With words that go straight to the heart, Sister Rifat tells of how her journey to hijab and her struggle for her son all became wrapped up in a desperate plea to Allah.

My “hijab story” is a time-line of hardship, pain and prayer. Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah at all times.

I’ve been blessed enough to go to Umrah three times. Alhamdulillah. There is no question that going to Mecca and seeing the Ka’ba is an emotional and breathtaking experience. Every time I returned from the Holy Land, I thought to myself, “That’s it! I’ll give the hijab a go now!” With the iman rush, I thought I’d keep the hijab on.

Unfortunately, two different times the hijab didn’t last for more than two days after my return from Umrah…

The third time, however, the situation was different. Subhan Allah !

Allah had destined that 2003 would be a year like no other. All praise to Allah, I gave birth to a beautiful little boy. As a human, and especially as a mother, things didn’t go easily for me. However, I don’t complain; I say alhamdulillah at all situations.

My dear baby boy was born eleven weeks premature. He was very ill and even suffered a brain hemorrhage. A consultant told us that my baby would have cerebral palsy, a condition caused by damage to the brain that affects body movements and body coordination. While the news was hard enough to swallow, the consultant also told us that his predictions were never wrong…

Another consultant we met later in hospital provided more hope. He said that the brain may repair itself, in that alternate pathways may be formed for different brain functions.  Yes, alhamdulillah, we had hope that Allah would make things better.

In 2004, I went on Umrah with my older son who was then three years old. During Umrah, I prayed to my Lord, Who is able to do all things, for my dear little boy, who was ill. Allah knows best how a loving mother feels when she sees her young baby ill.

Sisters, you will not believe how much I prayed! I prayed more than I thought was possible for a mother to pray! Allahu Akbar, Allah is the Greatest!

I kept thinking, “ Oh Allah. Make me a better Muslimah. This time, help me keep my scarf on…”

Prophet Muhammad salla Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam said:

“Remember Allah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of hardship.” (Narrated by Ahmad)

I did not forget what the first consultant had told me about my son… that my baby would have cerebral palsy. It is not easy for a mother to imagine the suffering of her baby, one who a mother carries in her belly for many months with hardship and then goes through labor.

I prayed to Allah, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. I prayed to the Lord of the Worlds, Who is aware of all things.

All praise to Allah, both of my dua’as were granted! Subhn’Allaah! I did not stop praying to my Lord, and Allah accepted my desperate plea!

Two days after I returned from Umrah, my little baby started to crawl! My dear little boy, for whom I made so much dua’ to Allah, was now moving on his own!

As for my hijab, I still have it on. Alhamdulillah.

Sisters, we face so many trials and tests in this dunya. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“ Verily, We have created man in toil.“ (90:4)

So were we created for fun and games? Allah created us for worship in this world, and we have to work hard to be successful in this world and especially in the hereafter, which is forever.

If you ever face difficult situations, always remember to make dua’ because Allah is the Only source of help. Sister, if you are struggling with the concept of hijab, make dua’. I made sincere dua’ to Allah and I still have my hijab on, and my eyes witnessed how my little son started to crawl.

Whenever hardships come, no matter how difficult and hard to bear, know that Allah will provide relief insha’Allah.

I experienced the truth of Allah’s statement:

“ Verily, with the hardship, there is relief (i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one hardship cannot overcome two reliefs).” (94:6)

______________

Originally submitted by Sister Rifat to The Ideal Muslimah fan page for their “December: Hijab Month Project.” Our thanks to The Ideal Muslimah for the permission to repost.