Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 40
! ! 40 an exceptional ly excellent manner. Giving Zakat In addition to this , the second commandment is Zakat. This means that if someone has fifty - two tolas [ measure of weight ] of silv er or has saved forty rupees for a full year, then he should pay one rupee Zakat on them. This is necessary for the needy, the orphans, and the poor. Where on the one hand t he obligations to God Almighty are fulfilled through the means of offering Salāt , the rights of mankind on the other hand are fulfilled through the offering of Zakat. God Almighty can grant His servants everything directly Himself, but He prefers to give through His servants so that the giver may also be deserving of reward and recompense. Fasting The third commandment is that of fasting. In our country , some men and women do not offer Salāt , but observe the fast. This is also an essential commandment, and it provides tremendous benefits. Performing Hajj The fourth commandment is that of Hajj. If one has the funds to travel, there is no danger en route, and arrangements can be made for the supervision and safety of one’s spouse and children, then perform ing the Hajj once a lifetime is obligatory. Service of Religion These are the major commandments which are binding on every believing man and woman. Apart from these, there are many ot her ways to serve the religion. I have [already] mentioned that Muslim women have provided significant services to the faith during and after the time of the Holy Prophet sa , to the point that t hey even sacrificed their lives for Islam. Just as in those days, Islam faced hardships and difficulties, it now faces such [difficulties also ]. Therefore, these are the days when we need wom e n who are willing to serve the faith.