1) Al-Bukhaari (5971) and Muslim (2548) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, who is most deserving of my good company?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Then your father.” 

3) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3895; Ibn Maajah, 1977; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

4) Islam honours women as daughters, and encourages us to raise them well and educate them. Islam states that raising daughters will bring a great reward. For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever takes care of two girls until they reach adulthood, he and I will come like this on the Day of Resurrection,” and he held his fingers together. Narrated by Muslim, 2631. 

http://www.karmanirvana.org.uk/helpline/

- this is a helpline which is aimed at victims of honour violence and domestic violence

- aimed at all age groups

 http://www.solacewomensaid.org 

- this is a womens charity but also for children who are victims of abuse

http://tellmamauk.org

- a charity set up to help victims of islamophobia  

To any sisters reading this who need help and do not know where to turn, feel free to contact me and i will be happy to provide support and signpost you to any relevant sources of help.

My duas (prayers) are always with women who are being oppressed. 

 

Zahra Rosea has 13k+ followers on instagram so one could definitely say she is in a very good position to inspire those who would like to start their journey to covering. As muslimahs we are constantly trying to improve ourselves and it can be so very hard for those who want to cover, and the 101 thoughts that enter your mind when making the decision to begin covering.  A lot of thoughts may enter your mind about wearing hijab e.g 'i won't look nice', 'i can't be fashionable with a hijab', 'people won't accept me', 'it isn't the norm in my environment or society to wear hijab', 'people at work will think i am weird', 'my wardrobe isn't modest enough to start wearing a hijab'. Well ladies, please stop thinking like this because hijab is a journey and it is done for the sake of Allah, so if you would like to start by wearing a hijab and slowly making your wardrobe more modest as you go along, what is wrong with that.

There are many inspirational ladies out there who you can take style ideas from on how to dress modestly. Of course, the overall aim is to please Allah, but a little helping hand can never be a bad thing! Zahra Rosea is one of the many hijabis who are here to show you that you can wear hijab and still be trendy at the same time. As long as you are fully covered there is nothing wrong with adding a bit of style to your look to ease you into to dressing modestly and from there things can only get better.

So without further ado here is my interview with Zahra who recently featured on Gap and was selected as the first winner to feature. That in itself is a great privilege, for a hijabi to be recognised as the first winner to feature on gap is something to be proud of. It highlights that the world is opening up more and more to the notion of hijab and this will only make it easier for those who want to cover but don't have the courage to take the plunge. Anything to help someone feel more comfortable wearing a hijab is something to celebrate. Zahra explains why she put herself out there and what her future goals are. Read below;

What made you submit your picture to Gap? 

I decided a very long time ago that as Muslim women and as a consumer of fashion we are very poorly represented in the fashion world, media and industry. I thought it would be a step in the right direction to have a Muslim within a media campaign, I think it's also a significant step for the industry to readily identify that we too are part of their consumer base and deserve to be included.

When did u start wearing hijab? 

I began wearing hijab when I was around fourteen years old. In all honesty it wasn't a step I really thought about since we were raised in a very un-multicultural part of the U.K where my family and I were the only permanent Muslim family in town.

What made you wear it? 

We had just spent that whole summer in Dubai and wore the hijab when we were out there and back to the airport in the UK. When we landed, my younger sister Asma was actually the first one to make the decision to continue wearing it. I decided I wasn't going to allow her to struggle alone and so I too began wearing it.I knew it would be difficult being the only teenager in the whole of our town wearing it, but with both our support to each other we decided it would be something attainable.

What would you describe your style as? 

I would decide be my style as muted power dressing. I love structured silhouettes, pointed pumps, clean crisp lines and shirts

What are your future goals? 

In terms of goals for hijabis as a whole I would love for us all to be included and recognised as a consumer market by fashion brands. 

As for myself, I am establishing and developing my own modest clothing brand, I would love for that to become global inshallah.

What or who is your style inspiration? 

I love Victoria Beckham, Celine & Coco Chanel. A mixture of all of the above!

I would like to thank Zahra for taking time out of her busy schedule to do this interview, and i hope this can help those of you who want to cover to come one step closer to making that decision and putting on the hijab. Hijab is beautiful, and anything that is done solely to please your creator will only bring you good things. Start your journey and remember true beauty comes from within and will shine out. Don't say to your self 'one day i will wear it' because that one day may never come, be spontaneous and just go for it. Zahra did, and has no regrets. We are all on a journey and continuously trying to improve- may we all be the best we can for our Creator.

Zahra Rosea can be found on Instagram ; http://instagram.com/zahrarosea 

As everyone knows it was International Women's day yesterday! So i thought let me jump on the bandwagon and write a post to celebrate women. I just want to make one thing clear before i start, im not really into these 'days' where there is just one day dedicated to a group of people. I think everyday is your day, therefore for me everyday is womens day, and why not? We are pretty amazing, multi talented, determined beings aren't we?! 

My religion, Islam, recognised the importance and value of women thousands of years ago! It took the rest of the world a while to catch up didnt it? And yes in Islam a woman is important and special every single day. The Prophet (sallahu alayhi wasalam- peace be upon him) expressed this importance on many occasions, particularly in his final sermon, which is meaningful and beloved to us all. He said ' i urge you to treat women well'. This man was the finest of gentleman, thousands of years ago, when all over the world (including the 'western world') women were seen as second class citizens, he treated women with the upmost respect. I could write all day about how my heart melts thinking about our Prophet (saw) but i will leave it here. I could never do justice to this amazing man in any piece i write as there are some things which are too beautiful to put into words, no words can do justice.

I recently wrote an article about how we are not traditionally submissive as women and quite the opposite and cited some role models in islamic history that us ladies look upto. Well today i am going to highlight 5 modern day Muslim women who make me proud to be a woman. They have achieved so much, and they deserve a special mention in light of international womens day.

1.  My mother- yes really, my mother does make me proud to be a woman. Not only has she raised a family but she has done this along with working full time. She is one of those women who are NOT ONLY housewives but are working women as well, they run their house as a woman should and they also go out to work and bring money home. She is a hard worker, she never shudders any responsibility and is always there on hand to support the family, immediate and extended. She is a star, hardworking, and dedicated. She has to deal with me and my brother after all, which isn't always easy, so i commend my mother- a modern day muslim woman who i am so very proud of and aspire to be like.

2. Yasmin Mogahed

Yasmin Mogahed is an internationally published journalist who gives lectures on islam all over the world. She is known worldwide for her writing, lectures and radio shows. One of her most famous books is called 'reclaim your heart' - this book is an amazing uplifter, imaan booster and something that helps you deal with heartache and difficult situations.

Yasmin has a way of captivating her audience and help them see things through a more islamic perspective.

Yasmin is Al Maghrib Insitutes first female instructor. Her name is a name known WORLDWIDE, and anyone who has read her writing or attended her lectures will feel spiritually uplifted. I know i did.

This woman has the ability to relate all situations in life and used these to strengthen ones relationship with their creator.  A woman who turns all hardships into strength through seeking solace with her creator.

A modern day muslim woman who is determined, successful and able to have a positive effect on so many.

3. Dalia Mogahed

Dalia is an American scholar of Egyptian origin. This woman has so many achievements on her list that it would take a long time to write them all out. She is a strong, successful and a modern day muslim woman. Dalia is the Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, she is also the CEO of Mogahed Consulting. Dalia was selected as an advisor by U.S president Barack Obama on the Whitehouse Office of Faith-based and Neighbourhood partnerships.

Dalia is also a board member and leader for several organisations, including World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Arab world.

Dalia was NAMED one of the top 500 most INFLUENTIAL muslims in 2009 and 2010.

This is a successful woman who we should all be proud of, she has achieved so much in her life and is still continuing.

4. Nawal El Moutawakel

Nawal made history in 1984 when she became not only the first African woman to WIN a gold medal in the Olympics but also the first Muslim woman to win. She won the 400m hurdles race.

When people think of muslim women, they tend to think they are oppressed and unable to pursue their dreams, this is due to the medias portrayal of muslim women. Well Nawal is here to prove to you that that is all nonsense, she had a dream and she pursued and she won that gold medal. It was rare for muslim women to enter the olympics, let alone win a gold medal. Nawal did both and became the first African and Muslim female to do this.

A modern day muslim woman who did not give into stereotypes and remained determine to pursue her goal and aspirations.

5. Ibtihaj Muhammad

Would you ever have imagined a muslim woman to take her turn in fencing? Well Ibtihaj Muhammed has made this a reality! She is the first female Muslim American fencer in the WORLD. Not only is she the first female muslim fencer in the world, she has also been name one of the BEST female fencers in the world.

Ibtihaj also won an award as one of the TOP 10 Muslim women of 2015.

Ibtihaj pursued her goals, even though muslim female fencing was unseen of- she did it! And not only that but she succeeded and has become renowned worldwide for her talent and determination. Hats off to her! An inspiration, she went against conventions and norms.


There are probably so many more amazing muslim women out there who we are proud of, the women who pursued their goals and became successful.  These are some of our role models and i felt they should be commended, celebrated and highlighted for their amazing achievements. I hope this can show those who stereotype female muslims that we are not what you think we are, we are so much better, powerful and strong. We have dreams and we achieve them and do not let stereotypes deter us. Women are multi taskers and the above proves it :)

Here's to celebrating women all day everyday, we do not need one day in a year to tell us how great we are. You know why? Because we know we are great and we celebrate our success every single day.

I'll end this post with a request for all you fellow ladies out there, there are many amazing women out there who are struggling and going through some hardship or another - lets raise our hands a say a prayer for all these women. Whererever you are, whoever you are and whatever your hardship is, you are in my duas (prayers). May Allah (God) remove all your hardships and provide for you ease. Ameen ❤️

1) Khadija (radi allahu anhu- May Allah SWT be pleased with her) The elite businesswoman 

Even before her marriage to the Prophet Muhammed (sallahu ilayhi wasalam- peace be upon him) Khadija (ra) was an important figure in her own right, she was a successful merchant and one of the most elite figures of Makkah. She had an integral role in supporting and propagating the new faith of Islam and had the honour of being the first muslim. Khadija (ra) actually initiated the marriage with our beloved Prophet Muhammed (saw) and sent a proposal to him. Does this seem submissive at all to you? To me i see an amazing woman who was successful, courageous and determined. A role model. The first muslim, and the woman us muslim ladies look upto.

2) Ai'sha (radi allahu anhu - May Allah SWT be pleased with her) The Scholar

Most famously known as the wife of the Prophet (saw). She was the most beloved wife of the Prophet (saw) and they had a playful and fun relationship. She was perhaps the most influential woman in the Muslim community after the death of her husband and propagated his message to the world. She led an army, the most famous hadiths are narrated by her, she was involved in politics and scholarship. This was by no means a timid lady, this was a remarkable woman who fought in battles, she was independent, she was strong.


3) Asiya (radi allahu anhu- May Allah SWT be pleased with her) - The symbol of patience who stood upto the Pharaon (Pharaoh)

She was a hero, she was the wife of the greatest enemy to Islam yet she rose and she stood against her husband. She was tortured by him and asked to denounce her faith, but she did not. She stood defiantly and held firm onto her belief. She displayed immense patience in the most difficult of trials. She perfected her deen in such a way that she earnt her place in the Holy Quran. Asiya saved a great Prophet of Allah (Musa alayhi salaam) and nurtured him to greatness. This woman chose death over living a life of luxury and royalty. She chose paradise and dreamt of it. She wanted to be close to her Lord. A muslim woman who displayed supreme patience. When i think of this amazing lady i think of strength, that is what first comes to mind.


4) Nusayba b Ka'b Ansariya also known as Umm Ammarah ( radi allahu anhu May Allah SWT be pleased with her)- The Warrior

A member of the Bannu Najjar tribe and one of the earliest reverts to islam in madinah.  She took part in the battle of Uhud in which she fought using swords and shields against the Makkans. This lady shielded the Prophet Muhammad (saw) from enemies during the battle and even sustained several lance wounds and arrows as she cast herself infront of him to protect him. She fell unconscious after sustaining many wounds, and it is said that when she woke up the first thing she asked was if the Prophet (saw) was ok.  This woman was a warrior, she was brave and courageous. Submissive? I think not!

5) Summayah bint Khayyat (radi allahu anhu- May Allah SWT be pleased with her)- The first Martyr in Islam

The first person to be martyred for having adopted the faith of Islam. Summayah was a devoted wife and mother, she gave all her love to her two sons. She became muslim at a time when it was not accepted, and anyone who outwardly showed they were muslim were in danger of their lives. This lady was brave enough to openly say she was a muslim. Summayah was told that if she stuck by her choice to be a muslim she would be tortured. She stood firm in her beliefs. She was threatened to be killed but did not give up her religion. Summayah was then killed and became the first martyr of Islam. This woman was steadfast in her belief till her end, the prospect of being killed did not phase her. She was not going to give up islam.

The above are just a very few examples of the kind of women us muslim women look upto, the traits these amazing women displayed is what we can only dream of having. These are our heroes, these are the women that make us want to be better, they are not submissive, they are powerful. As a muslim woman, i look at the traits of women like the ones mentioned above and this is what i aspire to be, it is what my religion teaches me to be. Islam does not teach me to be submissive but rather to be the opposite.

So am i #traditionallysubmissive? Or Am i dominating? The truth is i am neither. I do not need to label myself as anything, and i will not label any muslim women, or any woman in fact, because we are all different beings. So stop labelling us as timid, branding us as opressed women or claiming we are dominated. We are independent, we are strong and we are successful.

Here's to celebrating what muslim women really are! Amazing, wonderful, and liberated!

So as many of you may have heard, Italian designer label D&G have launched a hijab and abaya range. My initial opinion was, wow this is great- this will encourage more women to dress modestly and will also help the western world to become more accepting of modest dressing. I stick by this opinion, it is great to see the likes of Mango, DKNY, Uni Qlo and now D&G embracing dressing modestly.

I personally will not be going out and buying anything from this collection simply because i would not want to fork out £££s for abayas from D&G when i could get something just as nice, if not nicer from places like INAYAH and AAB. I prefer their styles, and think they look a lot better and cost a fraction of the price. i think this range will attract rich Arabs who are happy to spend this much on clothing just for the name. I'm not to keen on the designs they have launched, and nothing stood out to me enough to spend those extra pounds. 

Out of all the designs i found the black floral hijab most appealing, and the cream abaya with black lace. See images below.

I'll keep this post short and sweet! This is not a review of the range as i haven't purchased it to be able to give a review, it is just my initial thoughts! My opinion is; yes it's great to see how mainstream designers are now embracing the abaya,hijab and generally modest clothing. It is very encouraging and i hope this will help the western world see the beauty of hijab. However, i don't think it will appeal to the every day Muslimah due to the huge price tag.

Want to dress in a modest manner but don't know where to start? Read on and let your journey begin.......

There is just something so beautiful about dressing modestly. Not only is it one of Allah's commands but it really is a protection for us women. For me dressing in a modest manner brings me confidence, contentment and happiness.

I know there are many ladies out there who want to wear hijab, and dress modestly and speaking from experience one thing that use to deter me was my current wardrobe and those annoying inner voices. The thoughts that used to play on my mind were  'my current wardrobe is just not suitable', ' i will have to go on a long search for modest clothing, it will take me forever' 'where do i start, I'm not quite ready to wear an abaya but i really do want to dress modestly', 'i wont look good''. Im sure I'm not the only one who has had these thoughts, even now i still feel there is a lot of room for improvement and am still striving to better myself in this department. 

But remember, everything beautiful is covered, a woman who is dressed modestly is like a pearl in its shell. All precious things are covered and protected and ladies we ARE precious.  We do need to protect ourselves, our honour and our beauty.

The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens. Be that pearl. 

The great thing nowadays is that fashion has taken a step in the modest direction, this is wonderful for all us hijabi's and sisters who choose to dress modestly as we have so much more variety out there. I'm writing this post to help any sisters out there who need a little help in dressing modest but trendy at the same time. It is possible to be both believe it or not.

My staple items are my cullotes, baggy jumpers and loose fitting long shirts. I can never have too many of those three items. With cullotes i tend to wear fitted tops and a boyfriend blazer or cardi as a cover up. With the baggy knitwear tops i tend to wear fitted trousers or jeans, and with long loose fitting shirts i go for either fitted trousers or jeans.

When shopping i don't really go for designer brands unless its a special occasion, i shop so much and only wear my clothes a few times so designer seems a bit of a waste of money for me especially as i get bored so easily of my outfits. Having said that, bags- that is something i will always splash out for- i have a nice collection of designer bags but tend to wear the same ones over and over again! 

So would you like to know what my favourite shops are for buying modest clothes.....well carry on reading and i will give you a list of afforable hijab/modest friendly shops where i find myself more then often..

1. Zara - i find that Zara will always have something modest that i can purchase. If you are looking for loose fitting tops, long shirts, or long skirts this is the place to go. In the summer they always have the nicest summery blouses that are modest and pretty at the same time. Zara also bring out long dresses and skirts every summer- so when looking for modest clothing be sure  to check out Zara. And it gets better.....i found this winter especially that they have been catering again for the modestly dressed woman by bringing out knitwear dresses which are long, i tend to buy a size or two bigger in knitwear as it can be quite figure hugging so to avoid that i go up a size.  The last item i purchased from Zara was a long maroon knitwear dress with slits on each side- one size bigger of course just to make it a looser fit. Zara never fails for me, be it for when im looking for modest clothes in the summer or something warmer for those chilly winter days.

2. Aab- i have only bought a dress and a few shirts from Aab but i love all their designs. The con for me with Aab is that they are quite pricey, however due to the quality being so good i do not mind forking out a little extra for their pieces. They have a good sale on too every now and again. With Aab you will most certainly find many modest options, all their range is quite modest. So if you haven't got the time to shop around and need modest clothing urgently this is the place to go, rest assured you will find something here. My last item from here was a long line shirt with stripes going down, i like it because it is modest but at the same time trendy. I dont go a size up for Aab clothing as they are designed to be modest anyway. 

3. H&M- what i like about H&M is that it is very reasonably priced and i will always find a nice baggy jumper that keeps me cozy on a cold day. They even have long shirts and loose fitting tops so i just cannot complain. The most recent item i purchased from h&m was this pretty black oversized jumper- it has detail on the neck which is sort of like beaded work (not sure how good a description that is) but its pretty, modest and cosy so what more can a girl ask for ey...:)  H&M are also good for accessories for example necklaces to go with those plain tops you have that need a little jazzing up. If you are looking for long sleeved tops to wear underneath any sleeveless or short sleeved tops you have (as a cover up) then rest assured you will find a variety of these in many colours at H&M. 

4. New Look - I'm quite surprised myself that new look made it to my list of faves but i will tell you why. They are reasonably priced for a start, their range has improved a great deal and they always have long cardigans which if you dress modestly you will know is a must in your wardrobe. You can never have enough long cardigans.  Also their shoe collection (flats and heels) is not bad too- especially for everyday wear, work etc it is cheap and cheerful. The last item i bought from here was a cape with fur on the collar, the perfect cover up! Im loving capes at the moment. We haven't had much of a winter so these are ideal, i have a few of them and shouldn't buy anymore but they are hard to resist. 

5. ASOS- i love ASOS first of all because its online, i love online shopping as im not a fan of crowds and shopping centres so ASOS is perfect. ASOS is great because is has a mixture of brands (mostly high street brands) and some low end luxury too. They always seem to have loose flowy tops which always grab my attention. Another good thing about ASOS is if you want something a little glitzy for a night out or for a special occasion you are likely to find something here especially during the summer months. Dresses - long and short, skirts, cullotes, oversized jumpers, shirts and loose fitting trousers are all items you will most likely find on ASOS. The last item i bought from ASOS was a longline winter coat which is slightly oversized in beige. I love it because it is a great thing to throw on over an outfit when you want to pop out and also can be dressed up with heels for a more classy and sophisticated look- it definitely does the job for me and is very versatile. Im quite petite so i was unsure about a long coat, i was worried it would drown me but this looks just fine.  

The list above is not exhaustive however i didn't want go on too much! Those are the ones that have come to mind and are the places i find myself buying from all the time! There are also many great sites online where you can shop, i will write about these some other time.

Sometimes dressing modestly can sound like you cannot be fashionable at the same time, but my advice is play around and find your own style. Once you do, you will love it. I know i do.  

Remember, be the pearl <3