Muslim cleric sends perfect message to people who criticize 'improper' hijab

While wearing the hijab is supposed to be a personal decision, it is seldom treated as such. 

Hijab-wearing women are often put under the microscope and thoroughly criticized for all aspects of their lives, from the way they choose to wrap the headscarf and how long their shirts are, to how they express themselves. 

Some people can go as low as suggesting that a woman stop wearing the hijab altogether if she does not adhere to their notions of what is deemed suitable for hijab-wearing women.

In response, the Muslim cleric and scholar Sheikh Azhar Nasser recently took to Twitter to explain why people should stop making such statements. 

In a tweet that has since been retweeted over 1,700 times, Sheikh Nasser asked his followers not to tell a Muslim woman to take off her hijab if she "isn't wearing the hijab properly".

"An imperfect hijab is better than no hijab. Look at the glass half full instead of half empty," he explained. 

When some users criticized him for suggesting that women who wear the hijab are held in a higher regard than those who do not, he assured them he was not implying that.

"Only Allah knows what's in the hearts. I meant that obeying God partially is better than abandoning an obligation entirely," he wrote.

With many Muslims, especially Islamic preachers, often shaming hijab-wearing women for the way they dress or act, it is refreshing to read Sheikh Nasser's remarks. 

Here's what people had to say about them:

Sheikh Nasser is a Vancouver-based lecturer who founded Tasneem Institute, which offers crash courses on Islamic teachings. 

While Muslim clerics and preachers are often thought of as characteristically serious and stern, Sheikh Nasser boasts an active social media account, in which he uses humor and witty analogies to send his messages across.

Sheikh Nasser also often highlights inadequately-discussed topics, such as depression within Muslim communities.