I Care!

I care for your tears,
for your fears, for your tears.

It hurts seeing you in pain,
I feel it in each and every vein.

When I think of those old eyes
and those lips with loud cries,
looking for their young one,
who, they know, will never return.

When I think of that child,
"My world's lost 'cause my father died"
who cries, who cries!

It hurts me more than anything,
In the flood of sorrows, my heart sinks
'cause;

I care for your tears,
for your fears, for your tears.

It's an old piece of poetry by me, wrote it when I was a seventh grader. The poem was written for the oppressed Kashmiris striving for not only their right of self-determination but their right to LIVE! 

What Is Hijab?

Literally the Arabic word Hijab means “Screen” or “Curtain” and so its purpose is to shield. Hijab is generally taken as a piece of cloth used by Muslim women to cover their heads. It is also called a head scarf.

PURPOSE OF HIJAB

Hijab, to many of us, may just seem a small piece cloth but it , in itself, means complete dignity. Women wearing Hijab feel a sense of protection of their dignities and graces from evil eyes. Hijab makes one feel, secure as the main purpose of Hijab is to make a women feel very precious so that she remains protected. A woman in Hijab is just like a pearl in a shell, it’s in the shell because it is special! In fact, today’s woman has become a show piece and so she has to make over herself in such a way that she looks attractive, to avoid being pinpointed in the society but Muslim women are freed from such pressures. Islam always teaches simplicity and so hijab frees one from such social pressures and barriers, to have simplicity under the veil and live a graceful life. That is the reason Hijab in any form (with or without Abaya) is and should be very simple, so that it does not become a source of attraction.

IMPORTANCE AND OBLIGATION OF HIJAB

If we go keenly through the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaahu Alaiyhi Wasallam), we find very obvious instructions about the importance of Hijab.
 
In the Light of Qur’an
  In Surah Noor, Allah(Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says,

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigor, or small children. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.”                                                                              [al-Noor 24:31]

In Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59, Allah(Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says:

"O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outer garments (jilbabs) close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle."

All these Ayaat (verses) tell us that Hijab is an obligation by Allah Almighty for all the Muslim women. They make us realize that when Islam started to spread, the Muslim women did not wear Hijab and it was later that Allah revealed an Ayah [al-Noor 24:31] making Hijab compulsory. That is the answer to all those who term Hijab just as a part of ‘Arabic cultural dress’! If after reading the above verses, one does not wear a Hijab, she’ll surely be disobeying Allah by not following His orders.

    In the Light of Ahadith
We also come to know about the Hijab being an obligation from the Ahadith.
When Allah’s Apostle used to offer the Fajr prayer, some believing women covered with their veiling sheets used to attend the Fajr prayer with him and then they would return to their homes unrecognized.
      It was narrated from ‘A’ ishah(May Allah be pleased with her) that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (Allah be pleased with them both) entered upon the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) while wearing thin clothing, so he turned away from her and said,
“O Asma! Indeed when a woman reaches [the age of] puberty, it is not proper that anything should be shown except this and this”, and he pointed to his face and hands. (Abu Dawud transmitted it)

So from the light of Quran and Sunnah, it is quite obvious that Hijab is an obligation and all Muslim women must observe Hijab, covering their entire body.

WHAT IF A MUSLIMAH DOES NOT WEAR HIJAB?

When we look around us, we see so many Muslim women who do not wear Hijab.It is the responsibility of those who know, to tell them about the importance of Hijab because if a Muslimah does not wear Hijab, it may cost her much in the world hereafter.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 13-14:

    13      Those are limits set by Allah: those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath to abide therein (for ever); and that will be the Supreme Achievement.
   14      But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire to abide therein: and they shall have a humiliating punishment.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6840,Narrated by Abu Hurayrah
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“There are two types of the people of Hell that I have not seen yet: men with whips like the tails of cattle, with which they strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait, with something on their heads that looks like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will never enter Paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such and such a distance.”

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,

                         ”Ballighu ‘anni wa lau ayah”
“If you listen even one verse from me , spread it.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 2838)

So now it’s our duty to spread the message to those who do not know and Allah will surely reward us for our efforts.

The Elusiveness Of Hope

Every morning I get up, offer my prayer, get ready and leave for my school to begin a new day of my daily routine. On the way to school, I observe different phenomena taking place all around including the natural phenomenon of the rising of sun and physical phenomenon of beginning of all the business of life. Every morning, this hustle and bustle leaves me in a confused state. It confuses me, whether to be happy or grieved because it’s not as hopeful as it seems!

It pleases me so much when I see the red, purple and golden shades of sunlight appearing on the sky just as the sun emerges from behind high mountains. As the fresh cool breeze touches my face, it gives me strength and hope to start my day as an entirely new journey towards a destination of which neither I nor this innocent breeze knows! Just as I’m feeling the cool breeze and shaping my destination in my head, all of my imagination is shattered and disrupted because of the black smoke given out by a vehicle which just passed by mine. May be, it’s the reason why I’ve not known of my destination yet.

I try to cheer myself up a little and am so thankful to the cool street art pieces which help me so much in bettering my mood! I always love seeing those beautiful pieces of street and wall art with such precious messages hidden behind them. The amazing combination of colors makes my morning so colorful as a painter’s platter! But it all becomes as dark as a painter’s old apron when the vehicle takes a turn and I see the most precious pieces of art turned into an unworthy combination of colors by all those wall chocking that a group of spoiled youth did just for fun, the abuses sprayed all over the walls and the hatred spreading material. This might have seemed just an adventure to them but proves to be an art lover’s nightmare or of him who searches such patty reasons to smile in this world over whelmed by too many complexities!

When I reach my school gate and enter the school with my school bag and all the heavy folders in my hand, I could see disappointment in the eyes of the gatekeepers and peons. All the teachers who are too overwhelmed by the load of making some earning to get themselves bread and butter instead of really enjoying their duty. And the students, the dark circles around whose eyes presented their exact emotions .They seemed to be feeling like the animals that just came to school to unload all the knowledge they brought from home and load some new and unload it at home and repeat the process, loosing all their taste of it.

I’ve always prayed for a better world and have always wanted to present the picture of the world that’s hopeful and bright. I don’t know should I call it my pessimism or my inability to lie, I cannot talk about hope anymore because it seems to me as if I’m fooling myself and those whom I’m telling those hopeful stories to. Our air, our streets, our people and our institutes, all have become a source of disappointment for us, they’re all killing any of hope a person can develop.

But, as I close my eyes at night, I always know a day will come when I’ll be able to shape my destination without any thought of getting interrupted by a smoky vehicle or the cries of a beggar in any single portion of my brain and who knows to what good this destination leads me. I never know, it may be the next day!

(Published In Rising Kashmir - December, 2013)