Hijab is a personal journey but also a collective effort. Individual actions seldom exist in a vacuum. Our choices shape culture, our visibility matters, and our struggles can affect those around us, even when we pretend they don’t. Hijab, in particular, sits at the intersection of faith, politics, beauty standards, and belonging. It is both worn on the body and also demonstrated by how we carry ourselves, speak, and move through the world. Right now, it feels heavier than ever.
We live in a world where nothing is sacred and nudity is marketed as freedom; where access to women’s bodies are framed as empowerment, where exposure equals confidence, and where privacy is treated like insecurity. So, it is disheartening to continually witness women removing layers of clothing, namely hijab, and calling it growth, especially when those same women once stood as visible reminders that modesty, faith, and dignity could coexist with beauty, creativity, and success. It forces us to ask an uncomfortable question: Do we believe we cannot be successful with hijab on, or that doors will close, opportunities will cease, or our relevance will fade if we remain visibly Muslim? And if so, who convinced us of that?
Was it corporate culture?
The algorithm?
Brand deals?
The male gaze?
Perhaps it was society’s endless demand that women offer their bodies as proof of worth?
At what point did liberation become sacrificing ourselves? And when did empowerment start to look like less clothing, more access, and more consumption?
The Subtle Pressure to Conform
It’s disturbing how society pressures women to be palatable, particularly Muslim women. We are either too covered, too foreign, too religious, or not covered enough, not liberal enough, not modern enough. There is not enough balance or acceptance, and too much reshaping of who we are. We are told to evolve, but evolve into what? My only guess is to change into something more digestible, marketable, and acceptable to systems never built for us in the first place.
It’s not lost on me that visibility in today’s world often comes with conditions. You can be successful, but only if you don’t make people uncomfortable. You can be seen, but only if you soften your edges. You can be Muslim, but don’t look too Muslim. The thing is, hijab refuses to comply with that, and it isn’t meant to. Hijab is a boundary, a statement, and a refusal to perform for public consumption.
So, when sisters remove it and label it growth – I must be honest – I grieve, because something sacred is being traded for something fleeting, and that exchange deserves deep reflection, not applause. There are many who will say that what one woman does with her body and how she decides to present herself, with or without hijab, is no one else’s business or problem, but I strongly disagree.
Asking Myself the Same Questions
I don’t pretend to stand on some moral pedestal. I don’t have it all figured out, and I cannot say I have never struggled with hijab. So, I ask myself these same difficult questions I pose to you.
Was hijab ever just for show?
Was it about community approval?
Aesthetics?
A season of identity?
Was it worn only when convenient, when it felt empowering, when it earned praise?
Or was it always meant to be a covenant with Allah? One that deepens with time, and not convenience?
Faith is not complacent. It demands growth, but growth does not always seem liberating. Sometimes growth feels like restricting. When in reality it is choosing Allah (SWT) when no one is watching and when no one is clapping. We have to be honest about that. Hijab is not supposed to be trendy and convenient. It’s not supposed to blend in. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Islam began as something strange and will return to being strange, so glad tidings to the strangers.” (Muslim) This hadith hits home because I have always been proud of how my siblings and I were raised not to follow the crowd. We were reared to stand out and be comfortable with it.
A Community Check-In
As a community, we cannot avoid accountability. We all have a part to play, and we have to take a look at how we show up for each other.
Have we not been supportive enough?
Have we reduced hijab to a symbol without protecting the women beneath it?
Have we turned it into a badge of honor instead of a spiritual commitment?
Are we creating room for struggle, doubt, and complexity, or have we only celebrated what
appears to be perfection?
So many sisters feel if they struggle or question hijab and its meaning then they are failing or are weak. Or worse, if they remove the hijab, then they are beyond redemption. I don’t believe that fear is rooted in Islam, I believe it is cultural. Allah (SWT) doesn’t ask us to “come as you are” only to expect perfection in our practice. Let’s stop pretending that faith is linear. It isn’t. It bends, it stretches and it wavers, and sometimes it’s barely present. However, Allah (SWT) never leaves us. Instead, we leave ourselves, and we leave Allah because we begin to feel unworthy of His love during our difficulties.
If we truly cared about hijab, we would care about the women wearing it more than the fabric itself. We need to start checking in before making assumptions, listening before lecturing, and honoring the difficulty instead of condemning them for their experiences.
Accountability Without Condemnation
So how do we hold each other accountable? We are living in one of the hardest times to hold onto the rope of Allah. Confusion is loud. Immorality is trendy. Discipline is framed as oppression. Yet, Allah still asks us to hold firm.
Allah says, “And hold firmly together to the rope of Allah; and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favor upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you—by His grace—became brothers. And you were at the brink of a fiery pit and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes His revelations clear to you, so that you may be ˹rightly˺ guided.” (Quran 3:103) Holding firmly to His rope, even with it’s not easy or popular, is what sincerity looks like.
In another ayat Allah says, “The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another. They encourage good and forbid evil, establish prayer and pay alms-tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger. It is they who will be shown Allah’s mercy. Surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Quran 9:71)
However, one thing I often see forgotten when we try to support one another is compassion and grace. If we learn how to decenter ourselves in the struggle of others, we would be much better advisors.
Walking Alone, But Not Isolated
Personally, I don’t need company in wearing a hijab. No one will stand before Allah with me, and they won’t be able to answer for my intentions or deeds. Nor will anyone carry my compromises. However, I won’t pretend sisterhood doesn’t matter, and I won’t act like I am not affected when I see a sister remove her hijab, either. I feel it, and it always feels personal, although I know it isn’t.
Knowing I’m not walking this road alone matters, and it comforts me that other women are choosing Allah in a world that makes self-preservation difficult. It makes me feel I’m not alone, and it reminds me I’m not crazy for caring. Sisterhood doesn’t mean we always make the same choices. It means we respect each other while staying anchored to truth, in shaa Allah.
The real question is not: “Why did she take off her hijab?” The real question is: “What are we willing to trade for belonging?” Are we trading discipline for validation? And who benefits when we do? It’s definitely not us, and it isn’t our daughters, nieces, or our community. Instead, systems profit off women’s insecurity. Industries that monetize minimal clothing and a woman’s need to be validated by the public and algorithm, but our souls do not.
Choosing Allah When It’s Uncomfortable
I’ll be honest, holding onto hijab is extremely difficult these days, and oftentimes it’s not glamorous. It doesn’t go viral, and most of the time, it doesn’t get brand deals either. It rarely gets support. But it results in something better – barakah, peace, alignment – and we pray it is added to our scale for the aakhirah.
Of course, it’s not always easy. Some days it feels heavy and you question everything about yourself. That’s when you have to remember who and what you’re doing this for. After all, it is an act of obedience and done for the pleasure of Allah.
Nothing makes me feel more beautiful than when I wear a hijab. Donning it has always been deeply personal for me, and whenever I see sisters struggling to wear it, or taking it off, it always makes me want to wrap them in parts of my journey and share my story. I know our paths look different, but when we share it often helps others that are going through what we’ve already conquered.
A Dua for All of Us
I don’t want to leave without saying is, to the sisters struggling to wear hijab, know you are not alone and Allah (SWT) is ever merciful. Reach out to the sisterhood, talk to someone who will support you, and ultimately, call on Allah. He hears you and will not leave you to yourself.
May Allah rectify our affairs. May He strengthen the hearts that are tired but still holding on. May He guide those who are struggling with sincerity and gentleness. May He soften us without weakening us. May He protect us from trading eternity for momentary comfort. And may He allow us to live and die clinging to Him in a time when letting go is the easiest thing to do.
Allahumma Ameen.
