Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 50
! ! 50 dislike it. I f they are declared worthy , it will not make them so, un less they develop goodness with in themselves. Similarly , they cannot be wicked just because they are called so. If they are declared good and are truly pious , then this is a matter of great satisfaction. However, if a ny mention is made of a weakness that is found within them, they should reform themselves and learn from it. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa stated that when a person dies and the women [gather round] wail ing and saying , “O brother, you were so brave that even a lion would not stand up to you. ” Upon this t he angels strike the deceased person with a rod and ask, “ Were you truly as they say ?” The deceased will deny it. The angels will ask , “ Why then, do they say this about you ?” Similarly , when women cry out false praise , the deceased will be questioned , and they will be forced to admit that t hey did not embody such traits. Thus, false praise do es not benefi t anyone , and false condemnation do es not harm anyone. Therefore, when something is stated, it should be carefully consider ed as to whether that which is being explained is something that needs to be implemented by the person being addressed. If something positive is mentioned, we should act upon it. I f there is something negative with in us , we should rid ourselves of it. This is the purpose of these lectures. Following this instruction, I would like to briefly mention a few other points, as we are short on time and I am about to catch the ten o’clock train. Purpose of Islam Firstly , I would like to define the purpose of Islam. The meaning of Islam is complete submission and the meaning of Iman [faith] is to believe in something. When asked about their faith, all those men and women who call themselves Muslim , reply , “By the grace of Allah , we are Muslims and believers. ” Yet , they are unaware of the true meaning behind Islam and the meaning behind a person having faith. They believe that since their f orefathers called themselves Muslim s , they are also Muslim s.