Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 62
! ! 62 or soiled , whether you are engaged in an important task with no time to s pare, Salāt should not be missed under any circumstance s. Firstly, it is important to wear clean clothing when observing Salāt , but if clean clothes are not readily accessible or the removing of soiled clothes carries a risk of falling ill, it is permissible to pray , even if the clothes are drenched with a child’s urine! This is not to say that one should encourage a child to urinate and then observe Salāt in this manner, but if circumstances are such that clean clothes are unavailable, then soiled clothing is allowed , a lthough it is proper for one to wash their clothes. For how much does a child even urinate? If a child drinks only milk and does not eat solid food, the Shariah accords that rinsing o ff the child’s urine with water renders the clothes clean. Therefore, whatever may pass , Salāt must be observed because Salāt is never exempt under any circumstance. It is the pillar of our faith. Just as a roof cannot stay raised without a pillar, similarly faith cannot stand firm without Salāt. Continue to P ay Zakat After Salāt , the second commandment is that of Zakat. Zakat is 1/40 th of any assets which remain unchanged for over a year, in order to give to the poor and needy. If the government is Muslim , then the Zakat is to be handed over to it , otherwise it should be paid to whichever organization exist s. As the Ahmadiyya Community, we have an organized system. T herefore , ladies should give their Zakat to the office holders. Regarding such jewelry which is regularly worn, Zakat does not need to be paid , but if it is paid , that is very noble indeed. Zakat should be paid on the jewelry which is not worn regularly or is worn on occasion at weddings. It is permissible to pay Zakat on jewelry which is often used, but if not paid, it is not a sin. It s wear and tear is considered Zakat. In our country , women have the habit of purchasing new jewelry , which makes it incumbent upon them to pay Zakat. Paying Zakat is an important commandmen t, which women overlook. After the death of the Holy Prophet sa , some people refused to pay Zakat. Ha z rat Abu Bakr ra replied th at if they did not pay their Zakat, he would go to war with them, even if it was only over [the amount of]