I read an article in Destination Jannah, I am particularly touched by these lines
Hijab is much more than the external piece of cloth on your head, sisters. It is a change of heart, the haya' must enter the heart before modesty can truly be reflected from outside.
Hayaa'is speech, hayaa'is proper covering of your body, hayaa'is being aware of Allah when you're interacting with the opposite gender, hayaa'is knowing your limits and boundaries. Hayaa'is a shift of the heart to something more beautiful that what we're fed in magazine and tv. Hayaa' and Hijab are a liberation to us Muslim sisters but only if we make it that way.
Hayaa'in this context has a lot of meaning, Hayaa'derived from the word hayaat which means life. In English it is translated as modesty, shyness, self-respect, bashfulness, shame, honour and etc. The original meaning of Hayaa' in accordance with believer's nature, refers to a bad and painful feeling accompanied by embarrassment, caused by one's fear of being exposed or censored for some unworthy or indecent conduct. In short, Hayaa' is shyness. MasyaAllah, such deep meaning of wearing a hijjab. I've been wearing hijjab for years but I don't really understand what wearing a hijjab is all about. It is more than a covering, more than just an act of modesty.
I was performing a Maghrib prayer the other day at Masjid Besi Putrajaya, I was truly moved by the people who just pray without their 'telekung', who pray in their present clothes and hijjab, because its enough to cover their aurat. I truly amaze at how beautiful Islam is that time. It is not hard at all. We are the ones who make it hard. I remember a teaching from Ustaz Azhar, he said women should not leave their house if the clothes that they wear is not enough to cover their aurat for a prayer. I can't explain this feeling, but I'll try to be better, maybe not drastically, but insyaAllah one day...I pray, I'll get there.
