! Show me this friend! Who is this friend that is so loyal?’

The Shaikh replied, ‘Turn to Allah and make friendship with Him.’

I was going to the beach using the interstate as I noticed the massive structures reflecting the hot sun on their glass windows. Some were tall and sharp, while others were a collection of shapes and sizes. I knew that they resided in the downtown area since the suburban life here does not include the city’s humdrums except for downtown. I entered to find stunning architecture – with the best of my knowledge of that word – with shops decorated with intricate details and office buildings looming around every corner. But then there were the mediocre shops in which a homeless man or two was waiting for the unexpected The further we went from the looming towers, the shabbier the surroundings became until there was nothing left. Upon reflecting, I realized that there was a lesson to be learnt.

We can make the Eiffel tower of our time or build another one, quite different in nature. Without the night beauty and the day glory, without any picturesque view. We can build the tower of Envy. Equally powerful but without that sweet taste. And it all can start with one brick.

Some scholars hold envy (hasad) to be the root of all diseases. It is interesting to note that it was the first cause of disobedience to God when shaytan refused to bow down to Adam. Nothing prevented him from doing so except his envy.* As Muslims, the greatest concern should be that upon allowing envy to lay its foundation in our hearts, we inhabit a characteristic of one of the most wretched creatures, Satan.* It is a crippling factor leading us to believe that the one who is being envied is harmed, while we ourselves are its greatest victims. With every thought, we are damaging our souls, the greatest gift from God which is to be returned sooner than we think.

How is envy inhabited? When one desires the loss of another’s blessing.* And it is further manifested when one wants to covet another’s blessing. That desired blessing can be of various sizes and magnitudes, but its just one brick that starts it all. From wanting another’s car, to envying another nation, we can find its roots taking place in the youngest of hearts. There is one little piece of information that we fail to realize. That blessing that you have your eyes on was given to that person by Allah . He in His Wisdom gifted the person with that blessing and only that person was well suited. Allah , in His Wisdom, did not find you suitable for it might render you crippled. We must not question Allah but always shield our eyes and our hearts from allowing hasad to uncoil. As it is widely said, be careful what you wish for.

*Yusef, Hamza. Purification of the Heart. Starlatch, 2004