If I had a dollar for every Hijab style I've seen, I could buy that 365,000-dollar black Abaya decorated with bespoke Crosley diamonds. It's become a constant source of amusement for me. I mean, how many different color pins can a person wear at once until it starts blinding people? The purpose of Hijab, which is summarized best as the concealment of beauty and the beauty of concealment, seems to be growing more and ambiguous these days. During any given day, we are likely to see a plethora of some odd fashion blends being passed off as Hijab: The 15-Layer Hijab: Toucan Sam called, he wants his colors back. Here's a question: how many differently-colored Hijab pieces can you wear under your shawl? Five? Ten? Fifteen? I've never been able to appreciate this style that cannot go away quickly enough. If you have the Hijab on, and assuming it matches your clothes, why the need for all the colored under-pieces?
Makeup-Gone-Seriously-Wrong Hijab: What did your first grade art teacher say about those Crayola Crayons? Exactly. Unless you're auditioning to play the clown in Stephen King's It or to become Heath Ledger's successor, you don't really need to paint your face so much before stepping out of the house. The rulings on makeup by various scholars have been selectively read, and as a result, we have so many people suffering from OMS: Obsessive Makeup Syndrome.
Emo Hijab: Remember, you're trying to stand out, but you don't care about how you look. This calls for wearing your older brother's Ohio State hoodie, along with plaid pajama pants. The look also requires jet black nail polish and a black Hijab that will coincidentally match the rest of the look. You simply use this style of clothing to speak out against that terrible middle class suburban life you have to live.
Pirate Hijab: Paging Captain Hook and Captain Morgan: some Hijabi sister stole your pirate bandanna. Again, I fail to see the logical functionality of tying something on top of your scarf that looks like it's from Pirates of the Caribbean. Do however let us know where Treasure Island is located.
Aviator Hijab: I must've missed the memo for this fashion. In order to effectively dress like an aviator, you will need hugely over-sized pink aviator sunglasses. Next step is placing your pants inside black boots that are at least six inches above your knees. Lastly, go to the nearest Salvation Army outlet and purchase a brown leather jacket from the World War II era.
Safety Hazard Hijab: Hijab was sent as a protection for females. Except these days, some variations of the Hijab can be classified as potentially quite dangerous to public health. An excessive amount of sharp and shiny pins can easily do an innocent passerby in. Also, wearing overly-glittery headscarves can severely blind fellow drivers on the road, so please be considerate of others and limit yourself to public transport.
Keffiyah Hijab: You aren't Palestinian; however, you religiously wear the Keffiyah along with some skinny jeans and a hot pink shirt. No one said the Keffiyah was limited to one nationality, but why butcher something so symbolic? Adding insult to injury, you own a few pink Keffiyahs to match your fluorescent pink wardrobe.
MTV Hijab: Last and maybe least (Islamic, that is) is the MTV Hijab. This one honestly makes me nauseous. This look is made by wearing strapless tank tops with a white undershirt in order to make it more "Islamic". It also involves wearing a form-fitting dress from Forever 21, again with a white undershirt, skinny jeans, and, don't forget: a Hijab. This category is the most liberal, and fashionable, so basically whatever washed-out celebrities are wearing, you can wear too! Just wear an undershirt or jacket over the clothing.
EDITOR'S NOTE: No Hijabis were hurt during the writing of this article.
Subscribe to this comment's feedAnd Br. Mohammed Husain, we cannot "let people decide on their own" what they think of the Sharia. Otherwise, what is the purpose of having Fiqh, Mujtahids, etc.?
Excellent work, Sister Huda! Now run for cover...
More so, it touches on an issue people would rather ignore. Its sad when when non muslims ask why muslim women with hijab dress in tight clothings. Alot of the things we see worn by hijabis... seem to be from preislamic times.
I like this piece, keep it up!
They say satire is the best way to point out a serious issue... this article was't an exception. I think it was done very well, with great humor. Rather than attacking the piece, let's fix our 'hijab' problems.
I like this piece, if the nay sayers read it, they'd realize she was poking fun at the FASHIONS not the wearers.
Either understand what is being said or don't read it, people want something to complain about. I like others am sick of hijab being made into a pathetic fashion show by the 'rich' girls of the community. they dress like they're off some mtv show like the hills or laguna beach.
Also, dont ask the sister how to wear hijab, the rulings are clear. Clothing that doesnt attract attention or doesn't hug your curves. My god.. Imam Hussain died so the sisters can dress like actresses?!
We gotta ask ourseleves daily, if we were to face our Imam, would we bow our heads in shame from our clothes?
The sister's question about how to wear hijab may be quite sincere, I don't think it is right to say to someone do not ask. And the people who commented earlier that others are in such a hurry to shut them up, maybe there is some good in their words that we all could learn from and reflect on. I don't see either of them as attacking the author in the least, and maybe they have some valid points. May all calm down and think.
It is not really possible to separate a fashion from its wearer, because it reflects directly on the wearer. The intent of the article is to make people think about if they dress this way that she mentioned that they ought to change it. Maybe some of them are really okay Islamically, though, such as multiple colors of underscarves, depending on intent, how it is done, etc. It is a good intent to discuss that if we are wearing hijab, we want it to be real hijab that obeys Allah swt and is best for our souls. However, some did comment that maybe this is not the best way to help people improve their hijab or understand/appreciate hijab - that is a matter of opinion and people may think different ways about it and there is nothing wrong with that.
You said people should not complain, but what you wrote yourself sounded a lot like complaining to me personally. I think we should be able to talk about the articles objectively and not just have to agree with the author. That can be done in a way that is not attacking and so far that is what people were doing here. Discussion like that is a means of spiritual reflection and possible growth when done correctly.
The purpose of hijab is in part to make it easier for a woman to be judged based on things other than her dress - to be judged on her piety alone just as Allah swt judges us. No doubt hijab is required by Allah swt and thus improper hijab can be a signal of a problem in piety, but so can many other things that are not as easy to see, and it certainly is not the only factor - it just happens to be one of the most visible ones. As part of that spirit of hijab, it seems to me that people are too obsessed with judging a woman's appearance including how she wears her hijab. It is like a pastime for some people to obsess on their hijab style or that of others, and to judge it. I happen to believe that sometimes it goes too far and makes it harder for women to wear hijab rather than easier, because they are over-scrutinized about everything and thus feel even more pressure about their dress than before, which is exactly opposite what should be. In my opinion, we should celebrate and acknowledge what is correct and keep calling back to proper hijab in the best examples we can find to help them get even more correct, and we should continually refocus our judgments to ourselves and evaluate our own hijab, both in dress and in behavior toward others, and keep our focus there primarily and enjoin others to good in the best way we can find, which is often encouragement and example.
Sister Houda, this is from a previous article http://islamicinsights.com/rel...ijab.html:
The basic requirements for female dress in public are four:
1. Extent: Everything but your hands and face must be covered. Feet should be covered, as should hair, neck, ears, and arms. Make-up and adornment should be covered, even if that means covering parts that would not otherwise have to be covered. Most scholars say that wedding rings and religious rings need not be covered, but in general, jewelry is adornment and should be concealed.
2. Looseness: The garments should be loose enough so that the shape of your body from at least the shoulders to the mid-thighs is not apparent. Even for the legs, clothes should not be skin-tight. If the fabric follows your curves, it is too tight.
3. Thickness: The clothing should be thick enough that the color of your skin and hair underneath cannot be discerned through the fabric.
4. Style: The clothes should not be of a color, style, or decoration so as to serve the purpose of drawing attention, being adornment, or showing off. Thus, clothes with bright colors, fancy decorations, and expensive fabrics should be avoided. Further, clothes that would be considered as belonging to the opposite gender or to followers of another religion are also excluded. Also, it is improper to be a slave to fashion, spending wastefully for the latest trend, judging and being judged based on style, etc. Simplicity is better for your soul, mind and body.
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