Hijab — Page 68
68 to expose your helpless sheep to the mercy of wolves. ’” After reading this aforementioned extract, Huzoor Anwar atba said: “Here women have been compared to sheep and wolves to the evil society. Imagine that now when we are another hundred years ahead of the times when the Promised Messiah as was alive, how much greater is the need for Purda. Neither the West is safe and nor the East. Step out of your homes and observe society around you. Surely, you will see what the Promised Messiah as has talked about. Is there room for carelessness or negligence? Ponder, contemplate and take care of yourself. But some men get overly strict. They should keep in mind that the objective is observance of Purda and not confinement. In this context, Hazrat Masih Mau’ūd as says, ‘The Qurān instructs Muslim men and women to lower their gaze. When both men and women do not cast glances at one another, both will remain protected. The Qurān is not like the Gospel, which commands a person to not look with lust. It is regretful that the writer of the Gospel was unable to realize that a ‘lustful glance’ means nothing. It is the glance itself which arouses lustful thoughts in a person. The outcome of this teaching is not hidden to those who read the newspapers. They are probably aware of the utterly shameful displays that are reported to take place in the parks of London and Parisian hotels. The Islamic veil does not at all mean that women be imprisoned as though they were locked in jail. The purport of the Holy Qurān is that women cover themselves and refrain from gazing at men that are beyond the permissible bounds. Women are not barred from leaving the house to tend to their societal needs. They are welcome to go out and about but must control their gaze. Islam has made no distinction between men and women in acts