- hijabis get really excited over pretty scarves
- they also like to collect pins and brooches
- we get asked a lot of questions and it can be annoying or it can be amusing, just depends on our mood and personality and how the question is phrased
- common questions include:
- ānot even water?ā (referring to fasting)
- hijabis hear a lot of ādo you sleep in that?ā (we donāt) and āwhere is your hair?ā (in a bun or a braid, usually)
- āis it mooze-slim or mozzlem?ā (the answer is neither, itās muslim, with a soft s and accent on the first syllable)
- āee-slam or iz-lamb?ā (itās iss-laam, accent on the first syllable)
- āhee-job?ā (heh-jahb, accent on the second syllable)
- ākor-an?ā (no. quran. say it like koor-annn, accent on the second syllable)
- people tend to mess up our names really badly and you just get a sigh and a resigned nod or an awkward smile, maybe a nickname instead
- long hair is easy to hide, short hair is harder to wrap up
- hijab isnāt just covering hair, itās also showing as little skin as possible with the exception of face, hands, and feet, and not wearing tight/sheer clothing
- that applies to men too, people just donāt like to mention it ( i wonder why)
- henna/mehendi isnāt just for special occasions, youāll see people wearing it for fun
- henna/mehendi isnāt just for muslims, either, itās not a religious thing
- henna/mehendi is not just for women, men also wear it, especially on their weddings
- there are big mehendi parties in the couple of nights before eid where people (usually just women and kids) gather and do each otherās mehendi, usually just hands and feet
- five daily prayers
- most muslim kids can stutter through a couple verses of quran in the original arabic text by the age of seven or eight, it does not matter where they live or where theyāre from or what language they speak natively
- muslim families tend to have multiple copies of the quran
- there are no āversionsā of the quran, there has only ever been one. all muslims follow the exact same book
- muslims have no concept of taking Godās name in vain, we call on God at every little inconvenience
- donāt use islamic phrases if you donāt know what they mean or how to use them. we use them often, inside and outside of religious settings. in islam, it is encouraged to mention God often and we say these things very casually, but we take them very seriously
- Allahu Akbar means āGod is Greatestā (often said when something shocks or surprises us, or if weāre scared or daunted, or when something amazing happens, whether it be good or bad; itās like saying āoh my godā)
- Subhan Allah means āGlory be to Godā (i say subhan Allah at the sky, at babies, at trees, whatever strikes me as pleasant, especially if itās in nature)
- Bismillah means āin the name of Godā and itās just something you say before you start something like eating or doing your homework
- In Shaa Allah means āif God willsā (example: youāll be famous, in shaa Allah) (itās a reminder that the future is in Godās hands, so be humble and be hopeful)
- Astaghfirullah means āi seek forgiveness from Allahā and itās like āgod forgive meā
- Alhamdulillah means āall thanks and praise belong to Godā and itās just a little bit more serious than saying āthank godā (example: i passed my exams, alhamdulillah; i made it home okay, alhamdulillah)
- when i say we use them casually, i really mean it
- teacher forgot to assign homework? Alhamdulillah
- our version of āamenā is āameenā
- muslims greet each other with āassalamu alaikumā which just means āpeace be on youā and itās like saying hi
- the proper response is āwalaikum assalamā which means āand on you be peaceā and itās like saying āyou tooā