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By 17 year old Tara Blackthorn
Assalamu'alaikum
This is my niqab story. I had accepted Islam during the beginning of my 11th grade school year. Before taking shahadah I had adopted wearing a jilbab and hijab. One of my Muslim friends enlightened me on the evidence of niqab. She had said that their were two scholarly views based on its daleel, however the practice of niqab was the safer choice, so I decided that the day after school lets out that year, I will InshaAllah start to wear niqab. Then I started asking myself, why I was waiting until the summer vacation, was I that scared to face my peers at school with the niqab? I had already shocked everybody with jilbab and hijab, I just didn't want to deal with their stares and hushed comments. I became scared that I was committing shirk by putting the opinions of my schoolmates before that of Allah. Also I was very scared of taking the subway in my niqab, I already received murderous stares from various pairs of eyes.
The next Jumu'ah prayer that I attended, Alhamdulillah, the imam was talking about the amount of time we have in this life and suddenly I became restless. I seriously started to think about the waiting period that I had set up for my self to start the niqab, and was it the right thing to do. I can't be sure if I will live until school ends. (This thought was triggered by the unfortunate event that had occurred earlier that year, my childhood friend had died in a car accident and I was a bit sensitive about death during the Jumu'ah.) I made up my mind that from that Saturday, I will be wearing my khimar a little bit differently, with only my eyes showing. I am still wearing the niqab and I have not regretted my decision. For those of you who live in New York City and know the state of their public transportation system, I hope it gives you strength to start your own niqab by knowing that I take the subway (train) and sometimes the bus at least 5 times a week in my niqab. Whenever I take the subway, I remind myself of the hadith that says that if the whole world wanted to harm you, they wouldn't be able to, unless Allah willed it.May Allah raise your Iman and reward in the Hereafter.
Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah.
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