Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 503
! ! 503 in any kind of sacrifice. Both of these outlooks are erroneous. They will not be successful in t abligh, until and unless our men and women are fully aware of their individual r esponsibilities and strive to overcome their differences. It is for this reason that I created Lajna Ima’illah as a separate organization. Lajna Ima’illah means “A n assembly of Allah’s maidservants. ” Just a s the most favorable of all names for a man is Abdullah [which means, Servant (male) of Allah] , that for a woman is Am a tullah [which mea ns , Servant (female) of Allah]. The attribute of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , which Allah has mentioned with special reverence in the Holy Qur’ān is ‘Abdullah , ’ which means the servant of God Almighty. Thus, to become God Almighty’s servant is the greatest attribute. L ikewise, a woman’s best quality is to be come God Almighty’s handmaid. Just as it is obligatory for a slave to carry out his master’s instructions, I have given you the name of Lajna Ima’illah , to bring your attention to strive in becoming servants of Allah. This is your opportun ity to carry out the tasks which will please your Master. Thus, w hen you stand before H im, be a n applicant for His reward. However , this is also an occasion where you could forget your duties to God Almighty and thus, be prepared to accept His wrath and stand before Him as one of the guilty. There is a world of difference between the one who is presented before God Almighty to receive his reward and the one who is presented as a criminal. There is a great difference between a person who is presented in the court of a K ing as a criminal and a g eneral who presents himself in the court to receive his reward. People envy the g eneral , but feel sorry for the criminal, ev en though both are presented in the court of the K ing. For one entered as a criminal , with his head h ung low in shame, and the other arrived triumphant in his victory , with the surrounding people envy ing him. Hence, understand well y our obligations and be vigilant. In the eyes of Allah Almighty , men and women are equal, as a re their responsibilities. When we peruse the annals of history, we find two prophets whose historical accounts are preserved. The life of one of these