Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 39
39 Mere Emotions Amount to Nothing unless Followed by Action Delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashir - ud - D in Mah mu d Ahmad, Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra April 4, 1950 An Ahmadi friend asked Ha z rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra , “H u z oo r ra , an idea is being broached nowadays that a burqa [ outer garment ] is not necessary for the observa nce of purdah [Islamic concept of modesty] Rather, p urdah of one’s heart is enough. May H u z oo r ra shed some light on this matter. ” H az rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra said: Need f or A ction If one’s intentions of the heart could suffic e as ‘actions’ , then all matters w ould be solved by one’s heart. Mere emotions amount to nothing, until action is taken according to these emotions. For example, a mother’s heart is full of love for her child and yet several books have been written on this subject , explaining how to morally train a child. This concludes that mere love is not enough , but rather along with love, training a child well is the most important thing. I met a Hindu while traveling. I brought his attention towards Islam. In reply, he said that both the Ka‘bah and temple are all matters of the heart [and so no physical action of accepting a religion is required]. I asked him, “Are you married ?” His answer was affirmative. I then asked , “Have you ever shown your wife and child affection ?” He said , “Y es. ” I asked , “ With regards to your wife and children, why d o you not say that love is within your heart ? W hy d o you use your lips and hands in show ing them af fection ?” At this, he became regretful of his comment. Criticism o f Purdah i s d ue t o Western Influence The truth of the matter is that these discussions of purdah are not taking place now because women must participate in the development of Pakistan. This is strictly the influence of Western society. In the early