I’ve talked about why my teen doesn’t wear hijab, but in sha Allah my younger girls will walk a different path. Since they aren’t faced with the difficulty of having split parents of different religions, there won’t be as much pressure to follow pop culture, in sha Allah.
Hijab isn’t required for very young girls. In fact, it only becomes required for those who have reached the age of puberty. Still, I want to instill a love of Islam when my kids are young, and encourage Little Miss to wear hijab whenever I can.
It’s so cute, Little Miss seems to think that wearing a hat suffices for hijab. I ask her when we are about to leave, “What hijab are you going to wear today?” or, “I think your blue hijab would look really nice with your shirt!” So often she responds that she wants a pink hat or white hat. Honestly, the fact that the hijabs are a bit too big for her still probably adds to her wishing for something else.
I try to encourage Little Miss by telling her that wearing hijab makes Allah happy. At this age, I don’t think it’s beneficial to instill a strong fear of Allah, but rather talk about how Allah is happy or sad with certain actions. As for Little Miss preferring a hat over hijab, I tell her that a hat keeps us warm, but a hijab keeps us warm and it makes Allah happy. Even though most days she still takes off her hijab soon after she’s active somewhere, I pray that I’m building the blocks of loving Islam and hijab in her mind.
Quite honestly, I think if Care Bear wore hijab, Little Miss would be more likely to take it upon herself. The times where Care Bear wears hijab, or noticeably prays where Little Miss can see her, Little Miss will follow suit. Who doesn’t want to be like their super-cool big sister? I know Care Bear has noticed this pattern as well, but you know, life just isn’t in that spot for us right now. We talk about where Care Bear is with her faith often, and keep building knowledge, alhamdulilah, but I’m not going to make her wear it just to be a positive influence on my younger daughters. That’s my responsibility. In sha Allah it’s enough. Allah guides whom He wills.
I love hijab, and I think there’s such a powerful benefit for women in our culture who choose to wear it. I believe it’s important to start now, and in sha Allah when she’s old enough that she will reap the benefit, she will be comfortable enough to wear it full time. Allahu alim. I wish I would have had some concept of modesty and hijab when I was a teen! I believe I would have been saved from a lot of hard times if I didn’t allow myself to be objectified by the boys around me. In sha Allah I can instill those values in my daughters. At least my intention should count, in sha Allah.
What are some daily ways you keep your girls involved with something Islamic? How do you continuously remind them about that part of their identity?
One big thing we do in our family is we only listen to nasheeds in the car. When even our entertainment is Islamic, it builds that Islamic identity in a small way. Also, our closest friends are Muslim, and we make time to see them on a regular basis. This year we have been building our Islamic home library quite a bit also. It’s been challenging finding high quality books, but alhamdulilah, we’ve found some real gems. Take a look at Islam archives to see some reviews I’ve done on Islamic books. I like having story books featuring Muslims so they have characters to relate to.
I hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by!
As salamualeikum sister
Alhamdulillah, before I had my little girl I was so in love with Hijabl, I use to play with my friends kids by fixing their hijabs . MashaAllah Allah had blessed me with a girl who is about to be 5. I realized that there wasn’t many options for little girls hijabs. With the help of Allah I started a business soli for the little girls : preciouslittlepearls.com