Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Assalaamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh
My Dear Sisters
Back in the 80’s, ever since I was a young girl, I ALWAYS admired the very few women I saw in niqaab. The noor (Divine light) of their garb made them outshine all other women. I DIDN’T KNOW that it was an obligation on Muslim women, but in my heart, I KNEW that it was right and I was in love with it.
As a little girl, I said to myself, “One day, I will cover myself.” But as I grew up, I had nobody to share this desire with. Hardly any of my family members or friends even wore a scarf full time. So I naturally wanted to ‘go with the flow’. My guilty conscience troubled me throughout my teenage years. “Nobody covers themselves up in this area,” I thought to myself. “WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF ME?”
Finally, alhamdulillah, when I was 18 years old, Allah Ta‘ala blessed me with hidaayah (guidance). My desire and dream was to go to university, but ALHAMDULILLAH, my father prevented me. I WAS DISTRAUGHT! … All my years of hard schoolwork now in vain!
Alhamdulillah, this sadness made me turn to Allah Ta‘ala and He chose for me to attend madrasah for a year. I was now in an environment with so many women that wore the niqaab that I couldn’t believe it! There were so many girls and women who were wearing the niqaab and alhamdulillah, at the age of just 18, I had realized the beauty of the niqaab. Allah Ta‘ala gave me the taufeeq (Divine ability) to wear the niqaab and my childhood dream had now come true.
May Allah Ta‘ala bless Moulana Yunus Patel (rahimahullah) for inspiring me.