--- I feel naked without my hijab
- HAJIA SHAREEFAH ANDU TELLS HER STORY
Alhaja Shareefah Abiola Omolara Abike Andu, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Arabel, has spent half a century on planet earth meritoriously and rewardingly doing what her heart desires. With Arabel, an Islamic store that caters for the needs of Muslim faithful, the vastly revered Islamic fashionista has been able to revolutionalize Islamic materials merchandizing. Her passion for Journalism that made her to quit lucrative banking sector has also materialized, giving birth to Living in the Light of the Truth, a monthly publication and Zepher, a glossy high standard magazine.
But many people didn’t know that the mother of three lovely children wanted to be either an actress or a model, which she did tried both but didn’t succeed until she decided to become a star in her own special magazine where she discovered the model in her, equipped with professional make-up. Her journey to Hijab was a fascinating one, a story of courage, determination and today, Hajia Shafeerah Abiola Andu, who marked her 50th birthday on Sunday, June 17, 2012, told AL-FAHM’s Editor-in-Chief, ABDUR RASHEED ABUBAKAR how she found comfort and happiness in hijab.
Excerpts of the interview…
I was born and raised a Muslim, but I went to Christian schools in my life, so i had the blessing of knowing and appreciating both religions. I had A2 in Christian Religious Studies in my O’levels and B in A’level. In my secondary school, Baptist Grammar School, we had American missionaries come to school from time to time and on Sundays, one Ms Mary Kirkpatrick (I can never forget her name) was more regular for the church service in the chapel. One day after preaching, she made an after call for people who wanted to give their lives to Christ, probably because of the emotion she evoked, and probably because of my innate inclination to God, I joined the people who already went forward, she prayed for us and we went back to our seats. By Monday evening, I was crying quietly in my corner in the dorm, asking myself “what have I done” I was so thoroughly confused that I took an “exit” and went home on Friday. I told my mother who did not scold me, but reinforced to me that we are Muslims and that is what we have to be all the days of our lives. She built a mosque in our compound that served the whole neighbourhood, so praying every time throughout that weekend, I was back on familiar terrain, and went back to school on Sunday. I compulsorily had to go to church, which I loved anyway, I loved the sermons and the songs, but I never took the alter call again.
Because of the school I went to, hijab was never a part of my life. At unilag, I loved to dress well, and generally followed the trend at that time, but come Fridays, I would always go to the mosque. The mosque was beside my hall, Moremi Hall at the time, and it would have been unthinkable for me to just walk by and not go when people were praying. I mean it was that close! Anyway, I do go to the mosque, dress the part, and after jumu’ah, back to whatever is trending fashion wise. That was me until 1997.
In 1995, I relocated to Lagos. It was a difficult period in my life and just like what I did when I went to boarding house at age eight, I turned to Him who gives succour. I began reading and studying the Qurán and was searching for a group that could help me grow in faith. I wanted a small group that would have the same progressive ideology with me, that would not criticise me or make me feel like “what’s she doing in our midst?” because I wasn’t wearing hijab. I discovered a group of professional men and women that were meeting once a month at the Federal Palace Hotel in Ikoyi. This was good for me. I felt at home, I met people like me in the corporate world with its pressure and challenges, but who were still striving to get closer to their Creator. And so on meeting days, which was the evening of the last Thursday of every month; I would dress well and keep a scarf in my bag for the lectures. Whenever I got to the venue, I would use the scarf before entering. Then one day, I forgot it was the last Thursday until I go to work. I couldn’t go back home to pick a scarf and I thought I did buy one on the way, but by the time I finished from the office, it was running late, so I headed for the venue, believing I could get one from the shops at the hotel. No such luck! The shops were selling majorly artworks. Eventually, I bought a small piece of unframed artwork slightly bigger than a handkerchief to cover my head. I felt so bad, I felt like a hypocrite, and that was the turning point for me.
I met a lot of beautiful and stylish women who wore hijab, caps and scarves, and I thought they didn’t look bad at all and that I could also wear hijab and still be elegant and stylish. “Yes, I will give it a try,” I said. And so I started. Gradually, a little at a time until I began to feel comfortable with myself and come to my own.
And today, alhamdulillahi! Insha Allah hijab has become part of me, I feel naked without my hijab. I use to tell people that have a negative thought about Muslim women wearing hijab that “it’s my head that is covered, not my brain”. Since I have started Arabel, and writing and publishing the daily devotional, LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF ALLAH, I have got to give thanks to Allah.
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