Note: The definition of hijab as I use it in this editorial is the article(s) of clothing that is considered obligatory by islamic standards.
This editorial is a continuation of my previous blog post on why modesty matters. I meant to talk generally about why you should wear the hijab, but honestly that’s kind of a big undertaking that I don’t feel qualified for.
Instead, I thought it would be better if I explained why I wear it, rather than convince you. Hopefully that’ll resonate better and maybe you will find that my logic makes sense. Know that my reasons for wearing the hijab can vary from other people’s reasoning, as every person has their own uniqueness in how they approach it. The beauty of Islam, in my opinion, lies in the fact that it accounts for all types of people and their outlooks on life.
I want to start off by saying that wearing the hijab is not really an easy thing to do. It doesn’t take much more effort than dressing normally, but the mental impact it has on you (whether positive or negative) can be very large. Personally, I always struggled to understand why anyone would want to wear the hijab if they didn’t have to. I honestly don’t think I would wear it or even a similar head covering if I wasn’t muslim (i.e. if it wasn’t obligatory).
I know that seems like a pretty bold statement but I want to make it clear that it is totally okay to think and feel that way. We are constantly doing things that we would not do if not for the fact that these things are good for us. For example eating healthy, exercising, sleeping well, getting an education, and the list goes on and on.
My point is that you don’t have to always want to wear the hijab in order to continue wearing it, because you’re not doing it for pleasure- you’re doing it because it’s good for you.
Now to the bigger question: how do you know that the hijab is good for you in the first place?
Well, we established in the last blog post that modesty matters and is a good thing on an individual and societal level. But how do you define modest dress? It’s an entirely subjective matter isn’t it? If you ask different people across different cultures, genders, ethnicity, etc, you will get different answers!
I personally don’t believe that it is possible to thrive in a world where matters of morality and virtue (of which dressing modestly is one) are left to the whims of humanity. Therefore there must be an objective standard to which we can hold ourselves to and only God can provide that objective standard.
Now, I believe in Islam, so I believe that God provided the hijab as an objective standard of modesty. This means covering all but the face and hands, with garments that don’t outline the body and are not transparent. So to summarize then, the hijab is the standard for modesty and modesty is good so the hijab is good.
I personally find this a satisfactory enough explanation to continue to wear the hijab. There are obviously more in depth arguments beyond just that but in my opinion (and Allah knows best) this is the bare minimum needed to be convinced to wear it/continue to wear it in moments of doubt.
I would love to hear your reasons for wearing the hijab! Feel free to drop them in the comments below or contact me here :).