Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 226
! ! 226 increase in their fortitude to continue learning. There are other ways too that a good teacher can u tilize to teach a language. The most important thing is to pay particular attention to Arabic. Although the other subjects are also important, our religious concerns are l inked with the Arabic language, hence it is the most important. Yet, m any students lose heart quickly and because it is difficult to learn in the ea rly stages, they feel they cannot succeed. However , this stage of learning passes quickly and if surpassed it becomes easier, provided tha t there are Ara bic speaking people around them. I f not , then there are other scholars who know the Arabic language. Women students should not be afraid of the initial difficulties but should rather strive to reach a lev el of expertise where they can be considered an expert in the language and are easily able to read academic books. With this instruction, I conclude my speech. I hope that Shah Sahib will en sure that those women who are weak in studies are not left behind , and that women do not fall behind in subjects only because the teachers do not pay enough attention. One shou ld not take advantage of another ’s politeness. R emember , we have a grand objective , for which both men and women will work together. Women possess a sincere desire to work, but they are easily dishearten ed. Therefore, I advise you to continue your efforts with steadfastness. Since the Adh ā n [call to prayer] for Maghrib has been already called , I will end my speech and pray for the host, because it is a Sunnah to pray for whoever has hosted a g athering. Given that this reception is hosted by the Women’s Education Institute , I pray that God Almighty bless es these women with the opportunity to seek knowledge and then provide them with an opportunity to serve their religion. ( Al - Fazl , July 2, 1926, p p. 5 - 6)