The Story of Hijrati: One hijra, one faith, a mission of modesty; interview by Garden of Words
Behind Hijrati lies a story of faith, uprooting, and rebirth. It's the story of a young family who left France for Egypt, then Egypt for Medina, with only their savings, their backpack, and an unwavering trust in Allah.
What was meant to be a simple journey turned into a mission: to facilitate modesty for thousands of women around the world.
Today, from the holy land, she opens up about her journey, between silent trials, tawakkul, and sisterhood.
Here's an intimate conversation about tawakkul, balance, and the strength of sisterhood.
On Origin: The name of your brand, Hijrati, means "my hijrah." You experienced a double hijrah, from France to Egypt, then to the city of Medina. How did this double journey, with its challenges and blessings, infuse its soul into the brand we know today?
The name Hijrati was chosen because it IS OUR STORY. Before being a brand, it was first a journey, a letting go, what we left for Allah. I experienced a double hijra: I first left France for Egypt with my husband and three children, then we left Egypt for the holy land, Medina, still with my husband and four children, Allahumma barik.
Each stage had an impact on my life, deprived me of certain habits and gave me others, brought me closer to Allah... and sometimes pushed me away too. Because that first journey to Egypt, with its challenges and blessings, also experienced some major setbacks. But all of this gave Hijrati a soul: a brand that not only seeks to dress, but to accompany women on their own life journeys. A brand born from a sincere intention: to find our rizq on the other side of the world, to facilitate modesty, to make it soft, simple, accessible, and PRACTICAL, so that every woman can exist.
Hijrati has become a reflection of my own journey. That of a young veiled mother who struggled to find clothes adapted to this new life. That of a mother who left her daily life to go to the land of Islam without having any project behind her, with just her savings and her backpack... But Allah is the best of guarantors and never breaks His promise. He writes things for His servants that they would never have been able to imagine, subhanAllah.
On Tawakkul: One of the themes of our issue is "Planning with Tawakkul." When launching Hijrati, you had to reconcile business planning with immense trust in Allah. Concretely, how did you navigate between human effort (planning, action) and complete trust? What lessons did you learn from it?
Hijrati was, in fact, not even planned in the adventure of our departure. You should know that before leaving for Egypt, when I lived in France, I already had a small clothing business where I bought and resold from suppliers. I've always had a taste for e-commerce sales.
One day, a few weeks after our arrival in the country, we wondered how we were going to be able to afford to be here long-term. But it was exactly that day that I found, on a mouhajiroun group, the number of a sewing workshop. To be honest, I had zero plans at that moment, but I felt that I HAD to save that number. I didn't think about it any further and saved it for a "you never know."
A few days passed and one evening, my husband came home from the mosque. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, I opened the door and he said to me: "I was talking to a brother, I told him that you had abandoned a successful business in France so we could come here, and he told me that he knew where we could make prototypes, buy fabrics, etc."
Wow, shivers ran down my spine. SubhanAllah! It was clearly an unattainable dream for me that was knocking at my door. I immediately knew it was a sign from my Lord. He Himself was guiding me on how I would be able to earn my rizq thousands of kilometers from where I came from...
From the beginning of this adventure, I had to learn to balance my real efforts — planning, calculating, creating — while maintaining complete trust in Allah, because in any case... all our savings were going to be used up.
When I launched Hijrati, I had neither certainties nor guarantees. I started working from March to September NON-STOP, teasing it on a new empty Instagram account, starting from SCRATCH. But I had this deep conviction that if my intention was sincere, Allah would not abandon me. There were times when I thought it wouldn't work, other days when I was convinced that YES, that it would truly be more than just a clothing brand. I consulted my friends, they advised me, gave me ideas, and from there everything really started.
It was as if Allah put in my path exactly what I needed at the right time, subhanAllah. Tawakkul taught me not to force things: I do my part, I work seriously... and I let Allah write the rest. Our first opening will remain etched in memory:
SOLD OUT IN MINUTES, even though we only had €10 left in our pockets to live on.
Hijrati was built as much in difficult moments as in moments of joy.
On Trials: The entrepreneurial journey is full of trials (fear, doubt, injustice). What were your spiritual anchors or sources of comfort to cultivate sabr and remain steadfast in your journey?
Entrepreneurship is a field full of trials, visible but especially invisible to others. Having a buy-and-sell business and creating your own brand from A to Z are two opposing worlds. There is fear, doubt, injustices, silent fatigue... but also those where sometimes my body screams and suffocates. There are days when you wonder if you will succeed, if all this is really worth it. Periods when the weight of work, family, and religious responsibilities seems so great and engulfs you.
But these trials taught me that every trial has an end, that every problem has its solutions. Sometimes we like them, sometimes not, but everything is Allah's decree. What sustained me was the daily presence of my husband's reminders. My pillar in everything I built hand in hand with him. He was the one who helped me keep my feet on the ground when I was falling into the void and when I was flying too high. He taught me the importance of remembering Allah, of protection invocations, and the idea that every difficulty contains wisdom. I also learned that success is not in numbers, but in Allah's barakah, patience in difficulty, and sincerity in actions.
On Balance: As an entrepreneur, your days are intense. How do you ensure that your work remains a source of barakah and an act of worship, rather than a mere burden that encroaches on your personal and spiritual life?
I will always maintain that my work can be an act of worship, as long as my intention remains clear and I manage to find balance with my role as a mother. But I admit it's far from easy. I always hope that what I do can be a source of khayr: a woman who covers herself thanks to a Hijrati garment, a family that can preserve and educate their children in the holy land.
Every effort is linked to an intention, BUT this intention must be constantly renewed if we don't want to go astray and get lost in things that become a source of sins... To maintain this balance, I try to seek advice from my support: my husband. The one who reminds me that every salat must be performed on time, that I must take breaks for invocations, for the children, for myself, to renew my intention. I refuse to let my work distance me from Allah. On the contrary, I sometimes feel that it is what brings me closest to Him. When Allah is at the center, entrepreneurship can become a source of hasanat, but the intention must always be re-evaluated.
On the "Believer's Season": Our theme is inspired by winter, described as "the believer's season" for its calm, conducive to renewal. Even if you live in Medina where the climate is different, every life has its seasons, calmer periods or times of retreat. How do these moments of tranquility inspire your creativity and your connection with Allah?
Even under the sun and heat of Medina, there is this aspect of winter of the heart. Winter is the perfect season for the believer: short days, calm, a little coolness. It is also these moments that nourish my creativity the most. It is this season that inspires me the most, it is where my best ideas for my business are born. I think that seasons of calm are necessary to renew oneself and come back stronger.
On Sisterhood: We feel that "HijraTeam" is much more than a customer community. What does this sisterhood built around your project represent to you?
The HijraTeam is not just another customer community: it's a true sisterhood. Women who share the same quest for modesty, the same love for Allah, the same daily clothing challenges, where Hijrati meets their needs by the grace of Allah. Some have written messages that have deeply moved me, brought me to tears, touched me profoundly. Women who told me that a Hijrati garment had reconciled them with modesty, or with themselves and their self-confidence. It goes far beyond commerce. It has become a family of modesty, a sincere bond, a strength that encourages me daily and one of the reasons that helps me get up every morning.
This family spirit is one of the most beautiful rewards of creating this brand, Alhamdullilah.
On the Future: Looking ahead, what is your vision or intention for HIJRATI? What are the next projects you hope to see materialize, Insha'Allah?
I see Hijrati as a mission more than a brand. I am currently developing projects that are very dear to my heart, such as: the creation of signature gloves that are extremely high quality, the development of my own niqab and hijab brand, and the development of our children's range as well. In the long term, I would like to be able to organize pop-ups, but living abroad, this remains a complicated thing... which I still dream of! I let Allah write the rest of the path as He wrote the beginning.
I do my part and I entrust the rest to Him.
My intention is to continue to facilitate modesty for women: more elaborate, more practical, softer, higher quality collections.
What does a barakah-filled morning look like for you?
For me, my ideal day is waking up at Fajr, a quiet and tidy home (which doesn't always happen when you're a mother of many children), a sunrise at the window in Medina, a very cold coffee with milk and mom in the kitchen for her little babies!
When everything is moving too fast, what simple act of worship do you turn to to re-center yourself?
The remembrance of Allah remains my best ally.
And finally... what is your favorite little calming ritual?
A coffee, sitting on the sofa, an open window, a peaceful corner and a few minutes of silence.
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