The Bride who takes it off....

I love going for weddings, particularly those of my own Malay / Muslim community. They are rich in culture and often , very colourful and light-hearted.

 

I always look forward to the decorations, food, favours, colour scheme and of course, the bride. I enjoy taking the time to analyse everything and giving my two cents' worth to none other than my own husband.

 

Haha...I mean, who else will listen to my nonsense?

 

Most of the time, I am not so critical. Afterall, how extravagant the wedding is or how sumptuous the food spread is depends very much on the budget of the bride/groom. It has always been taught in our religion to give and spend only what you can afford - to always avoid unnecessary wastage and the act of showing off.

 

However, there are two types of brides that are kinda disturbing, in my humble opinion.

 

 

1) The bride who wears a hijab only during the solemnization.

 

True, Islam enforces us to cover our aurat (and that includes the hair) but I find it disturbing when a bride looks so decent and angelic during solemnization , only to bare it all during the lunch and / or dinner reception.

 

I am not an angel and there is very much in myself to improve. I also do not look down on anyone who does not don the hijab in their everyday lives (as much as it is compulsory, it is your own call...). However, I feel that it is a mockery of the religion when you cover up only during solemnization but ended up in tube dresses / gowns and translucent / skin-baring costumes immediately after that.

 

BUT this is not the worst! I mean , everyone goes through a learning phase and perhaps, no one else in the family feels the same way that I do and there is no one to tell her that it should not be done that way.
 

 

The one that takes the cake is this ....

 

 

2) The bride who usually dons the hijab but takes it all off during the wedding weekend.

 

Oh wow... hypocrite much?

 

I have seen some acquaintances (thank God they are not my own friends!) who don the hijab on a regular basis and then shocked the hell out of me when they went 'free hair' during their weddings.

 

Some went on to post up their photos on social platforms with their cleavages pouring out, shoulders bared and hair in all kinds of styles.

 

The next day when they went on their honeymoons, the hijab was suddenly back on. There are a couple of acquaintances I know who wore hijab on their honeymoon flights but when they touched down on foreign land , it came off again.

 

Seriously, what were they thinking?

 

Again , I stress that I do not judge people who do not put on the 'tudung' because ultimately, it comes from your heart, your faith .

 

But when you have decided to start wearing it yet, treat it like just any piece of cloth without understanding the real reason behind the act , then why bother?

 

Worse, when you take it on and off as and when you like it, aren't you mocking your own religion? Don't you feel any guilt? Embarrassment towards society and worse, your God?

 

I feel more angst towards Bride Type #2 than Type #1, anytime.

 

I pray that none of my loved ones will go that way. We are all probably still in the learning process of becoming better Muslims , albeit at different phases and stages. But this is something basic that I hope none of us will be guilty of, InsyaAllah.