Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 179
179 allowed, the result would be that the evil of adultery would poison the whole system of society, as is the case in many parts of Europe. But when these men actually grow pure in heart, when they- are freed from the control of bestial passions and sensual desires, when the spirit of devil is utterly expelled from among them, when Divine majesty takes entire possession of their hearts and the awe of God controls their looks, in short when a pure transformation is effected in their lives and they don the garments of the fear of God, then, but not till then, they may do what they like, for they would be then as ennuchs made so by the Hand of God and their eyes would be shut against lustful looks and their hearts closed against evil ideas. But remember, my beloved countrymen, may God Himself inspire this idea into your hearts, that this is the most dangerous time for doing away with the custom of purdah, and if you do it, you would sow the seed of poison in your people which would vitiate the whole society. This is a time when the custom of purdah ought to have been instituted even if it had never prevailed before, for this is the Tcaljug (the iron age). Evil rages in the world and the transgression of Divine commandments, corruption and drunkenness are at their highest. Atheism prevails in the hearts and the awe of Divine majesty and glory has utterly vanished away from them. Many things are uttered with the tongue with which the heart does not tally. Lectures are delivered which may claim great intellec- tual merits, but the hearts are dead and devoid of spirituality. It is not meet that at such a time the poor sheep should be let loose in forests where wolves abound. My friends, the plague is still threatening us and I have re- ceived information from on high that many of its onslaughts are in store for us. These are dangerous days and no one can say who would become its morsel by the next year and who remain alive,