💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
💌 When my family and I were waiting for our flight in Heathrow airport in London, I remember my brothers complaining to me about how two older boys who were around my age (I was about twelve years old that time) were supposedly taking over the children's indoor playground and preventing other kids from entering. Being the protective elder sister that I was, I hurriedly marched into the play area and walked past the two British boys, gesturing to my brothers that it's okay they could go inside. The two white kids immediately left the play area when they saw my hijaab. It was the 90s when seeing Muslim females wearing the hijab around Europe wasn't yet common. I also recall how one woman displayed her shock so obviously when I opened a bathroom stall door and another kid in Denmark who looked at me like he was terrified of my headscarf. Those are only a few examples of several instances when some people reacted surprisedly on noticing my hijaab.
A number of years later Alhamdulillah when I became accustomed to wearing the niqab and black abaaya, the level of people getting surprised by my choice of attire intensified. Numerous times here in the Philippines I've overheard some (morally and culturally ignorant) adults and kids describe me as "ninja" or "molto" (monster etc.). Alhamdulillah the more they taunted and laughed at me for my niqab, the more I actually loved wearing it for Allah's sake, since I have this mindset of understanding that people who laugh at you are either insecurely jealous or they're too idiotic to understand your ways. Unlike some individuals who stop doing something when it causes them to be laughed at, Alhamdulillah my stubbornness and persistence to continue wearing the niqab just increase because Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala is the One I'm trying to please, not His creation, specially not those with erroneous beliefs.
A student who firmly believes that one plus one equals two wouldn't change his answer even if all his classmates were taught that the sum is three hundred. Similarly a biologist who knows that frogs are amphibians wouldn't alter their labels or category if some clowns insisted on classifying frogs as vegetables.
The more you believe in the correctness of your decisions, particularly if you are doing a good deed sincerely to please Only Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, the more you're unlikely to be persuaded by the negative reactions of people whose perceptions conflict with yours.
Furthermore, if a lot of goths and punksters worldwide are confident enough to demonstrate how loyal they are to their groups and how rebellious they can be with their outfit choices, you too should be capable of dressing differently from those who don't yet recognize Allah's Laws.
💭 Whenever some persons laugh at you for doing a good deed like wearing Islamic clothing and praying in public, keep in mind that:
1) People in general naturally laugh at what they do not understand. If something appears to be odd, strange or confusing to them, a lot of them react with laughter because it's their first time to witness something so unusual, or "silly" according to their tiny level of comprehension. You'd probably giggle, even slightly, if you saw a tall astronaut in a spacesuit casually passing by, or be intrigued by the sight of a chubby person wearing a banana costume. Of course if you're a mature adult who is familiar with various styles of clothing or you have friends from diverse backgrounds, observing somebody dress completely different from you is nothing new.
2) The narration of that incident when some Quraysh chiefs were making fun of the noble Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam while he was praying in front of the Ka'bah is sufficient reminder that being ridiculed for serving Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala is something which all of Allah's Prophets went through. The closer we are to Allah the Most Merciful, the more He sends challenges to strengthen our faith/Imaan, enhance our level of patience, expiate sins, motivate us to prefer Jannah to this temporary world, and elevate our status or station in Paradise.
3) Be grateful to Allah the Most Wise that He didn't make you similar to the people who childishly ridicule and mistreat others. It is better to be the laughing stock who's ridiculed for doing what is right than to side with the unbelievers mocking only to be later laughed at on the Day of Judgment.
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📖 Abu Huraira RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "The strong believer is more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be eager for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not be frustrated. If something befalls you, then do not say: 'If only I had done something else.' Rather say: 'Allah has decreed what He wills.' Verily, the phrase ‘if only’ opens the way for the work of shaytan."
Source: Sahih Muslim 2664
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Muslim