Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 337
! ! 337 knowledge]. In fact, l ook at our stage here. Priding themselves as being either the wife of a judge, or the mother of a barrister, or the wife of a deputy, some women expect to be seated at a higher position than others. Nevertheless , they should have ensured that their sisters who work as the Lajna president, secretary, or national volunteer, were seated here on stage. I n this world , respect is not earned by money. A person cannot become great by f inding wealth, nor can a p erson gain respect by wearing an expensive outfit or costly jewelry. However, real knowledge instills d ignity in a person and an educated person deserves complete respect. In fallen nations, undoubtedly value is given to those who wear expensive clothes, but that is not the case with the pious. It is narrated that once Haz rat Sheikh Sa ‘ adi attended a princely banquet , where he was not given any respect, as it was his practice to dress modestly. The next day , he wore expensive clothes and was seated at a more prominent position. When the food was served, he began to feed his clothes. When people asked what he was doing, he explained that it was not him, but his dress which had been thus honored. Among the British elite, not one person cour ts these English judges and governors , who hold such prominent positions here in India. Once, when a photograph was taken , a British financial commissioner was requested to stand behind the late Hafiz Roshan Ali, although when he was in India, he had been powerful and highly respected due to his substantial income. People respect those who have more wealth, even though t his is wrong, for wealth does not produce respect. At any rate, our Jama'at has not yet received worldly respect, for what is respect? Remember that true respect comes from spirituality, piety, righteousness , and purity. Progress comes from good deeds. Respect is obtained through service. You should gain religious knowledge , which will benefit the nation and community. How many of you serve the religion and perform t abligh of Islam ? Thus , listen to the words of God and H is prophet and read Haz rat Sahib ’s [The Promised Messiah as ] books. There is plenty of time to read novels and magazines, but is there no time to read