As salaamu alaikum and hello everyone!

Whether or not you like to take part in a traditional Thanksgiving meal (with its focus on family and thankfulness) towards the end of November, there’s something about this month that has us thinking about gratitude and giving back. Admittedly, one of the things I am grateful about in my work here on the blog is that I can focus on bringing you stories that push us to think deeper about our relationship with acts of charity, acts of kindness and charitable giving.

With the ongoing (and necessary) push to pay more attention to our own physical and mental wellbeing, we here at Haute Hijab (especially here on the blog) have been having side conversations on how to balance our own health and peace of mind with our responsibilities, passions desire to give back to whatever causes and communities we are invested in.

In my life, I’ve come across the most amazing women who seem to always be engaging in volunteer work or charitable endeavors with such a whole-body method, all while maintaining whatever responsibilities they may have in their life towards work and family. It makes me feel guilty sometimes over the boundaries I have established in my life (as I grow older) around how I want to give back, which projects I want to give my time to and frankly what I need to stop doing in order to slow down some and prioritize other things.

How do these fantastic women, at local and national levels, do it all? How many of us know that woman in our community who – whenever there is a project or a partnership or someone who needs help – rises to the occasion? I know some women like that where I live – may Allah (S) bless them always.

We want to bring you their stories this month – women in charity. And not just some of the extraordinary work various women around the country are doing with different causes and organizations, but what really motivates them, how they strike that balance in their life, and what advice can they give to encourage future generations to think beyond themselves and give back to our communities and those in need.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased)." [Muslim]

All our HH writers – Nargis, Layla, Hakeemah and Danah – will be bringing you a variety of these stories, which we hope will get you thinking and motivate you to dig a little deeper and find your own ways to give back in a way that brings more balance to your own lives. Every act of kindness is charity, says the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

In this spirit of gratitude, we also want to show some love to our community with some lighthearted fun. This month at Haute Hijab is our Novemberfest, where we are featuring mystery deals all month long on many of your favorite HH products!! See here for the calendar of drops – we hope you’ll enjoy the fun!

Take care friends! We hope you are able to safely see family and friends this month over the holidays and find your own ways to give back in kindness, strength, support and more. Whether that’s diving deep into some sort of charitable project or being that listening ear to a friend who needs you - it’s all so very important. You are in our du’as; please keep us in yours.

Editorially yours,

Dilshad