Why I Actually Like Afghani Burqa (WAY more than I thought I would!)

 Assalaamu alaikum everybody! It's been a while since I decided to stay mostly off of social media during Ramadan, and since then I have been working on my disability claim. 

At the beginning of Ramadan I received a bright purple burqa, or topi as it's called in Pakistan. I ordered it because it was a resale on eBay and therefore WAY cheaper than the normal listings for the same piece. My plan was to compare this one, which you can readily find online, and a burqa straight from Afghanistan, which my friend is sending (and which we are having difficulty getting into the US, but that's a whoooole other story) in order to see how comparable they are, which breathes better, etc.. In shaa Allah I'll still be able to do that post. (We just finished attempt number two on sending the blue burqa from the UK and now her family is going to try and send it straight from Afghanistan.)

Me outside reading.

So, I started wearing the burqa during Ramadan. I'm not wearing it all the time, which is apparent just by a quick look at my Instagram. 😉 I started by wearing it when I went to sit outside and read Quran, as the house next us and the house next to that are both on sale and doing construction so there were a lot of guys around. Surprisingly, it wasn't oppressively hot, which was our worry! After a week or so I went out on date day with my co-wife and wore the burqa. We got Taco Bell and all people said was how cute I was and how much they loved the color of my burqa, and asked why I was wearing it, etc.

In fact, the ONLY comments I've gotten on my burqa have been compliments!

Me at Taco Bell waiting for food lol

Since then I've worn it out a few times. A friend who came over shortly after I got it commented that it would be perfect for just throwing it on and going to the grocery store or other errands. And she's right! If I don't want to search for a scarf, abaya, and niqab when we need to go out, I can just throw on the burqa and it's all of that in one! Alhamdulillah. Errands, shopping, using a cane or wheelchair, I have been able to wear my burqa in all of these situations, easily! (Just don't go out wearing shorts in it as it's hard to keep your legs from showing, especially when it's windy 😅) It also is much easier to see out of than I thought it would be, while still filtering out most light (which helps my light sensitivity).

Every time I've worn it, no one says anything rude. Subhan'Allah. I don't know why it is this way, but percentage-wise I've gotten more insults in just niqab than in burqa. Maybe I need to give it more time, but our initial thought is that I would be even more at risk than before. Apparently all I'm at risk for is having my eye screen super crooked, which my loving Husband decided to point out in the line at Subway. But, subhan'Allah w bihawmdihi, the guy making our sandwiches complimented my burqa and the color, and then we found how he is from Afghanistan. Ma shaa Allah. We plan to go back to that Subway in the future, in shaa Allah, just to see him again. Allahumma barik lahu.

So, all-in-all, the burqa is just way more comfortable and versatile than we ever thought it would be, and way easier than finding all of the individual pieces I need to go out when I'm still working through all of the laundry (alhamdulillah I finished it all last night 😪) and I lose my niqabs CONSTANTLY. 

In shaa Allah I'm going to be doing some shoots which will showcase the burqa. Once I do, you all will know! I'll make a blog post once I get them in. In the mean time, I hope that my words and pictures here today help people to understand and embrace the burqa as a form of covering. 💕

And stay tuned for more awesome burqa pictures and fashion posts and reviews coming up soon, in shaa Allah! For access to all of my media posts, follow me on Facebook by searching @RivkaSajida

😘

Jazakum Allahu kheiran, 

Sajida.

Stole my co-wife's flower crown and put it on when we had to go back into Petsmart a second time lol