A HIJABI DAWA AT
38,000 FEET IN SKY

By Abdul Malik Mujahid

She was sitting on an Air Canada flight which was passing just above Greenland when I noticed her. The sister was seated on 40 C and I was an aisle behind on 41 D. I could not help but notice her graceful presence. She was just a typical hijabi from North America, dressed in a headscarf and loose, elegant clothes.

Mindful of lowering my gaze, I was trying my best not to look at her. But she was just there, each time I turned my head (with my eyes included) towards my left. It was hard to avoid looking in one direction during the eight-hour long flight. I had already left my seat beside another lady so I could comfortably sit with someone of the same gender.

I have nothing but respect whenever I see this flag of Islam, a hijabi sister.

Flying while hijabed is not an easy task in today's world. It requires strong faith, courage, resolve, confidence, and trust. Trust in people that they will behave and learn; faith in the Creator that He knows what is best for His servant; courage to defy stereotyping by not giving in to what might be permissible on the lower path of rukhsa. It also requires a resolve to use our rights of self-determination. "I will do what I like" and "it is nobody but my own business how I choose to dress".

I encountered these hijabis everywhere during my recent eighteen-day trip across three continents. The type of hijabi I encountered is probably a contribution of the West. These sisters don't cover their faces and they may or may not be wearing long gowns but they dress modestly and maintain a low-key demeanor. Most of the time they are in pants with a loose shirt, a long skirt and shirt, or in some cases the Shalwar Kameez, a traditional women’s dress of South Asia composed of very baggy trousers and a long loose shirt. Each time I see them I pray for them and their struggle in life. Next time I am around the Kaba, I intend to pray there for them as well.

I may not remember this hijabi but for an incident in this otherwise uneventful flight. (Trust me. I DO like eventless flight!) As I was thinking and typing away at my Palm Pilot, a quarrel started in the front row. Someone had ordered vegetarian food but Air Canada did not have his name on their list and they did not have any vegetarian meals left. That person heatedly was taking his frustrations out on the air hostesses for not getting his vegetarian meal.

I don't know what it is about airline meals that gets people into a tizzy. There is nothing special about this food, but travelers are very particular about them. It may be the "eating what you paid for" principle, or the urge to do something exciting during otherwise long, dull flights. Whatever the reason, passengers feel angry if air stewards and stewardesses forget to give them their meal or don't respond to their call button. They expect them to show up instantaneously, like genies in a bottle. And when this does not happen, they get frustrated, angry, they raise their voices or keep pushing their call buttons. My only complaint is that these people can always skip that lousy airline meal instead of creating tension 38,000 thousand feet above in the sky.

After repeated explanations, the stewardesses were also becoming louder in response, as the passengers watched.

"Excuse me."

Finally, someone else among the passengers wanted attention. It was the hijabi trying to get the attention of the two stewardesses who were trying to deal with the angry vegetarian for the third time. "Please give my veggie meal to him."

Sometimes, it’s the little things that resolve disputes.

The stewardesses responded with a heartfelt "thank you" as one of them quickly handed the meal to the complaining passenger. "A passenger has given up her meal for you," she told him. I did not hear much of a gracious response from the quarreling vegetarian. But he has silently accepted the meal.

The stewardess turned back to the hijabi, offering her another enthusiastic thanks. For the rest of the flight, I could not help but notice how they went out of their way to take care of the generous hijabi. "Do you need anything?" or "Should I bring you anything?" they’d ask. I only wish the hijabi added a bit of smile as she repeated "no thanks" to the offers of those grateful airhostesses.

This hijabi scored big points for Islam. This incident 38,000 feet over Atlantic will not make any news. But those air stewardesses will remember that hijabi and her generosity for a while. Everyone around on that plane noticed what the hijabi did. I prayed for her in my heart.

This is Islam. The rights of neighbors are many in Islam. This vegetarian was Jaral Junb in Quranic terms, a fellow stranger during travel, regardless of how he was behaving. The hijabi’s generosity shows how little things go a long way. I know people who have accepted Islam because of the hospitality of Muslims. I know an American physician who became Muslim just by reading an account of the hospitality offered to traveling Americans in Morocco.

I felt like saying thank you to that hijabi. But then I thought like many other hijabis of the world she may not respond to me. Many sisters believe in some strange Fiqh and do not respond to Salam which a man is giving them. But that's okay with me. I understand that they are too busy raising the flag of Islam. May Allah bless them. May Allah give them the best of this world and the best of the hereafter.