GUIDE FOR TEENAGE MUSLIMAH- PART 6

By Aasiya Maryam

Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Bismillah 

MUSLIMAH AND HER DEEN:

“Are you Muslims?” asked a little girl at the restaurant. She was standing nearby looking at us when my sister smiled and asked her name. She did not reply but shot this question at us. My sister replied “yes”, and I smiled proudly.

May be it was our hijab that made her inquisitive about us. It is a wonderful feeling to be representative of our deen. It is a great blessing that Allah chose us women to carry the mark of Islam with us. Allah subhaana wa ta'aala says –

“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known (as free respectable women) and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Surah Al-‘Ahzab 33:59) 

Our hijab is not just a piece of cloth, but rather a mark of piety. I am sure you have all read about why we wear hijab and how it protects our beauty and helps us keep modest, but that’s not all there is to it. Modesty isn't just about the clothes we wear; it’s also about how we talk, how we behave, and what our character is all about. We could wear the most modest clothing yet our speech could be devoid of modesty and decency. Hijab is attained by being modest both in attire and character.

My hijab gives me my Muslim identity. When I walk on the streets, people know I am a Muslim and that is something to be proud of.

Our deen and our identity as muslimaat does not end there. Our first identity even before being a daughter to someone is that of being a slave to Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala, being a Muslimah: a girl who humbly surrenders herself in obedience to Allah. This is our first identity. But as life progressed… somewhere in the glitters of this world we lost this part of us.

When we missed those prayers just because we had some studying, or playing to do, we lost a part of this identity. When we did something wrong under the pressure of our peers at school, we lost a part of this identity. When we gave in to our desire to befriend that cute boy in school, we lost a part of this identity.

Did you know that succumbing to your desires is a type of shirk (associating partners with Allah)? Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala says, 

“Have you not seen the one who takes his desires as his god...” (Surat Al-Furqān 25:43) 

So, every time you disobeyed Allah and obeyed your nafs (lower inner self), you were involved in shirk, thereby committing one of the greatest acts of rebellion! 

You must realise that the biggest blessing in your life is your deen-ul-Islam which involves complete submission to Allah subhaana wa ta'aala and to Allah alone. So, strive forward to preserve this identity of yours. You don’t have to do anything big but rather practise habits that could make you a beautiful Muslimah

TIP #1 - Love Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala: He blessed you with this life. He gave you all that you have. He protects you from harm. He loves and wishes only good for you. He forgives every small and big sin of yours until you breathe your last breath as long as you repent for it. He taught you all about life and more. Above all, He is Al-Wadood who loves you 70 times more than your mother. Befriend Him – He will NEVER let you down!

TIP # 2 - Establish Salah: Pray the 5 daily prayers, you do not lose anything. If you are in class take a 5 minute break and pray Dhur! If you are playing, take a 5 minute break and pray Asr! If you are studying, take a 5 minute break and pray Magrib. If you are someone who is not in the habit of praying 5 times a day, then start with just praying the fard (compulsory) prayers all 5 times, all it takes is 25 minutes of your day! Then inshaAllah you can go on to add sunnah and then nafl. But first start at least with the fard prayers. It not only keeps you conscious of Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala but also re-energises you by giving you a break from your activity. Your ultimate purpose in life is to worship your creator. Allah says:

 "I have not created Jinn or mankind except for My worship." (Surat Adh-Dhāriyāt 51:56) 

There is no reason good enough for you to say that you have missed your prayers! Establish and guard your Salah.

TIP #3 -Build a relationship with the Quran: Make a habit of reading at least one page of the Quran with the translation. Start your day with fajr salah and a beautiful recitation of the Quran. Explore different recitations on the internet and check out which works best for you, which makes your heart feel at peace. Download the Quran by that qari or at least one particular surah that you like and listen to it.

TIP #4 - Don’t give up on your Eeman:  Be assured like everything in this life, even your eeman levels will move up and down and give you a roller coaster ride. Sometimes it will tire you, but do not give up. In the times of utter despair, even if you cannot do anything, offer Salah and read the Quran. Never give this up. Remember it is tough to build good habits but easy to break them.

TIP #5 - Take Care of your modesty: As young girls, I understand it is hard for you to wear the hijab or even think about it. But it is not as hard as you think it is. Most of the time, we dress up because we want people to praise us and call us pretty, beautiful etc. But sis, you do not have to wait for the approval of a friend to look beautiful. You are beautiful in your own way. At home you can explore all that you want with your hair and the makeup you love. Reveal your beauty to those men who are worthy of seeing you, that is only your mahram, because you know what, they will love you either way. But above all … dress up to please Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala. When you leave your home or go in front of a non-mahram, stand in front of the mirror and ask yourself will Allah be pleased with me walking dressed up in this manner. And listen closely to your heart, if the answer is no, you know what to do! Make sincere dua and ask Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala to make the hijab easy for you.

TIP #6 - Little things matter: Following deen-ul-Islam is not all about praying, fasting and charity. Islam is about being good to the neighbour, being kind to your parents, being merciful to the young ones, showing respect to those older than you, being kind to the animals, giving part of your salary to the poor, controlling your anger towards the other, moving an object from the road so it does not hurt someone, protecting your beauty by dressing modestly, judging justly, raising your voice against the oppressor, smiling at a fellow sister, saying salaam to Muslim passing by. You see, all those little things that build your day and make your interactions better with people; that is what Islam is all about. Islam is not just a religion, it is a way of life. But above all it is about humbly submitting to the Creator at every phase of life. It’s about being obedient to every word of Allah in whatever you do. This worship, this obedience and submission to our Creator is the purpose of our life.

Dear sister, I started this series with the intention of sharing with you words of wisdom from everything I have seen and learnt from my experiences and by interacting with people around me. As we conclude this series, I pray that you benefited from this series in the past few months. May Allah bless all of you with the guidance of deen. May He bless you with friends who will bring you closer to His love and obedience. May He reward you abundantly for every desire you sacrifice for His sake, for every good word and effort you put to better your relationship with your parents. May Allah make you a muslimah who can make a difference to the people around you and to your life in this world and akhira. May He bless you with a strong bond of love towards Him- the Al-Wadood (All loving). May Allah make you one of those who is proud of the identity of being Muslimah and is brave enough to carry it forward. Ameen.

Do not just be a muslimah, but choose to live the life of a muslimah… it’ll make a world of difference to every phase of your life!!

RECOMMENDED READING:
1. Low Imaan? Learn how not to fall to 0 level – This is awakening by YasminMogahed.
2. Be inspired with the hijab way of life – read their love of hijab, poems and more by sisters as they write on their experiences :I Got it Covered!
3. Music anyone? I love this sisters take on it: Whip our hijab back and forth??
4. Wonder why you should avoid cuss words? Listen to this brief intro to the tafseer of Surah Ar-Rahman by UstadhNouman Ali Khan – Lessons from Surah Ar-Rahman


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Posted in: Aasiya Maryam,Community,Guide for teenage Muslimah,Muslimah,Part 6,Reflections