As an update:
- I was misdiagnosed with Bartalotti's Syndrome and do NOT need back surgery, alhamdulillah!
- Neurology tested me for MS just in case, and it came back negative.
- Of course after all this and I was going to post again, I walked into a door AT THE HOSPITAL and broke my nose (leading to this post, actually).
- I went to pain management and they started me on a new medication and want me to continue at-home physical therapy to strengthen my back and hips.
- After long deliberation I've decided not to continue my studies at Islamic Online University and not to take my finals. Due to various reasons, I have required accommodations at previous schools in which I've studied, and as a non-US, online university, IOU is not prepared to offer them. This caused a lot of stress for me and I was barely passing most of my classes. I've decided instead to return to focusing full-time on my physical health so I can return to Seminary next year.
So, as you can see, my life was kind of insane while I was away! Now, alhamdulillah, since we have most of the answers for my stuff medically (I just need to get in to see a geneticist still, and in a few months probably surgery to fix my nose) I can start focusing on getting up to a more normal capacity for mobility! Already I have started to be able to make wudhu and even pray standing about half of the time! SubhanAllah w bihawmdihi!!
So, the purpose for this video. Obviously initially when I broke my nose it hurt a LOT and so I couldn't do niqab tutorials during that time. after the first couple of weeks I did wear niqab to doctor appointments or to do quick outings, but as I have mobility issues, I never am really out of the house for long periods of time. Due to this, I had no way of knowing that prolonged wearing of niqab is actually painful while my nose is still healing, which we found out when we went on vacation in Florida. We found out because our first day there we went to the beach to meet up with my fellow Jewslim (Muslim Jew!), scholar sister, and when we went for lunch after, it actually got SO painful that we had to switch niqabs! We thought maybe it was just the pink niqab, as it is sewn differently at the bridge than my other niqabs and can cause irritation sans broken nose, but the next day while wearing a different one I was in pain again, and it was decided that I needed to move to part-time niqab while my nose is on the mend. Unfortunately, the ER doctor didn't set my nose, and the ENT appointment wasn't made fast enough, so now we have to wait until my nose finishes healing the break and then I have to have surgery to re-break it and move it back where it belongs! So I may be on part-time status for about a year (please make duaa for me!). It took me a few days to think of wearing boushiya instead!
Alhamdulillah, while boushiya and gashwa, depending on the fabric/niqab/scarf used may not be completely opaque (which I don't have an issue with, but that's a different post), it does cover and obscure the face, at the very least, so I'm glad I was able to think of this, as covering my face is what controls my panic attacks.
So, I'm not sure if you can tell in the video, but the way I did this is for normal length niqabs. With these, the veil layers won't be cumbersome when flipped forward for sitar or when used, as here, as a boushiya. However, the niqab I used is actually an XXL niqab, so I also put together the following picture tutorial on how to use an XXL niqab as boushiya!
- First, take your niqab and face it the way you normally would:
- Take the face veil and flip it so it is on the outside:
- Tie your niqab, then flip back layers like normal:
- I like to place the band of the niqab up on my forehead, near my hairline for this look, like in the picture below, especially now as it takes any pressure off of my face so my face/nose won't hurt:
Here was my final look on the way to my doctor's appointment today! Alhamdulillah I got TWO compliments on my "bad hair day" hat! Last appointment (where I had worn ghoongat, a style of South Asian boushiya or gashwa) a fellow veteran had insulted me, which was very disappointing. So I was glad it got returned to me twice today, and the first person gave me salaams after the compliment. 👸
So, here you are, akhiwat! A quick and easy way to use a 2+ layer niqab as boushiya instead. This can be used if you have some nose irritation, such as from a new piercing or a break; I have also used it when the weather was too hot and humid for a niqab to be practical, so using boushiya instead kept my face covered while still allowing me to breathe easily, kept me cooler in the heat, and shielded my eyes from the sun!
If you have any questions or requests, PLEASE let me know! In shaa Allah I will get to them, and I already have tutorials lined up for the next two weeks, alhamdulillah, so I plan on sticking around! 😅
If you have any questions or requests, PLEASE let me know! In shaa Allah I will get to them, and I already have tutorials lined up for the next two weeks, alhamdulillah, so I plan on sticking around! 😅
Jazakum Allahu kheiran!
Sajida.
Me and my dear sister Azrah that first fateful day at the beach when we realized even a healing broken nose with niqab for an extended period of time was a no-go. Check her out on YouTube as Ezra Katz!
