Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 33
33 reason I was waiting for someone was because I wished to convey a message to the people of my tribe. So, praise be to Allah that I have found you. Tell my people , ‘Y our chief is dead, but before dying he left the following message for all of you : M y d ear ones! The most important and valuable thing we possess in this world is the life and person age of the Holy Prophet sa. We have sacrificed our lives to protect his life and have done our best to watch over this holy trust. W e now leav e this world , having sacrificed our lives and we now entrust you with this task. I am certain that you will also sacrifice your lives to guard this sacred trust. ’ ” Having said this , he passed away. People die every day. T hose who have observe d this know how often up on the deathbed , one calls out and says, ‘ O mothe r’ or ‘ O children ,’ b ut look at this man ! At the time of death , he did not say , “T ake care of my property in such a way ” nor did he say , “ Watch over my children in such a manner ,” and neither did he say , “G ive my wife this message. ” [Instead] h e said , “ W hatever remains, sa crifice even that for Islam and Muhammad sa. ” It is one thing to boast that we are Muslim s or the children of Muslims, an d another to actually practice this. The crisis which Islam find s itself in right now is not the kind which can be borne w ithout the sacrifice of both men and women. The time has come when every man and woman must understand that their lives are not their own, but that every passing second of their lives is dedicated to Islam. They need to understand that to die fi ghting for the cause of Islam is a thousand times better than to live a life full of disgrace. M e n and wom e n are both human beings. W omen demand their rights and when they do so, when a woman asks for her rights, they believe that their mind s are the same as [the minds of] m e n and that their heart s are the same as [the hearts of] m e n. And when this is the truth, then how can any woman bear to endure a life of disgrace , a life of slavery to others , a life subservient to others? If no woman can bear this, then every woman and every man should remember that they will need to sacrifice their own lives. Only then will they reach a status of respect and freedom.