Muslema Purmul – Our Body Is Not For Sale

			When we look around the society,
people are encouraging, especially
		

			women, to reveal it all. They're
encouraging women to show it off.
		

			We are not show offs. Our bodies
are not meant to be sold
		

			or, you know, displayed for
others. We have an understanding
		

			of our body and our dress that is
derived from our understanding of
		

			God Himself and what he wants from
us. It's not hard to dress in a
		

			way that you think that, that we
know that God will be pleased with
		

			it's not hard to wear the hijab.
It's not hard to wear loose
		

			clothing. When we think about
fitted clothing that defines the
		

			form, we have to question, why?
Why is it necessary that everyone
		

			wears pants that exactly shows the
shape of the legs or the or shirts
		

			that show the shape of the arms
and the waist and the chest and
		

			whatnot? And subhanAllah, again,
the fact that modesty is
		

			distinctive for the Muslims, and
that this is not a culture that is
		

			compatible with Islam, this type,
this type, this desire to reveal
		

			it all. So when you get up in the
morning and it's time to get
		

			ready, don't just wear good
clothing to the masjid for
		

			tarawih, try to wear something.
And I'm not saying you have to
		

			wear JAL Bab I'm not saying you
have to wear clothing from the
		

			Middle East, wear clothing that's
from America, from the stores here
		

			in America. But just try to
fulfill those conditions of being
		

			loose such that it doesn't reveal
your actual form and
		

			and think about this concept that
I heard a sheik saying once. He
		

			said, When you get dressed in the
morning, try to wear something
		

			that you feel you could walk into,
into the gates of paradise with.
		

			Try to wear something that you can
walk into the gates of paradise
		

			with and external modesty itself
is something that can only truly
		

			be derived from internal modesty.
And the Prophet Muhammad saw him,
		

			he said that if you have no shame,
then do whatever you want. And I
		

			think this is a really important
thing for us to reflect on, that
		

			if we have no shame, we can easily
do anything that Allah is
		

			displeased with. But there's a
story that affected me, and when
		

			we're thinking about modesty, it's
also important that we're humble
		

			about it, that we're not
judgmental about it. There was a
		

			story of some young Muslims who
were actually caught in a
		

			conference in a hotel room. They
were denying everything, and
		

			finally, someone brought a Quran
to them and said, swear on the
		

			Quran that you know what you were
doing was appropriate. And up
		

			until that point, you know people
who had witnessed the situation
		

			said, you know, we just thought
they were the worst people,
		

			because look at what they're up
to, and they're lying. And
		

			everyone knows they're lying. But
when they brought the Quran to
		

			them and asked them, please swear
on the Quran,
		

			all parties refused to do so. Not
a single one of them would dare
		

			touch the Quran and swear to
something that was a lie. And so
		

			Subhanallah was this element, this
shame that they still had, that
		

			they still carried inside of them,
that stopped them from doing that.
		

			And at that point, the people
dealing with them realized no
		

			Everyone makes mistakes, but
they're still good in these
		

			people. So even if you're, if
you're someone who makes mistakes
		

			all the time, as all humans do,
realize they're still good inside
		

			of you. If you can look inside and
realize that you do have some
		

			shame in front of God that you
wouldn't ever put your hand on the
		

			Quran and swear to a lie, for
example. You know that's something
		

			to grow on. Take a moment to
reflect on this sense of shame and
		

			growing a sense of shame in front
of God when you're leaving the
		

			house. Try to feel that shame that
you want to be humble in front of
		

			him, that you know that you don't
want to displease him, that you
		

			want to dress in a way, that he
would love you to dress, that you
		

			would carry yourself in that way,
and that ultimately, your self
		

			esteem, your body image, whatever
it is, it derives from your
		

			relationship with him and no one
else. And again, try to do it in
		

			developing your relationship with
him through modesty. Do.