Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 93
93 ‘ … I f your men do not listen to you and they do not present themselves for the service of religion and they do not l et you serve religion, you should just leave them and let them know that you can only have a relationship with them when they are ready to serve religion. It is true that the Holy Qur’an tells us that if a man occupies a higher rank in heaven and the woman a lower rank , she shall be raised to him. Similarly, if a woman occupies a higher rank , the man shall be raised to her. ’ ” ( Al - F azl , 20 June 1950) Some Matters Worthy of Attention S ummary of a speech at Jalsa Salana Delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashir - ud - D in Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra 1949 These days , there is much discussion around purdah with in our country. The Holy Qur’an and Hadith tell us that purdah is necessary for women, and it includes the veiling of the face. Westernized people are under the impression that the veiling of the face is not necessary in Islam , which is incorrect. At the time of the Holy Prophet sa and the companions ra , when women used to observ e purdah properly, education in women was at a higher standard than the present day and age. In those days , people used to learn from women and seek their advice i n religious matters. At that time, the current style of burqa did not exist, instead [women used] shawls. The b urqa began when cars were invented. Before [the invention of cars] women could wrap themselves in shawls and walk slowly with ease and comfort. B ut now , because of the movement of car s , women cannot walk fast while wearing shawls and they cannot move rapidly. Therefore , the burqa was invented. After returning from my travel to Europe, I reflected on purda h , made a proposal , and asked Lajna Ima’illah to act up on it , b ut no attention was paid to it. Now, I have asked a tailor to come from Lahore and ha ve had such a burqa made that can meet the real need s of purdah. First , we will have a few ladies use it and then we can establish it with in the Jama'at.