Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 61
! ! 61 us , he is a p rophet but his relation to the Holy Prophet sa is that of a slave to his Master. It is essential to believe in him. We have received great beneficence from him. In this age t he world has gone astray and become oblivious to religion as it had in the time of the Holy Prophet sa. The Promised Messiah as brought back religion and led us to the straight path to wards God. These were all ins tructions related to doctrine. I will now discuss the matter of deeds. Observe Salāt The first is Salāt. It is essential to adher e to it. Usually , women have a habit of making excuses. W hen they are young , they use their youth as an excuse and claim they will offer Salāt when they grow a little older. When they are older , they use their children as an excuse. When they are old , they claim they can hardly walk, let alone offer Salāt. Thus , their whole life is spent in making such excuses , with the majority showing indolence in offering Salāt. I f they do pray , they are not regular or if they are regular, they are unaware of what they say in their Salāt. They rush through their r uk ū‘ and s ajdah [positions within Salāt ] and quickly finish their Salāt. The Promised Messiah as likened this form of Salāt to a chicken w hich pecks at its food. Reflect upon this. Salāt is not a form of exercise but is the worship of God Almighty. Thus, w e should comprehend this and observe it wholeheartedly. No Salāt should be missed , except during those days when such allowances are made. This is because observing Salāt is so crucial , that if you purposefully miss it even for a single day in the year , that would make you a non - believer. Thus, un less all Muslim men and women offer their Salāt five times a day , they will no longer be considered Muslims. What should be done regarding th ose prayers that have been missed in the past? In tha t case, Allah has given the option of t auba [ repentance]. If in the past, you have deliberately foregone Salāt , ask for His Forgiveness. P ledge to yourself that you will no longer negl ect your Salāt. Whether it rain s or storms , whether your clothes are clean