The most perfect bringers of change in the world have been the blessed prophets (peace be upon them) all the way from Adam (peace be upon him) to the seal of prophet-hood at Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny). They changed the fates of great civilizations. How did they manage to succeed, despite mighty rebellions, in delivering the message of Allah to the world and winning believers? It was simply because they BECAME the change they wished to see in the world.
Change is difficult. You cannot wave a magic wand and go POOF! to change something. You need to become a ‘transformational leader’ - one who exemplifies the change as an aspect of his own personality – in order to make things happen.
A Muslim woman is an epitome of responsibility and contrary to the usual misconception that she is an oppressed individual in a male-dominated society, Allah has built in her immense power; emotional and physical, to bring about change.
A woman can change the fate of nations because as a mother, daughter, sister and etc. she is a major influence on her family, friends, and children. The people she influences make up family units, and then societies and then nations.
It depends on her what kind of change she wishes to bring. She may be a devout Muslimah who wishes to attain the highest ranks in heaven and would strive to bring about a prosperous change in her circle of influence. Or she may be a diseased mind that has been impregnated with the evil whispers of Satan and change things for the worst – in that case she would be grilling in hell fire.
How Can You Bring Change?
In pursuit of transforming into a perfect Muslim woman of substance, a woman can take influential steps to model the change she wishes to see in people around her.
To begin with, she should be, outwardly, representative of her faith. She should observe the Hijab and motivate others to do the same. Muslim women often feel that the cover of modesty would dampen the effect of their beauty, or would make them appear like a symbol of oppression. I’m striving to make it known each day that the way you choose to dress yourself should not be revealing. Beauty is not in becoming a public exhibit of pomp and show but to become a symbol of grace and modesty. An ideal way to make them feel proud of the gift of Hijaab that Allah has blessed them with – I wish to initiate gifting fellow Muslimahs scarves and accessories.
Groom myself to look dressed and beautiful at home among family members so that others develop the sense of self-grooming as well. Since they observe Hijaab outside the house, Muslim women tend to become ignorant of themselves sometimes and push back self-grooming. Some are too lazy to work on adorning themselves with jewelry! Some don’t even bother combing their hair! And when you neglect yourself you start wasting away.
To initiate clean living I would personally start a cleanliness drive! Cleanliness is half our faith and I should model it for others to get their inspiration from. For that, I would have to design a cleaning-spree mission which would include critical concerns like cleanliness during menstruation and also a makeover of my room!
Another good way to pass on the vibe for positive change would be for me to spread the word around supported by sahih ahadith and Quranic verses. The blogosphere is the best medium of today. I could narrate my daily life experiences which would include the goodness that I strive towards everyday and create an impact on my readers, inshAllah.
