Youssra Kamel Kandil – To Hijab or not to Hijab

			Salam Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. So I decided today to record this video and post it for a
very good reason. Some of my students were talking with me today about the struggle of how some
people address them in regards to hijab, and whether you're out there and you have not yet been able
to take that decision and or you were way past that age where you're required to cover up, and you
feel people are kind of judging you based on whether you're covered or not. Or looking at your piety
based on whether you have hijab or not, whether you know, if you're wearing it, then you're a good
Muslim, if you're not wearing it, then you're not so much. I just want to tell you, I can definitely
		

			feel what you're going through, and I can so relate to you. Now, I was raised in Zimbabwe, as a
little child all the way into middle school, and I went to a private British school. When I came
back to Egypt, my parents wanted to really like you know, they were very worried about the religion,
they wanted me to have that background. And so they decided to put me in full time Islamic school,
where hijab was a requirement as part of my uniform. You know, I was always being told by my
teachers, roll down your sleeves, pull up your socks, close the top, and there's a little, you know,
hair sticking out. I remember the rebel inside of me, the more they kind of spoke to me in that
		

			harsh and negative way, the more I felt I need to rebel. And the minute that bell would ring and
I'll leave the school sleeves would be rolled up skulks would be rolled down the top and when you
open it right away Subhanallah and the one thing I have learned or I'm able to kind of understand
now as I've you know, years have gone past and hamdulillah is that don't ever let people decide or
not decide basically, but don't let people kind of tell you or make you get away from a loss of $100
rules because of the way they say things. This is a human being this is not what the religion, you
know, the way the religion wants to portray it to you or not the way that religion wants to convey
		

			it to you, right? Because I understand now as an adult, from what I went through, I would never ever
tell someone you know, you are like this or you're like that, yes, hijab is a requirement. But don't
let the way people tell you make you rebel and go further away from what Allah subhanaw taala has
required from you, right. And I'm going to share with you a very personal story
		

			that happened with me personally, that when I look back and think about it, if I had listened to
this person, or the way she spoke to me, I would have most likely not be covered today. Right? I
would not be wearing my headscarf today. So I remember going in through high school and my mom had
started, you know, attending religious, like, you know, lectures and about covering and so and so
forth, and should come back to that you have to cover up you have to do this and the more she kind
of forced me or kind of wanted to force it on me, the more I kind of like you know, set back And
subhanAllah one day you know, Allah subhanaw taala it'll be blessed me with this beautiful gift and
		

			I decided on my own you know what? I want to cover up I want to do this not because my mom is saying
not because anybody, but because Allah subhanaw taala you know, he's blessed me in so many ways. And
the least way to show this gratitude is to, you know, kind of like express my love by following his
rules and his requirements for me, right. So the first day I remember going out with my hijab and
back in the day, we had sweat pants that were actual sweat pants, they were like really big and
baggy, not those tiny, skinny things. I don't know how you guys put your legs into these days. And
the hijab wouldn't have all these like fancy different hijabs. We had like, big, huge, hidden hijabs
		

			that were like tablecloths, you fold them into half, it's a huge triangle that would literally you'd
fold in half, put it here, reach down to your knee, and had a long, long shirt that was way below my
knees. And I'm walking, feeling so proud of myself. I was in 11th grade, I think. And not to
belittle anybody below he might you know, this sister, she was in a coffee shop more than a club and
black clothes. And I'm not saying you think you have a little because my sister and my best friend,
they're both knuckleheads, and they're the most beautiful influence and inspiration to me in my
life. But unfortunately, sometimes people when they dress in a certain way they feel they're
		

			entitled to dress in a certain way. So this lady was wearing niqab she sees me she like kind of ways
that me crosses the street and comes to me saying Salaam Alaikum I don't like oh my god, she's gonna
like tell me You look beautiful, and your hijab. And you like someone like I'm like, I saw my cat
too. So she tells me in sha Allah Bismillah you're going to hellfire
		

			at home like, Okay. I didn't know how to react to that. I smiled and I'm like, okay, shook on. Thank
you. And Subhan Allah, you know, I went back and I told my sister and she's like, you know, don't
let negative people get through to you. Don't ever let anybody by the way they address you. take you
away from Allah subhanaw taala Hannah's commands, right. If I had listened to that lady, I would
have definitely what just been driven further away. But I knew this was right. I knew this is what
Allah subhanaw taala required for me. I know that maybe it's a difficult it's not something
		

			It's not an easy decision to do that I understand. It's such a temptation with our beauty and our
hair and this and that I totally understand. But at the same time, I understand that when Allah
subhanaw taala, or God pleases rules for us, it's always to protect us. And I can give you an
example, very simple one, if you have a MacBook, right, and your MacBook crashes, you have to go get
what the manual for a MacBook, if you go get the manual for Toshiba or an HP and try to fix your
MacBook with it, what's going to happen?
		

			It's gonna get even worse, right? The same concept, Allah subhanaw taala is the one who created us,
not human beings, right. And Allah subhanaw taala gave you your manual, he gives you a catalogue, he
made you he knows the best way that you function, right? And what's your book, the Quran, he tells
you, I know how you are from inside, I know what your loves, looks like, I know that if you cover
up, you're going to be more protected, more appreciated, people will what the people will judge you
not on the color of your hair that you have no control of, or the color of your eyes, or any of the
other things your skin or you know how skinny or fat or whatever it is that you are, but basically
		

			on your heart, on your piety on your mind, on how you are as a human being. Right? You have to make
people respect you in that sense, right? So you cannot let people decide for you and tell you well,
because you are doing so and so then you're not decent. That's not for them to decide. First of all,
it's not for us to judge Druckman so Allah subhanaw taala Yes, it's a requirement from us for our
sorry from us that Allah subhanaw taala has asked us to do, basically to show how humble you are.
You're a beautiful pearl, your precious, and pearls, you don't find them lying down in the dirt and
the sand of the bottom of the sea. You find them were protected in oysters. And so are you my dear
		

			sisters, you're very precious and your hijab is what gives you that dignity and that modesty. First
of all, remember that Allah subhanaw taala knows how you function best. And he's telling you, I am
protecting you when he gives a is about Hamid or you know about alcohol. He's doing it to protect
you, not to restrict you. And you have to understand that if Allah subhanaw taala has blessed us in
so many ways. Think about it. It's just endless sitting count your blessings, they're endless look
around you in the world what's going on? And think to yourself, how blessed you are. Wouldn't you
just say thank you, thank you God and how do you say thank you? It's not just by saying, Oh, we're
		

			ungrateful, but how are you going to interpret it in your actions the way you are the way it
reflects on your outer appearance, your inner state has to reflect on your outer state. I ask Allah
subhanaw taala that all of you find it easy insha Allah to cover up it's something beautiful and
once you give up something for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala will lie he will lie I'm telling
you, Allah replace it with something so much more beautiful. You don't feel the urge to like
literature you can select it out with your sisters and your friends you know your girlfriends of
course and later on in your life insha Allah and then the reward is just immense. And you see the
		

			baraka and the blessing of it in your life. May Allah subhanaw taala and all granters that Tibet or
to be kind of like you know, consistent and be sturdy on what is right here. I mean last pinata,
Allah make everything that he loves, beloved to our hearts, and keep us Europe very strong about it.
And we also have metallic take out from our heart the love of this dunya and replace it with
everything that pleases Him, and mean me neuropil alameen wa salam ala Sayyidina Muhammad while
earlier Sofia Salam Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.