Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 42
42 The second group has said , ‘N o, if she dies because of this reason, she w ould be guilty of having committed suicide. ’ The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa said that if a man is riding and finds a woman on foot, he should let the woman sit behind him. Now, if I happen to be riding here in Peshawar and find a woman on foot and according to the instructions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , offer her a seat on the back, the newspapers will cause such an uproar and say , “Look at how shamefully the Mirzai Imam acts. ” Likewise, it is mentioned in a Hadith [saying of the Holy Prophet sa ] that once during Hajj , due to the large crowd s , the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa fell off his mount. An Ansar i companion dismounted and ran towards the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa to help him and said, “O Prophet of Allah , I offer my life for you, lest you should be hurt. ” The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa said, “Leave me be. G o to the women and help them up. ” Had it been forbidden to touch women in any circumstance, why would the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa tell the companion to leave him be, and attend to the wom e n and help them up from the ground ? ” After this Hu z oor ra mentioned that some families are overly strict regarding purdah. They observe it more than what is required. Ha z rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra added , “ In Delhi, women are carried in a d oli [a curtained carriage] from one place to another. ” ( Al - F azl , 23 April 1948 , p. 63)