Ask Haute Hijab: Is it Okay to Ease Into Wearing Hijab?
Community
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Jul 20, 2022
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4 MIN READ
Dear Haute Hijab,
Is it okay to wear hijab part-time and ease myself into it?
From: a community member on Instagram
Dear friend,
Salaam! A lot of women we’ve met in person and online have asked us about this, so you’re definitely not the only one thinking about easing yourself into wearing hijab.
The decision to wear hijab is an intensely personal one between you and Allah (S). We all come about it in so many different ways. For some of us, it may be something we’ve been wanting to do for awhile, something we research and think about, pray over, until we are finally ready to wear it and never (proverbially) take it off. Some of us naturally grow into wearing hijab as young women because that’s what we’ve seen in our family and community around us.
For others, especially if you are a convert or revert to Islam, it may be something that we try on for a while before easing into it on a full-time basis. And that’s perfectly fine. When you’re new to something, it can be a process of slow steps until you’re ready to embrace it full force.
In a hadith, Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “Verily, the religion is easy and no one burdens himself in religion but that it overwhelms him. Follow the right course, seek closeness to Allah, give glad tidings, and seek help for worship in the morning and evening and a part of the night.” [Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 39]
Wearing hijab should not be an overwhelming, burdensome practice. If you need to take your time with it, take your time with it. There really is no wrong way to do this – whether you just make up your mind and start wearing hijab or you wear it gradually. Perhaps you’ll wear it when you are visiting the masjid or when you go out in certain settings until you are ready to wear it full time. Maybe you’ll wear it a few times around family or at work and at other times you won’t until you feel ready to go for it.
The important thing here is your [sincere] intention. How do you know if you’re trying your best? Look inside yourself for the answer – your gut is your most honest guide here, and Allah (S) always rewards your sincere efforts. In fact, I am reminded of another hadith by the Prophet (saw):
Allah Almighty says: Whoever comes with a good deed will have the reward of ten like it and even more. Whoever comes with an evil deed will be recompensed for one evil deed like it or he will be forgiven. Whoever draws close to Me by the length of a hand, I will draw close to him by the length of an arm. Whoever draws close to Me the by length of an arm, I will draw close to him by the length of a fathom. Whoever comes to Me walking, I will come to him running. Whoever meets Me with enough sins to fill the earth, not associating any partners with Me, I will meet him with as much forgiveness.
Sahih Muslim
This is a big step, something that takes getting used to. Spend time getting comfortable with your why for wearing it, and get to know who you’re wearing it for. Pray to Allah (S) to help you with this journey, seek comfort and strength from other Muslim women (in person or in an online setting – our private Haute Hijab Community group on Facebook is a great place to mingle with supportive Muslim women) and go at your own pace.
If you need some help figuring out how to style your hijab as you travel through your hijab journey, check out our YouTube playlist of fun and simple hijab tutorials.
This is one of my favorites about styling our Bamboo Wovens (because that's my favorite hijab fabric):
I’m not one to discuss my hijab story, but I will say that I was a married woman with children who had never seriously considered wearing hijab when I suddenly made the decision that I wanted to wear it for the sake of Allah (S). Every woman who wears the hijab has her own unique, personal story around how she came to wearing it and the time it took to get there.
May Allah (S) give you strength and everything you need to make your hijab-wearing journey one of ease, peace and happiness. We got you, sis!
With love,
Dilshad Ali on behalf of the Haute Hijab team
Note: We maintain, as a brand, based on what we’ve been taught from scholars of Islam that hijab is fard, and we’ve written numerous articles about this.
However, we get messages regularly about women struggling to wear it, even when they want to. Often times the all or nothing culture turns them away from hijab and sometimes religion altogether. Thus this post is meant to encourage women who want to start wearing it to start somewhere, anywhere - even if it's part-time in the beginning - but with the intention of seeing it through, Insha'Allah. And of course, Allah (S) knows best.
Please click here to read about our approach to this new column and what we are capable of and not capable of answering for you.
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