(Long post) Everyone's allowed hijab and niqaab
As-salaamu alaykum,
Recently alhamdulillah I made a tiny extra step in my religion but it turned out to be ginormous: I transitionedfrom showing my face and hands to not showing my face and hands. Subhan'Allah.
As a revert I spent a painfully long time to get round to wearing hijab at all, because I'm transfeminine. How many trans* people want to be looked at all the time? I don't. (So how could I be sure my intention would be for Allah (alone) if I started covering? It turned out like a big battle for self-respect.)
After nine years I've chosen niqaab and alhamdulillah I know I will not go back... it is entirely for my own reasons and not because of any insecurities. I feel super comfy and safe and I like that now there is nothing more I can possibly cover.
So, I thought bi'ithnillah trans* people of various kinds irrespective of belief might like to feel invited to modest dressing.
Would you rather everyone can see your skin all the time, or that you are completely covered in big black blankets and nobody can see you? Allah (swt) is the Wise, Al Hakeem
If you worry about apropriation, let it be known: you cannot possibly appropriate from Islaam. All of our guidance we say is good for everyone, each bit. We owe nothing of our culture to what others do. Alhamdulillah.
This is particularly for those who want to cover their faces. The images strewn in public create toxic standards which can cut us sharp inside and sometimes spur on enraged attackers. We are objectified and sexualised so often, all trans*, and in many cases, there is no way to escape being exposed and vulnerable. Niqaab is an elegant cure for all that and it's yours for you to try. We (muslimaat) wouldn't have known were we not told.
The religious significance of hijab and niqaab is quite near zero. It is clothing. It has myriad spiritual uses but it's not a sacrament or something that symbolises something else. It's for covering "awrah"/"nakedness", which is good for "haya"/"modesty/chastity/shyness".
Men and masculinity people are entitled to wear hijab and niqaab. Hijab is in fact compulsory for muslim men (the idea of covering lots and not wearing clothes which describe the shape of the body), and Mohammad (saws) often wore a headscarf with no connotation of femininity. Of his (saws) good qualities, he was exceptionally shy, chaste, and consentful for a man.
Mohammad (saws) was kind to trans* people, defended them against persecution, and gave advices specifically for trans* people that don't exist anywhere else. For this reason, I think islaam is a good way to make sense of the world for trans* people particularly. I have found muslim spaces astonishing in their lack of transphobia, regularly, and much more than I have ever been criticised. Our evidences are clear.
If you do feel inspired to try modest dressing, and take up this invitation to borrow from islaamic guidance... the sole very sensible caveat is do not mix symbols. I once saw a trans* woman experimenting with hijab but with tight black clothes and very strippery make-up... this is direct harm onto muslim women and it is the perfect example of what is to be avoided.
The easiest way to wear niqaab is to buy one online. They are usually cheap and come in lots of different styles. Tip: the all in one niqaabs are the easiest and they are particularly comfy.
A khimar will be very nice for some as it is a big thin blanket to tie around the head and it covers the shoulders from there. So nobody sees your frame. It is fundamental to hijab that the clothes do not describe the shape or the body.
There is a very picturesque trend for ornate robes for muslim women. These can be stunning but I would encourage you to stay away from them. I'm inviting you to unadorned black cotton. Masha'allah.
A classic, easy, and comfortable way to dress (which is absolutely timeless and the least tied into any particular culture when you think about it), from closest to skin:
- Underwear
- Underclothes (whatever you like)
- Abaya (black robe, you usually wear stuff underneath this)
- Bonnet or headband (its awkward to keep the forehead covered with a scarf)
- Scarf (learn to tie it or get one you don't need to pin like an "amira" hijab)
- Niqaab (I like the ones with ties, honestly because I think they're pretty)
All black. You could try experimenting but it would be very difficult to pull it off, and then it would belong on a runway and nowhere else. There's no apropriation but you can give people bad impressions unless you are respectful.
The theology on this is very simple, there is no part of islaam that is not encouraged for all the world to participate in. Alhamdulillah I feel so privileged right now to get to be so comfy, and I know 100% there could be trans* people who would benefit a lot from it.
I used to feel like I was obliged to show off my skin, but alhamdulillah now I don't. If you start by showing like, just an inch of your face, I promise you will not think "ohh I wish I had three inches of my face showing".
Anyone interested about gender and clothing in Islaam, or apropriation, ask away.
Rehmatullahi (a good blessing).
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