“Why isn’t there a fun and colorful book to show me ideas on how to get ready to wear hijab and how to wear it?”
This was the question that my daughter Aisha asked me several Ramadans ago, when she was only ten years old. Looking through all of her “how-to” books on her shelf written for girls to discover their favorite clothing styles, hair styles, and hobbies, it became obvious that a book like this was essential for her developing Muslim identity.
I wanted to create a book for her, and all the other girls like her, that was colorful, fun, and vibrant; a book that reflected who she was inside and outside in her every day life. A book that made her feel excited to think about this important milestone for a young Muslim girl, and most importantly a book that gave her confidence to choose to cover when the time came.
Right then and there, I opened up a word document and told her “Why don’t we write one together?” Excited, she began to list all of the things she’d like to see in a basic “how-to” book. Aisha Elwan and Megan Wyatt share their feelings, their experiences in the book entitled “How to Get Hijab Ready.” They aimed to answer a lot of questions that many young Muslim girls want to know:
What is hijab & Why do?
What age do I have to start wearing the hijab?
Who can I not wear hijab in front of?
How & where should I begin practicing?
How can I dress for school and still fit in?
What do I tell my Muslim friends?
How do I explain hijab to by non-Muslim friends at school?
What if I get made fun of at school?
Am I ready to start now?
etc
Muslim girls need positive images to model in their literature.
And it begins with what they see at home at a young age. Hijab is not something a young girl can fully grasp and understand when she is young.
What she can grasp is that hijab is important, beautiful, natural, and something that is pleasing to Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala.
By giving the special young girl in your life a book like this when she is young, a book that she enjoys flipping through and reading, you are creating a positive energy around this noble yet monumental decision she will need to make when she becomes a young lady. Our talented illustrator, Sarah Hafeez, did an amazing job bringing colorful, vibrant, and engaging images to this book masha’Allah.
To support the project you can go to “How to Get Hijab Ready“
