To me modesty is not just about donning the hijab, covering awrath and our maintaining our body image in front of others. Deep down, it has to do with personality. We live in a country so globalized, people tend to think we are behaving like slaves, wearing the hijab and burkha. They fail to realise how liberal we are. Besides the point of explaining that we are not backwards, people tend to fall prey to bad influences and adapt to it.
I see people behaving "overly" friendly with male friends. They go to the extend till they do not see anything wrong in having physical touch with each other. I would say I am friendly. But, there will always be a barrier between me and my male counterparts. I will not allow my male friends to touch me. As Allah has warned us in the Quran, to behave rightfully with a non mahram. I used to wonder at times, if I am isolating myself, until one day, a guy came up to me and said he respects me for not being like the rest and knowing where to draw the line. He also told me that it was because of this respect that the other guys know how to behave with me, by not having physical contact.
I am glad I did the right thing. I will continue to practice haya and will strive to become a better muslimah. In Sha Allah.
Ibn Al-Qayyim reported: Some of the righteous predecessors said, “You must follow the path of truth and do not be discouraged that so few are following it. You must beware of the path of falsehood and do not be deceived that so many are destroyed by it.” - Hadith
- Aniza Begum (Tertiary)
