Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 181
181 Keep in Mind the Role Model of the Earlier Generations of Muslim Women Address at Lajna Ima’illah Ijtema Delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashir - ud - D in Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra October 21, 1956 After Tashah h ud and Ta’awwuz , Ha z rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra recited Surah Al - Fatiha h and said: Status o f Women i n Islam A careful study of the teachings of Islam reveals that in comparison to the other religions, Islam has greatly elevated the status of women. I n recent times, Muslims themselves have made all efforts to degrade the status of women , under Western influence. They have also misunderstood certain matters. F or example, it is said , ‘ W omen are unable to attain a good education while observing purdah. ’ This conjecture is in fact wrong. Ha z rat A’isha h ra learn ed religion while observing purdah , a nd within purdah she reached a level of such expertise that the Holy Prophet sa said , ‘Learn half the religion from A’isha h ra. ’ That is to say that all men can collectively teach half the religion while Ha z rat A’isha h ra alone can teach half of it. Yet, Ha z rat A’isha h ra used to observe purdah and everything she learned about religion, she learned while observing purdah. Then, Muslim women [of earlier times] performed such feats of action during wars, which t he European women who do not observe purdah have been unable to accomplish even today. During the K hilafat of Ha z rat Abu Bakr ra , Ha z rat D a r rar r a who was a c ompanion of the Holy Prophet sa , was arrested by the Romans due to some negligence. The Romans took him with them many miles away. When his sister, Ha z rat Khaula ra rec ei ved this news, she took his armor and other provisions of war, and followed him on horseback , and was successful in rescu ing him from the enemy ( Futuhush - Shaam , first edition, p p. 27 - 28). The Roman Empire at the time was as powerful as the British Empire today , but the