He asked me if he could photoshop my picture, adding hair on my covered head, just to see what I looked like. He was itching. My reaction was to instruct him to look around at the other women in the room. I explained that my hair type falls under the same category of many of those women's hair.
Selling yourself short, displaying your precious goods, and treating your existence as if you are a piece of meat is quite repetitive, and frankly, I'm bored.
Each of us looks like someone. No one human has a brand new feature in them that cannot be found in anyone else. We all look alike. To cover up and deemphasize the much valued carnal aspect of ourselves forces people to see and draws their attention to the only unique, inimitable, un-reproducible and most valuable part of our existence: our souls.
No pun intended, but don't be shallow when assessing what I truly look like, because the reality of me is walking around unclothed.
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hmmm! man leena smackin' dudes over the dome with the knowledge lol! that is another dimension of hijab that is rarely looked at. As u put, it makes people focus in on the uniqueness of a woman: her soul.
ReplyDeleteno pun intended...
:)
ReplyDeletethanks
glad you found substance in it!
He tried to hard. He didn't let it come to him. He shoulda just kept his imagination churning while learning who you truly are, inside. Pixels can't replicate our physical existence. Nor can the mere physical existence show what kind of actual person we are within. Modest clothing respects this thinking I think, and this is precisely why i respect the hijab.
ReplyDeleteI think the precious goods of someone are their purity and innocence. The physical is simply how we interact. But any actions that boast our physical as something we should be proud of (as if we created bodies and instilled our characters with perseverance and determination) or present it as a provocative measure of attraction or something further (which I believe to be improper usage) is surely likely to breed impure thoughts amongst others and hence the action becomes not one of 'love' but rather self gratification. So this I agree with you on. Don't sell yourself short with getting caught up in materiality.
However, I do think every human being is absolutely unique. The finger print, for instance, hasn't been replicated by any two humans; Even twins produce different f-tips! Yet these aspects of us aren't important when defining who we really are. It is quite marvelous how God can create endlessly unique beings in our physical, mental, and spiritual existences. Not one is the same, less God grants such a union!
I also think what makes the human so unique is that our beings are much more deeply developed than simple matter. Our matter is so reliant on this earthly environment, so limited, so temporary. It's like putting your worth on the vehicle and not the driver. The aesthetic instead of the meaning. The cover instead of the story. Don't judge a book by its cover. This works both ways though. If someone is over-exposed, it is still within others to cease the tempting thoughts and actions such an exposed being could provoke. For our judgments only show our imperfections. We could say that's a selfish thought but who are we to judge their actions, more so worry about our imperfections before labeling others as imperfect.
I'm with you though, leenamielus. Keep the dress modest and provoke people to truly learn who you really is Bee. To search for the true honey which motivates our beings. Not the comb. For the honey has all the nutrients, the comb is always left behind or chewed up only to be spit out afterward.
Thanks for that thought provoking share. Another valued page on the intra-nation.
Thank you for your beautiful words j.f.klimek!
ReplyDeleteYour words brought this verse to my mind:
"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted." 49:13
I agree we all have different finger prints, no one really has a choice to disagree, unless they choose to be in denial :). However, the microscopic differences in DNA strands and fingerprints are irrelevant and negligible, and on a macroscopic level essentially I think we all still physically look the same.