A tour of the market… and cover up in the middle of the crowd!

Going out to the popular market is an adventure in itself…
From the moment I entered the crowd, I started hearing the same familiar phrases:
— “Here you go, madam… abayas with the latest models!”
— “This dress is suitable for veiled women… but if we shorten the sleeves a bit!”
— “My dear, take the scarf with the set… that way the set is complete!”

I was wearing my black Oswa abaya and my long khimar, walking through the market as if I were in the middle of a festival of colors and scents.
Every shop was filled with people talking and bargaining, girls trying on dresses that were looser than the others, some looking for something eye-catching, and others, like me, looking for simplicity.

One of the salesgirls approached me with a smile:
— “Do you want a trendy abaya? Or a loose Turkish-style dress?
We even have ready-made khimars, without pins!”

I replied, laughing:
— “I want something that will last… not a one-week fashion that will soon be gone!”

I went around a few shops, and every salesgirl was offering the same thing. Things, but whenever I ask about good fabric or a modest style, I find surprise or astonishment:
— “So you won’t try these pants?
We’re in 2025, everything is practical and loose!”

A voice inside me commented:
“Modestination in the popular market is like a piece of gold amidst copper… Not everything that glitters will benefit you, and not everything that’s expensive will make you comfortable.”

As I was walking in the middle of the crowd, an older woman pulled me in:
— “May God keep you steadfast, my daughter… I was like you in the past, and modesty has never diminished my joy in life.”

I smiled at her from my heart, and I felt that I was not alone at all.

At the end of the tour, I found a small shop with a sign that read:
“Abayas – Modest Dresses – All Styles for Veiled Women.”
I went inside, found a girl my age selling, and she said to me:
— “Here, every woman finds herself the way she wants. She…
You don’t have to compromise on your comfort for the sake of the market or the trend!”

I left the market with a small bag, but with a strong sense that there is still good in the world,
as long as each of us searches for what makes us comfortable and supports others instead of frustrating them.

Have you also tried the popular market and searched extensively for actual Islamic clothing?
What is the strangest comment or situation you’ve encountered in the crowd?
Share your experience or write some advice for a girl just starting her shopping journey…
Maybe your words will guide a girl to the store where she’ll find herself among a thousand voices!