The heart matters more than the length…

_agreed, but what’s in your heart?_

I have been wanting to write this for a while now.

There hasn’t been time to check the time, but I think today will do.

Funny enough, I love that I am writing this today because, according to claims, today is World Hijab Day, but are we really meant to be celebrating… or reflecting?

Because if I am being honest with myself, the only question that truly matters is this:

Am I doing it the way Allah commanded me to do it?

That, I think, is what this day should be about.

It is often said that the heart matters more than the length.

And yes, that statement is true.

But lately, many of us have been hiding behind it.

We repeat it so often that it has started to sound like an excuse rather than a reminder.

Yes, it is correct that the length of your hijab does not matter as much as your heart, your intention. But are our intentions really as pure and desire-free as we claim? Or have we simply grown comfortable with staying where we are?

We say things like:

“Those who wear longer hijabs are rude.”

“They are judgmental.”

“They are this, they are that.”

And slowly, these narratives become the lies we feed ourselves to feel settled in our choices.

So let me ask a sincere question.

If your heart is truly in the right place, if your intention is truly aligned with obedience, is this where your journey is supposed to stop?

Most of us are stagnant, yet we insist on calling it a journey.

Imagine travelling, but the vehicle you are in has remained in the same spot for as long as you can remember. Would you honestly say you are on a journey, or would you admit that you are simply standing still, comforting yourself with the idea of movement?

Growth requires honesty.

And sincerity requires discomfort.

I once wrote that I would not preach the hijab to anyone.

And I still stand by that.

Not because I think you are incapable or because I think the hijab is optional, but because preaching people into obedience has never been my assignment.

What I will do instead is remind you of Allah’s commandments.

After that, the responsibility lies with you… to convince your own soul that His commands are not meant to be admired from a distance, nor reduced to intentions alone, but followed, lived, and embodied.

The heart does matter more than the length.

But a sincere heart does not resist growth.

And a truthful journey does not remain in the same place forever.

The point was never perfection, it was always sincerity…

Allah has never requested perfect servants; He has always requested SINCERE ones.

The World Hijab Day is not supposed to be a moment to perform faith, but a pause to ask difficult questions we usually avoid. Questions like: Where am I truly headed? And am I willing to move, even when growth asks something from me?

Because Allah does not ask for what is beyond us. He asks for honesty. He asks for effort. He asks for hearts that do not lie to themselves while claiming nearness to Him.

And maybe, just maybe, that is the quiet truth we need to sit with: a sincere heart does not argue with guidance. It leans into it, even when the steps are small, even when the road feels long.

 _Sigh…_ 

Ya Allah, do not let us mistake intention for obedience. Do not let us grow comfortable where You are calling us forward. Purify our hearts until we love what pleases You, even when it challenges us.

Ya Allah, dress our hearts in sincerity before You dress our bodies in modesty. Guide us gently, but firmly. Let our journeys be real, not imagined, and let our growth be visible first to You.

Ya Allah, make us amongst those who hear Your command and respond – not tomorrow, not someday – but with courage, humility, and truth.

Aameen.

©️

 _Rumiya_🤍