When we leave the privacy of our homes and enter the public eye, we tend to change the way we behave in order to present a certain image of ourselves to society. The need to constantly present and maintain that image stems from the fear of public opinion which lurks in the back of our minds. “What will people say?”
It is when we are within the confines of our homes, however, that our true colours are exposed. The secrets we harbour in our hearts are revealed when the four walls of our homes shield us from public scrutiny.
Do we cover ourselves from head to toe when leaving home, displaying piety in dressing to the world, whereas in the privacy of the home, we dress in such immodest and revealing clothing, that if an unexpected visitor were to knock at the door, we would find ourselves running for cover, trying to quickly throw a burqah over ourselves to save us embarrassment? This is living a double-life.
When we make an effort to be true to Allah Ta‘ala, in and out of the home, in our internal as well as external appearance, and His presence becomes established in our hearts and minds, then respect will automatically demand that we cover ourselves adequately. When we are blessed with the true awareness of Allah Ta‘ala, we will be hasty in our daily dressing and undressing – although we are within the privacy of our very own rooms – because we will know that Allah Ta‘ala can see us.
Let it not be that we turn a blind eye to Allah Ta‘ala’s ‘opinion’ and value the opinion of everybody else. After all, it’s the ‘opinion’ of Allah Ta‘ala that really counts.