How to Dress as a Hijabi/Niqabi Woman in the Western Styled World

As you can see by the title of this article, we will be discussing how to dress as a hijabi or niqabi, whether you currently wear these garments or not. This discussion is not limited to those who observe these practices but is also relevant to anyone interested in dressing modestly, regardless of their personal beliefs or lifestyle choices. It is important to recognize that dressing modestly is a concept that transcends religious affiliations and can be embraced by individuals from various backgrounds. This article aims to provide insights and tips that can be useful for everyone, regardless of their faith or cultural practices. Modesty in dress is a personal choice that reflects one's values and beliefs, but it does not necessarily imply adherence to a specific religion. For instance, consider the phenomenon of celebrity culture, where figures like Miley Cyrus often make headlines for their bold fashion choices, sometimes opting for outfits that leave little to the imagination. While many might admire her confidence and style, it is also essential to acknowledge that not everyone feels comfortable dressing in a revealing manner.

Personally, if I had the freedom to choose without any constraints, I would likely embrace a fashion style similar to hers on a daily basis. However, my fiancé has expressed his preference for me to wear clothing that is more modest and less revealing when we are in public together.

This brings us to an important point about the significance of dressing modestly, even for those who do not wear a hijab or niqab. Dressing modestly can be seen as a form of respect for oneself and others, promoting a sense of dignity and self-worth. It is entirely possible to express your individuality and personal style while still adhering to modesty principles. For non-hijabis, this might mean opting for clothing that is not overly tight or revealing, choosing longer hemlines, and selecting tops that provide adequate coverage. Ultimately, the aim is to find a balance between personal expression and modesty, allowing individuals to feel comfortable and confident in their attire. Whether you are a hijabi, niqabi, or someone who chooses to dress modestly without a headscarf, the key takeaway is that modesty can be a beautiful and empowering choice for everyone. It is about making conscious decisions that reflect your values while respecting the choices of others.

I noticed in my experience of wearing the hijab, that it protects me a lot. Even wearing my niqab is a, extra armour in my opinion. I find that when I'm not wearing a hijab, I become a target to all men: single, divorced, married with or without kids. I just hate being without my niqab in the streets. I feel naked in a sense that people can see my beauty. This beauty is only for my husband and my family members. This is something that I had to explain to my little sister because she asked me, "Why should you cover your beauty, if God made you beautiful? Shouldn't you share it with the world?" I told her, "No. Your beauty is for the people you cannot marry: for your father, mother, daughters, sons, brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, but not male cousins. Because you can still marry your cousin."

Wearing Niqab at University in America

Not every woman in the religion of Islam finds the niqab necessary to wear, but many women recently have decided to take on the challenge to wear it. I find that many of my friends from my old university have decided to wear it after I transferred out. Now that I transferred back in, more of the young women are choosing to wear it and feel comfortable with it.

At my old university, only me and another sister wore niqab, but she eventually took it off until she was ready to wear it. She bought the niqab to try it out, but she didn't like it too much and her family didn't want her to wear it, despite already coming from a Muslim-born household. They didn't want her to experience the discrimination that all niqabis have here in America. However, she wore her niqab with honor and pride until she graduated from university.

Now that I am returning to my old university, I will feel more comfortable with my niqab on campus because there is more women wearing and there are more Muslims on campus as well. My university is very diverse when it comes to the type of students that are attending. It is not a PWU (Predominantly White University) like my other university. My university's president is Black, not White, which makes a huge difference in how the university is ran. I feel and find that POC (People of Color) Presidents of a university or in general (for example, some politicians), have the idea that the power relies more in the students that the system. This means that whatever the system is telling them to do, they will rise up and do the opposite because at the end of the day, it's the students that are paying to attend the university, not the system.

Different Types of Hijabs: From Material to Styles

Back to my main point in this article, I normally wear a khimar that fully covers my backside and my front side as well as my shoulders. For those of you who are new to what khimar is, it is a type of hijab that fully covers the shape of a woman's shoulders, her neck, her ears, and her front and backside. In the Quran, it never said that hijab was mandatory for women to wear. If you are able to read the Arabic verse of the Quran, it clearly states for the women to draw their veils from their backsides to cover their front sides and this translates to the Arabic word, Khimar. I am paraphrasing this, but this is in the second book of the Quran and in other parts of the Quran as well.

Sometimes, I do wear Hijab, but I find it difficult to wear because I always need a hijab magnet to hold it in place for me, depending on the type of fabric I choose to wear that day. Depending on the weather, I would go for a Georgette Crepe Chiffon Hijab that holds in place better than the jersey hijab that is much heavier for the heat, but it's perfect for working out. Chiffon hijabs, I find them to be very slippery and require too much pinning in place. They are great for casual and formal events, but they require more attention than the others. I've never owned a silky hijab in the past, but from the looks of it and I've seen my friends wear them for holidays, they require more pinning than the chiffon hijabs. Recently, my husband got me a matching hijab to go with my dress for our Nikkah ceremony and it was a Silver Shimmer Hijab from Urban Modesty. The material is actually made of 100% linen, but it feels like silk because of the shimmer that the material has to it.

Niqabs That I wear

Besides wearing the hijab, I wear on top my face veil, which is the niqab. Depending on the weather, I have different types of niqab that are made of different materials. I have two niqabs that are both silk on the inside for skin care, and then are chiffon on the other side. I have full chiffon material niqbas that are short, long, half short, Saudi, and Yemen styled.

Difference Between Saudi and Yemen niqabs?

Other than the materials, there are different types of niqabs. I personally like to wear the Yemeni styled niqabs because they have the string in the middle that connects the bottom up, pulling the niqab in a more secure way to not show too much of your nose. While the Saudi styled niqab is like the picture to the right side, more open and free to show your eyebrows if you choose to do so. Normally the Saudi Niqab covers everything but your eyes. In the picture, it's a half niqab that covers up to the nose. Here on the bottom of the page, is the Yemeni style that I personally go for. I feel like it's more put together and very formal and elegant rather than open.

Why do I cover myself, knowing that I have so much beauty to show the world?

This question gets brought up a lot in my conversations with my family and my family friends. It's something very new to them and they have all the rights to ask questions that they are curious about. So I give my family and family friends dawah (or guidence) as to why I do what I do everyday, hoping they will understand or want to revert to the religion one day. I know it's a stretch to think that my family would ever revert to such a bizarre religion, but it happens to the best of us. I once met a Black revert at Sam's Club when I was with my mother. I told the woman that I was a revert and the only one in my family. She said, "I made all my family members revert to Islam and now my children and their children love the religion! Those kids are so much happier now." I was overjoyed when I learned this. This is a revert's dream come true, for their whole family to revert to a peaceful religion with them.

Spending more time together, spending Ramadan fasting and praying together... not everyone gets to do this with their families. Many reverts who revert to Islam, stay the only ones who are Muslims. The rest of their family members die being Kafur (meaning disbelievers). When the funerals come around, those reverts are not allowed to pray over their deceased family member's soul. We are commanded in the Quran by Allah سبحانه وتعالى that we are not allowed to pray over the souls of non-Muslims after they have passed away. We can pray for them while they are alive and living, making dua for them, but after they have crossed over to the otherside, we stop praying for their souls. It's a sad time when a very close family member dies, especially if it's a parent. We all want to see our family members in Jannah (Heaven), but to see them die as a Kafur is very heartbreaking and something I will have to experience when the time comes for my parents.

Conclusion

I don't veil myself for any man. Not even my future husband. If he loved my beauty so much, that he wanted to see me just the way I was in public, I wouldn’t take it off for him. I hate not wearing my hijab and niqab. Hijab for me is like the okay-covering, but my niqab is my full covering. I feel best and more confident when I fully cover myself. I can conduct myself better, and I just feel closer to ﷲ even when I don't feel like I am.

I decided to put the Hijab on to obey ﷲ's commands, not because a man told me that I have to cover myself. It's not mandatory for every woman to cover, but they still do it out of respect for their religion and to keep Allah's commands. Women don't have to cover after the age of marriage, meaning after they stop having their periods, when they are not able to give birth anymore, and after being an elderly too. Not a lot of people know this and this is something that I learned years after wearing just the Hijab. Hijab is for everyone, whenever you decide to wear it or not is up to you as a woman and a man. Believe it or not, men also have a Hijab that they wear, but that I will save for another article.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. I'll see you in my next one.