'Izzah: Not a Girl

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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'izzah. a word i've only come to know not long ago. maybe in one of those bulatan gembira or konferens riang. i can't remember exactly when, but the concept somewhat sticks. 'izzah means proud (correct me if i'm wrong). and so, my understanding of it develops as time goes by.

'izzah; 

a feeling; 

that we are proud to be chosen as a Muslim, 

to live in the here and now, as a Muslim.

and this lead me to something that i've been meaning to write for a while. do not get me wrong, this is just my personal reflection; i hope that anyone who reads this will gain a thing or two, insyaAllah. may this be a reminder for me and you. :) i'll try to make it short. *peace*

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it's my 4th year in Dublin now; and i realized that there are some things that i have taken for granted. walking along the streets of Dublin, or around the corridors of the hospitals, or in the compound of University College Dublin, or around the Dunnes Store in O'Connell Street; i have come to forget that i am a part of a minority group, ones that are different from the others; the ones who wear the Hijab.

undeniably, if we were back in Malaysia, one couldn't care less if we were wearing the Hijab; because everybody does so. and thus, most of us don't really appreciate the fact that we are actually following Allah's Rules when we don the Hijab; when we cover our hair. it's a too common thing, that back home, i think it became much more of an accessory, a necessity, a part of a daily routine; and is no longer seen for what it truly is; 

a part of our ibadah. 

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let's go back to where i am now. Alhamdulillah, i am currently in Europe; 'Bumi Shamrock' so they call it. and everyday, i have to walk among the blondes, the brunettes, and the gingers; but wearing the Hijab has been a part of my daily life for so many years, that i have forgotten the feeling that i should feel; 

'izzah.

proud.

because now that i've come to think of it, by following His Rule to wear the Hijab, Allah has isolated me from those blondes, brunettes, and gingers. because i know that whenever they look at me, one thing will definitely pop in their head;

"She's a Muslim."

and that alone, is enough to make our hearts burst with pride, that we are His Hamba, His 'Abid. and our appearance alone is enough to make us special. not just in His Eyes, but in others as well. :)

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and here's a little crucial point for today's post: sometimes i bumped into pictures of students studying abroad; with countless happy pictures of girls all giggling at a picnic, or travel pictures here and there. and underneath it there are names of  Anne, Tina, Rose, and suddenly; Siti Mek Zabedah (*rekaan semata-mata*) and it hit you hard; 

"oh. Muslim ke..?" =,='' 

it's a little bit of both; a sad and a harsh reality. seeing pictures of fellow Muslims, and yet, we could hardly differentiate them between the non-Muslim girls that they are with. the same hair styles, the same one-shouldered dress, the same short pants. *sigh*

knowing far too well that i am an imperfect being, full of mistakes and wrongdoings, but i guess they are not reason enough to stop me from hoping, praying, wishing, and calling out to all Muslim girls out there; 

let us all be 'izzah (proud) of who we truly are. 

A Muslim. 

and what better way to start this; 

than expressing it out loud?

with a pretty cloth on our head. :)

wallahua'lam.

Hijab for the World! 

"Wahai Nabi, suruhlah isteri-isterimu dan anak-anak perempuanmu serta perempuan-perempuan yang beriman, supaya melabuhkan pakaiannya bagi menutup seluruh tubuhnya (semasa mereka keluar); cara yang demikian lebih sesuai untuk mereka dikenal (sebagai perempuan yang baik-baik) maka dengan itu mereka tidak diganggu dan (ingatlah) Allah adalah Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani."

[33:59]

nota kaki: and yes. we don't need fancy twirls; or huge flowers on our Hijabs to make us feel special; 

enough that Allah is watching our hearts when we wear it. betulkan niat. betulkan cara. reminder to self first and foremost. :)

pps: and yes, i'm posting this in a context of Hijab as the first step in covering our aurat. *peace lagi*