aesterea:

more on writing muslim characters from a hijabi muslim girl

– hijabis get really excited over pretty scarves
– they also like to collect pins and brooches
– we get asked a lot of questions and it can be annoying or it can be amusing, just depends on our mood and personality and how the question is phrased
– common questions include:
– “not even water?” (referring to fasting)
– hijabis hear a lot of “do you sleep in that?” (we don’t) and “where is your hair?” (in a bun or a braid, usually)
– “is it mooze-slim or mozzlem?” (the answer is neither, it’s muslim, with a soft s and accent on the first syllable)
– “ee-slam or iz-lamb?” (it’s iss-laam, accent on the first syllable)
– “hee-job?” (heh-jahb, accent on the second syllable)

– “kor-an?” (no. quran. say it like koor-annn, accent on the second syllable)
– people tend to mess up our names really badly and you just get a sigh and a resigned nod or an awkward smile, maybe a nickname instead
– long hair is easy to hide, short hair is harder to wrap up
– hijab isn’t just covering hair, it’s also showing as little skin as possible with the exception of face, hands, and feet, and not wearing tight/sheer clothing
– that applies to men too, people just don’t like to mention it ( i wonder why)
– henna/mehendi isn’t just for special occasions, you’ll see people wearing it for fun
– henna/mehendi isn’t just for muslims, either, it’s not a religious thing
– henna/mehendi is not just for women, men also wear it, especially on their weddings
– there are big mehendi parties in the couple of nights before eid where people (usually just women and kids) gather and do each other’s mehendi, usually just hands and feet
– five daily prayers
– most muslim kids can stutter through a couple verses of quran in the original arabic text by the age of seven or eight, it does not matter where they live or where they’re from or what language they speak natively
– muslim families tend to have multiple copies of the quran
– there are no “versions” of the quran, there has only ever been one. all muslims follow the exact same book
– muslims have no concept of taking God’s name in vain, we call on God at every little inconvenience
– don’t use islamic phrases if you don’t know what they mean or how to use them. we use them often, inside and outside of religious settings. in islam, it is encouraged to mention God often and we say these things very casually, but we take them very seriously
– Allahu Akbar means “God is Greatest” (often said when something shocks or surprises us, or if we’re scared or daunted, or when something amazing happens, whether it be good or bad; it’s like saying “oh my god”)
– Subhan Allah means “Glory be to God” (i say subhan Allah at the sky, at babies, at trees, whatever strikes me as pleasant, especially if it’s in nature)
– Bismillah means “in the name of God” and it’s just something you say before you start something like eating or doing your homework
– In Shaa Allah means “if God wills” (example: you’ll be famous, in shaa Allah) (it’s a reminder that the future is in God’s hands, so be humble and be hopeful)

– Astaghfirullah means “i seek forgiveness from Allah” and it’s like “god forgive me”
– Alhamdulillah means “all thanks and praise belong to God” and it’s just a little bit more serious than saying “thank god” (example: i passed my exams, alhamdulillah; i made it home okay, alhamdulillah)
– when i say we use them casually, i really mean it
– teacher forgot to assign homework? Alhamdulillah
– our version of “amen” is “ameen”
– muslims greet each other with “assalamu alaikum” which just means “peace be on you” and it’s like saying hi
– the proper response is “walaikum assalam” which means “and on you be peace” and it’s like saying “you too”

– Masha Allah : “What God has willed” is a phrase used to indicate that something is exceptionally good or beautiful. Like, e.g. “Masha Allah, you look great” or “masha Allah what a view from the 17th floor”.
– If you have a fringe or any kinda baby hairs, and you’re wearing a hijab for longer than 5 hours, those curls will try to rebel their way into your face somehow. Being annoyed at stray curls pushing out from the edges of your hijab is common.
– We don’t consume alcohol even when it’s in food. So if something’s been cooked with wine, or there’s chocolate with rum in it, the we aint gon eat it.
– Not all hijabs are the same: square or pashmina or helmet-style or two-piece? Silk or wool or cotton or…? Is it meant for winter or summer? Brand (e.g. Armine or HauteHijab or?)?
– No matter how many pins you’ve bought to secure your hijabs with, eventually you’ll have to buy more. Pins disappear. Pins ALWAYS disappear.
– Muslim countries, even if some happen to speak the same language, are vastly different with their own proverbs and cusses etc.
– People hang out at mosques even after or before prayer, like you can just be there and chill.
– It is not permissible to forcibly remove a Muslim from Mecca. Even if you don’t have a passport, so long as you’re not a danger to the people around you, not even the Saudi authorities have the right to remove a Muslim from Mecca.
 – We don’t bury our dead in coffins. Coffins are for the funeral ceremony, but bodies are buried in the ground directly (well, wrapped in a sheet), not in coffins. It is also not permissible to cremate a dead body.
– Speaking of burials: a dead body must be buried asap, preferably within 24 hours. Exceptions are of course if the body died in shady circumstances and u gotta find out whodunit.
– If you and persons A and B have been breast-fed by the same person (e.g. a wet nurse) despite not being related, y’all siblings now.

Have fun with these random tidbits of info, too.