Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 175
175 country no wa days. Thus , Ha z rat Khalifat - ul - Masih I ra would sometimes draw a ghoongat to show us [by demonstrating with a shawl or loose fabric] and he would say that this is the proper method of purdah. If a ghoongat is drawn in that fashion then most certainly, the thick fabric will cast a shadow on the face, and purdah will be maintained in its true spirit. The present system of veil [with the burqa ] cannot be used to observe full purdah. Anyhow, everyone should strive to practice Islam ic commands and if there are any weaknesses in this regard , they should try to get rid of them. Then [while still in the car] I saw a n even worse problem than this. A woman was wearing a burqa which had no sleeves, and her arms were bare. However, this in fact is the same as bari ng one’s legs or thighs. Since the Iranian style burqa is becoming popular among women, and the Iranian burqa does not have sleeves, some women come to the m osque wearing that kind of burqa. A lthough, the entire arm above the wrist is included in purdah. In fact, according to sayings of the wives of the Holy Prophet sa , hands and feet are also included in purdah. In some narrations it is stated that when the Holy Prophet sa used to go for Hajj , he directed his wives to wear gloves and socks when men approached nearby. Some people say that this order was particularly for the wives of the Holy Prophet sa b ut in any case, no one denies that the portion of the arm above the wrist is included in purdah. I don’t expect that you would be able to make all the women observe purdah. S ome of them will in any case, defy it and this is the kind of fight , which cannot be won within a few days. Thus , you will need to strive with lengthy lectures, and lengthy advice. I don’t say that you should behave like the maulvi s [ Muslim cleric s, in this case referring to such non - Ahmadi clerics that are extremely harsh in their approach ] and pick up rods to strike the heads of those women who do not observe purdah and force them to observe purdah. Your job is only to advise them. When you instruct them, you will find among them those men and women who accept , and also those men and women who do not …” ( Al - F azl, 5 April 1960, p 2 )