being under the veil



My best friend Putri wanted to try something Aisyah Shakirah had tried to do, which was to wear a niqab for a day in public. Putri called it the Niqab Challenge, and i guess she wanted to see what it felt like to be under the veil, like the many muslim ladies in the world who chose/were asked by their husband to do so.
She didn't want to try it alone, so she invited me along. So off we went to Alamanda, wearing a niqab to cover our faces. To be honest, my usual sense of fashion isn't exactly suitable to be worn with the niqab, so today i had decided to make my outfit a little more modest than usual. We got out of Putri's car in our veils, feeling excited yet anxious at how people will treat us.

I can't really describe the feeling properly, but it wasn't something i was used to. I felt a little frightened to be honest, though i didn't really know what i was scared of exactly. Maybe i was a little scared of being judged? But at the same time, i felt very,very secure and safe. I kept looking down because it was extremely awkward to look at anyone except for Putri. I couldn't do my usual hyperactive behaviour anymore, it didn't feel right. Another thing, i felt quite invisible, but in a very comfortable way. I think it's called being respected. Last month when i went to the mall with Putri, i just wore a simple baju kurung and i'm absolutely sure i was covered up properly and stuff. But even then, some random guy passed us giving salam and that sorta freaked me out. Nothing like that happened today, which i was extremely pleased about. It was almost as if people were scared of us, or maybe that's just me.

I felt different, and i could feel how hard it was to be a niqabi. You have to control yourself a lot, but doing so isn't a bad thing at all; it prevents you from doing many things that could indirectly let you be judged or do something bad. It also feels a little pressuring to be in a society where wearing niqab isn't a norm like in the Arab countries. Society may judge us in many different ways; positive and negative. Your faith really does have to be strong, and when you decide to wear the niqab for good, you have to stay strong to keep being under the veil. From what i've observed, some ladies couldn't resist the temptation of not wearing the niqab after a while of wearing it. That just shows that staying consistent in this is not at all something easy. That's why after our experience today, me and Putri's level of respect for those girls who continuously wear the niqab has risen above the mountains, because we now understand that not everybody is strong enough to do it. Thanks Aisyah Shakirah for the idea, and thanks Putri for letting me experience something wonderful :)


I might wear it one fine day in the future, and i hope by that time i'll be ready :)



P.s. We have exams this week starting tomorrow, pray for us!:)
P.p.s Yes we went out a day before exams, we're THAT chillin about it haha

3 comments:

  1. This is really inspiring. You guys are very brave and full of awesomeness to try it!

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  2. that made me feel like trying one too. :)

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  3. Ya Allah. kamals, that was really inspiring. I hope i can try the niqab challenge with my buddy as well. And yeah i might wear it one fine day too! Pray for me, sis.

    ReplyDelete

 
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