I m too Afraid to Wear Hijab or Pray in Public
By Omar Suleiman | 2026-01-06T21:07:47.008313+00:00 | Topic: Iman
I'm Too Afraid to Wear Hijab or Pray in Public
Omar Suleiman
Opening
Dear brothers and sisters, just with everything that's been going on, obviously, you know, whether it's here in the United States, or it's in Europe, or wherever it may be, these are times where Muslims find themselves in a position where they start to question whether or not they're able to give up certain things that they've been doing their entire lives because they're genuinely afraid for themselves.
And, you know, this particular video, the reason why I'm making this particular video is because there's a sister that walks into my office this morning, and she's in absolute, you know, just panic, and she's crying, and she's traumatized, and she's saying that this was the first time in her life since she was seven years old that she actually took off her hijab and went out in public without her hijab.
And she was wondering whether Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى was gonna punish her, so on and so forth, whether or not she did the right thing. And it's a very legitimate question.
Individual Judgment and Allah's Role
I have to say this from the onset of this video that I'm not going to judge anyone's individual standing in the sight of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى . That's not for me to do or for anyone else to do. How a person carries themselves is between them and Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. And what we're doing here is just clarifying how we should be reacting to the situation, and coping with the fear that we feel as a result of the situation that we've been placed in.
A Powerful Statement from the Sikh Community
And, you know, I shared in my khutbah yesterday something that I found extremely powerful and inspiring. I was actually talking to a Sikh at an interfaith conference. And he said something really powerful to me because that community has been targeted by Islamophobes, because an Islamophobe can't distinguish a Sikh from a Muslim.
He comes up to me and he says to me that, you know, "Islamophobia has made us better Sikhs. I hope it's made you better Muslims. Islamophobia has actually made us come closer to our religion. I hope it's made you come closer to your religion. I hope it's made you better Muslims." And you think about that statement.
And, you know, these are people that have been discriminated against for being Muslim even though they're not Muslim. What position does that place us in? And what obligation has Allah placed on us? And what sort of standard has Allah given to us as a result of the faith that He's given to us?
Allah Tests Us with Fear
Now, fear is very difficult to quantify. Allah says in the Quran:
In Al-Baqarah that He's going to test you in regards to your feeling of safety. So He's gonna test you with fear, with hunger, taking away from your wealth, taking away some of your lives, taking away some of your crops, and so on and so forth. And He says, "give glad tidings to the patient."
And it's very powerful because the ulama say here that the only thing out of those categories that really cannot be quantified in any way, shape or form is fear. Hunger is something that, you know, there's a certain level that's recognizable that this person is hungry. It's not as subjective as fear. When you talk about loss of wealth, obviously it's very, very clear.
You know, your bank account tells you whether or not you're in poverty or if you don't have a bank account in the first place. I mean, how much money you have is a clear indication of your financial status. Right? There are casualties and there is loss of crops. Those are things that are very obvious. But fear is extremely subjective. I don't know how safe I feel or I don't know if my fears are just imagined or if they're legitimate fears.
The Principle of Necessity (Darurah)
I don't know if the fear that I feel gives me the رُخْصَة gives me the license to start to act in a certain way, to do things that are ordinarily prohibited or to abandon things that are usually obligation. I don't know. And it actually complicates, you know, this maxim that is the most abused maxim in Islamic law:
It's a very famous maxim that dire need makes that which is ordinarily prohibited, temporarily permitted for that particular individual. Why is that? Because what is considered ضرورة is an absolute dire need. Allah recognizes it in the Quran.
Five times Allah mentions this concept of being forced into a position of dire need. And it's actually recognized very early on as we're reading in the Mus'haf, in Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Al-An'am, and Surah Al-Ma'idah. And it's very powerful because Allah says:
Quran 2:173
That when a person is forced to do something that they don't want to do, غَيْرَ بَاغٍ - they're not looking for that, they're not desiring it.
And that's something that we should be very careful when we see people in certain situations doing things that they don't want to do. Parting from certain obligations and so on and so forth. We should not assume that that's something that that person desired.
Allah says, it's very painful for some people to do away with certain aspects, to resort to things that they ordinarily would not resort to غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ - They don't desire that situation, nor do they seek to transgress. And that's where there's no sin on that person.
Allah is recognizing the intentions of a person. However, the problem with that is that for someone to actually be in a state of ضرورة individually and collectively, that's very difficult. It's very difficult to fulfill those conditions.
We Must Accept Tests and Challenges
We have to accept to an extent, whether we're talking about praying in public or having Muslim names, or wearing hijab, or in some cases, the brothers that decide to show solidarity, they've got the beards, they're fulfilling that, they're wearing a kufi maybe, whatever it may be. We have to accept that at some point, we're going to be faced with tests and challenges for being Muslim. It's something that's prophesized by the Quran and the Sunnah.
Our Messenger ﷺ told us that we would be strangers, that we would be insulted, that we would have to face some level of fear for being Muslim. And Allah mentions that at the onset of Surah Al-Ankabut:
Quran 29:2
"Do people think they just say we believe and they're going to be left alone, and they're not going to be tested?"
So, we have to have a certain level of perseverance with anything that's thrown our way. And recognize that that does not give us an excuse to abandon our faith altogether.
Lessons from the Early Meccan Period
If that was the case, if we could use that maximum of ضرورة to do away with all public aspects of our faith, then Islam would have disappeared in Mecca. But in fact, what we see in Mecca, in the early Meccan Seerah, we find that the Prophet ﷺ and the companions strategically at times, publicly displayed their
faith to show that it wasn't going away. It was a form of protest to go to the Ka'bah and read the Quran, to say, hey, look, that's my right.
This is the house of Allah. I have the right to come and recite the Quran here. It was an act of civil disobedience to go out there and pray. But it was a sign that we're not going anywhere. But not every Muslim was placed in the same situation. We have to recognize that.
Different Contexts, Different Capabilities
That not every Muslim is going to be able to face a certain amount of pressure. Some people will panic very easily. Some people will be more vulnerable. Some people will live in more difficult context. I mean, inevitably, there are going to be people that are watching this video that are going to be living in a different context, either more severe or more lenient climate, than that which we have in the United States. And to each person is their context, and to each person, not necessarily just their level of faith, but their circumstances.
The Prophet ﷺ wanted certain people to go out there and to publicly express their faith, even more so than what was required of them. And he wanted other people to not do so because he feared for them. So Abu Bakr was not in the same situation, (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) as Ibn Mas'ud (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ)
Abu Bakr, when he recited Quran publicly, he wasn't going to face what a poor companion or someone that was in a more difficult situation would face. But there was a time where they had to do that as well. And so everyone had to go through some level of public, not necessarily torture all the time, but had to go through some sort of humiliation, had to go through some sort of oppression, had to go through some sort of verbal insults in order to maintain their faith.
And that was something that was to be expected of the Muslims.
Levels of Harm and Fear
Now how do we apply then that maxim in regards to fear? Because once again, fear is so hard to quantify because these آيات الضرورة were actually revealed in regards to hunger, for the most part. It starts off with hunger, that you have to eat something that you ordinarily would not eat.
But how do we quantify it when it comes to fear? First and foremost, the scholars say that الْأَذَى, that harm is of different levels. That when it comes to الشتم وَالسَّبّ insults and cursing, and people making derogatory remarks, people saying things to you that are disturbing, someone harassing you as you're walking out of the grocery store, someone flipping you off as you're driving. Those are things that as Muslims, we should just accept.
Not in the sense that we shouldn't do anything about them, no. But that we have to live with, and we have to make it a point to say, you know what, we are going to hopefully respond to that ignorance with
a sense of grace and سلام and peace, in a way that that person would think twice next time they see a Muslim in a vulnerable situation. So, that's something that doesn't give us the excuse to abandon anything of our faith.
That fear of just being insulted and so on and so forth. And let's face it, in most contexts, Muslims are going to face that. In most contexts, we're going to have some level of that. And that's a fear that we're going to have.
When Fear Becomes Legitimate
Now, when it becomes a level of violence, when it becomes a fear, a genuine fear, and it becomes a norm where you don't have legal protections, where you don't have civil liberties, when the norm is that if you are dressed in a certain way, if you're praying in public, if you have a Muslim name, and so on and so forth, that you're going to be attacked, and that you're going to be harmed. Then at that point, that's when that maxim plays a role.
When you don't have the legal protection, when it becomes the norm, when you're going to be targeted for being a Muslim. And that's something that, that fear always exists. And subhanAllah, even with the Prophet ﷺ in Mecca, at the times when they did publicly declare their Islam, hoping that they would not be attacked, at times they were still going to be attacked.
It's going to happen. And especially when we're talking about this day and age, if a disability center is not safe, and an elementary school is not safe, then safety is in the hands of Allah. We're going to find ourselves in difficult situations.
But the norm needs to be that we are safe, that we are able to practice our faith the way that Allah commanded us to practice it. And that we are not in a position where we're being told, either leave your obligations, or face harm, or face abuse. And that's something that's very delicate, and that's something that's very important for us to understand.
Subjectivity of Fear
And again, it can be very subjective. Why? Because, look, there were people before 9-11 that said that it's a dangerous situation. You can't be wearing hijab, you can't be praying in public, you should change your name to something that's going to help you assimilate better, and so on and so forth.
That existed before 9-11. After 9-11, there were some people that said, you shouldn't be going to the masjid, you shouldn't be doing this, you shouldn't be doing that. And obviously as Islamophobia got uglier and uglier, then the calls for certain things became more normal, and became more mainstream.
And it's become more and more tempting, and appealing for us to leave certain things. So we have to understand that at times, we need to take advantage of the protections that have been given to us.
The Airport Prayer Story
I always give this example when it comes to prayer in public, for example. That there was a group of brothers, and some of you may have heard me tell this story before. I think it's a very powerful lesson. A group of brothers in an airport, that decided that it was too... And this was right around that flying imam's case.
So they were worried that if they pray in public, then something is going to happen to them. So they decided that all eight of them were going to pray sitting down in their chairs. They weren't going to do the salah the way that they were supposed to do the salah.
They all prayed sitting in their chairs. And when they all prayed sitting in their chairs, the TSA agent came to them. So they were trying to avoid security. And because they were all praying in their chairs, you got eight people going up and down in their chairs, and TSA guy comes to them. And he says, hey, what are you guys doing? They said, we're reading scripture. He said, what's scripture? What are you talking about? They said, we're praying.
He said, what religion are you? And they said, we're Muslim. And the TSA guy goes, why don't you pray like all the other Muslims pray? What's different about you? And you think about that. That fear at that moment, I don't want to say it was an imagined fear, but instead of going to the TSA agents, instead of informing the security like, hey, look, we need to pray, don't be alarmed, can we pray in this corner? They instead assume the worst of the situation.
And we have to be careful not to do that. There are genuine situations of fear, and there are situations where it's not our paranoia or imagined fear, but we're a little more insecure than we need to be in those situations. So, when it comes to our public displays of faith, we need to measure each and every context in a separate fashion.
Practical Accommodations Within Obligations
Now, when it comes to (ضَرُورَة - darurah) however, and dealing with situations, one thing that we need to note is that, Allah has permitted us in those situations where we're not necessarily at that dire need, but we still are in fear, we still are in hardship, to basically do everything we can to still hold on to that obligation, and fulfill what we have to, even if it's not ideal.
So, I saw some sisters that posted, for example, and I was asked about this, wearing a beanie or wearing a baseball cap, especially when you're in an alley, or you're driving, and you have this sense of fear, to wear a hoodie if you're in a tense situation, basically where you're still going to be covering your (عورة - awrah) you're still going to be covering what you have to cover, but at the same time, it's going to make you feel a little bit safer, it'll make it less obvious that you're a Muslim. That's not something that's (حرام - haram) that's not something that's forbidden.
And if that's what's going to keep you, fulfilling that obligation, then do so. You don't need to be confrontational, not everyone is going to be able to go out there, in their certain situations, maybe they're in a different city, in a different environment, not everyone is going to be able to go out there, in the same fashion. Not everyone is going to be able to walk proudly in that fashion.
So if that's your situation, if that's what's going to help you, and if that's what's going to help you overcome your anxiety, then do so. Do so as a last resort, even though it's not ideal, because you're still fulfilling your obligation in that case. You don't have to resort to completely abandoning the obligation, but instead doing things that will help you.
Additional Safety Measures
And obviously, you know, taking external measures, like carrying mace or pepper spray, and self-defense classes, and all that type of stuff. Or trying to make sure you're traveling with a group, or that you're walking with a group, you're not alone, you're not vulnerable. All of those things are praiseworthy, all of those things are good.
Then do that inshallah ta'ala. That's not a lack of (تَوَكُّل - tawakkul) on your part, that's not a lack of trusting Allah. If anything, you know, again, these are things that show your dedication, that show that you're trying really, really, really hard to fulfill your obligation.
And look, if you want to be one of those people, if you're in that situation where you feel comfortable and safe, you know, still going out and doing what you do that's fine.
You don't have to do any of those things.
But we shouldn't look down upon people that choose to do those things, if that's what's going to safeguard their obligations.
The Principle of Proportionality
Another principle we take from that by the way that (كُلٌّ ضَرُورَةِ تُقَدَّرْ بِقَدْرها - kullu daruratin tuqaddaru biqadriha) What that means is it's given its due estimation.
So let's say that a person genuinely found themselves in a situation of fear, and they had to resort to something that was (حرام - haram). They had to resort to getting away from an obligation. They should do it only for the amount of time that they absolutely have to do it.
Meaning what? There's no such thing as a wholesale abandoning of an obligation. That I'm just not going to fulfill this obligation anymore, I'm not going to do this anymore, I'm not going to do that anymore. If you're praying in public and you feel like someone's coming after you, or you feel unsafe and you had to stop your prayer, then you wait until the situation pans itself out, but you still have to pray in public, you still have to do what you have to do.
So abandoning an obligation or putting yourself in that situation, temporarily or while the threat is imminent, is what is allowed. To keep yourself safe in those moments and nothing further than that. That's actually a principle that curbs the first maximum that I actually mentioned which is:
Collective Responsibility and Individual Actions
Now, in a situation, this is something that I just want to say, particularly to the brothers and to the sisters. Look, we need to recognize that as individuals, when we insist upon practicing our faith, the way that Allah has commanded us to do so, and the way that the law of this land allows us to do so. Especially if you're in that context where you have religious liberty, or the law does afford you certain protections.
That when you insist as an individual, you're actually making your community safer collectively. Why? Because if each of us start to abandon our practice publicly, because we want to feel safer on an individual level, then we make our brother and sister that's going to insist less safe. Instead, that group of people has to insist that they're not going to give up their faith because of fear, that they're not going to allow fear to dictate their faith.
And so you're doing something that Allah has given to you, not just for yourself now, but you're actually making your community safer inshallah ta'ala, by insisting on your community's presence. Now again, you find yourself in that individual situation, and you don't want to be in a situation of vulnerability, you don't want to be confrontational, that's fine. But at the same time, recognize that inshallah ta'ala by maintaining that obligation, by going forward, by continuing to do the things that Allah commanded us to do in public, that Allah directly would ensure us His protection.
Spiritual Guidance and Prophetic Wisdom
So I want to end with these few points inshallah for you to take home, especially for Muslims that are in a time of fear. Number one, the Prophet ﷺ, he tells his nephew Ibn Abbas:
(Jami' at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2516)
"Be mindful of Allah, Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, you'll find Him in front of you."
This is the time to get close to Allah. This is the time to build your spiritual connection to Allah, and that will help you persevere in this time of adversity, both as an individual and collectively as an ummah. The Prophet ﷺ says:
(Musnad Ahmad Hadith 2803
"And know that the help of Allah comes with patience, and that
that relief comes with affliction
- And ease comes with hardship."
That no one will be able to harm you unless Allah permits it. No one will be able to benefit you unless Allah permits it. That continue to hold on to your obligations, and know that there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
That Allah is going to make a way out for you. He's going to see you through it, especially when you are doing things that are pleasing to Him for His sake. And that's something that's very powerful, because Allah in the Quran, not only does He connect, fulfilling your obligations and practicing to safety, Allah actually connects
to safety, actually being at the forefront, and calling people to good and establishing what is right.
Allah's Protection for Those Who Convey His Message
Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ, and the believers by extension:
Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ to convey the message, to convey, and as a result of that He will protect us from the people. So He connects
with
to protection coming directly from the Divine
Also what we need to recognize is that when we are in the cause of other people, that is a means of guaranteeing Allah's help for us.
Helping Others and Building Alliances
And so the Prophet ﷺ says that, Allah is in the cause of His servants, so long as He is in the cause of His brother. When you help other people that are being targeted, when you help other people that feel unsafe, when you try to better your society as a whole, Allah betters your community specifically. So we need to not just talk about the Muslim community, we need to also ally ourselves with other minorities that are being targeted.
We need to not just talk about bigotry towards us, but we need to address bigotry as a whole, poverty as a whole, racism as a whole, gun violence as a whole. These causes have to become our causes collectively, and that ensures Allah protecting us inshallah. When we stand up for other people, Allah sends His angels to stand up for us.
So we need to recognize that as well.
A Message of Hope
And inshallah ta'ala look, more than anything else, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. This is a religion of hope. The Prophet ﷺ taught us to never be pessimistic. The Prophet ﷺ said:
(Sahih Muslim Hadith 2623
"Whoever says the people have perished, or the people have no hope, he is the most hopeless of them." And another narration, the Prophet ﷺ says هُوَ أَهْلَهُمْ - He's the one making them hopeless."
We should not be talking about becoming extinct, and the religion disappearing, and we're all going to be wiped out. Even if every bigot in the media, every politician in the right wing starts to target the Muslim community, Allah will protect this religion, He will protect its people. And we need to recognize that inshallah ta'ala, and persevere, whether we're men or women, whether we're practicing our faith privately and publicly, we will see this through inshallah ta'ala, as other groups have seen it through, in fact in our context, and they've been placed in a position now where they're reaching out to us, and we hope that when we make it through this, inshallah ta'ala, these dark phases of Islamophobia, that when the next community is targeted, that we're able to actually help them and reach out to them.
Closing Words of Encouragement
So, let's try to persevere inshallah, and I mean this, if anything I said was offensive to you all, these are just my thoughts obviously with everything that's happening. Anything I said was offensive, please forgive me, it wasn't my intention to be judgmental, to tell anyone what to do or how to do it. Instead, this is the religion that Allah has given to us, and this is the expectation of Allah and His Messenger of His entire community of believers, that we persevere, and that we be, and that we move forward, even when there are people that wish to set us back, because they cannot set us back, unless Allah allows them to set us back.
So, we will move forward inshallah, and may Allah bless all of our sisters. I tell my wife this all the time, that she's my hero, and that sisters that go out there and they wear the hijab in particular, you really are the heroes of this community, you are putting it all out there for the sake of Allah. And don't think that that's going to go unrecognized by Allah.
May Allah bless you. And for those sisters that are struggling, may Allah help you. And we recognize it's not easy, may Allah grant you strength.
And for those brothers as well, that are struggling to pray in public and do the things that they're supposed to be doing in public, may Allah help us all inshallah, to be able to fulfill our obligations, publicly and privately, no matter what's going on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the journey of seeking knowledge in Islam is a lifelong endeavor, filled with immense rewards and blessings. It is a path that leads to a deeper understanding of Allah, His creation, and our purpose in this world. By embracing the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah, we can illuminate our hearts, strengthen our iman, and strive to become better servants of Allah.
May Allah guide us, increase us in knowledge, and enable us to act upon what we learn. May He make us among those who are sincere in our pursuit of knowledge and grant us success in this life and the Hereafter. Ameen.
"Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."