Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 111
Savior of the Oppressed: Hadhrat Musleh Mau'ood Whenever darkness takes over the world, the light of truth seems to recede, and it appears as if evil forces have finally eliminated the truth. In such circumstances, Allah the Almighty sends one of His emissaries who establish the order of Allah on the earth and , once again, the light of truth purges the world of darkness of falsehood. After these prophets have revived and established the religion of Allah, their work is continued through their vicegerents. Hadhrat Masih Mau'ood ra was one of the shining stars of the dazzling galaxy of the prophets who were assigned this same task. After him, his work was continued by Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih n ra, the reformer of the present times. He was one of those men of Persia about whom the Holy Prophet saw prophesized that, even if faith goes far away to the Pleiades, one or more men from Persia will bring it back to earth. His Khilafat spanned over fifty-two years, during which time he inspired and changed all the factions of society. Being a man of foresight and prudence , he was well-aware of the fact that one of his first and foremost duties was to explain the true rank of woman in the community and her role as a member of Islamic society. He perceived that without reforming women of theJama'at, the society as a whole could not be restructured. The status of woman had been misrepresented in the society. On one side, she was oppressed by men and was confined to the four walls of the house. She was denied active participation in the home, other than purely domestic activity, or in society. The doors to education were closed to her. This was the outcome of orthodox concepts of the Muslims of India which owe their existence to the customs of Hindus and other narrow-minded religions. On the other side, the western ideologies and thoughts were promoting complete liberty for women. It was encouraging women to break all the chains of family and lead a life of complete independence. In such circumstances, Hadhrat Musleh Mau'oodra led the people to the right path prescribed by Islam. Hadhrat Musleh Mau'ood ra was in no doubt that Islam, being a balanced religion, advocates the right combination of liberty and responsibility. He encouraged women to break the unnecessary taboo and custom of the society and rise above the petty issues of everyday life. He converted the aimless group of lost women into an organization of educated and learned women who not only improved their own condition but also were able to bring change in the whole society. As stated before, Huzurrawas well-aware of the fact that unless the condition of women is changed, society cannot be changed. It is woman, especially in the role of mother, who makes or breaks a whole generation. His contribution to the progress of women can very well be described by one of his own dreams. He narrates: "I saw in a dream that there is a man who is trampling something under his feet. In my dream , I do not take him as one man, I feel as if he is representing all men. He is covered by a sheet and is thumping the ground with his feet just as one strikes the ground again and again to crush something. At that time, I feel that all the women of the whole world are lying there where his feet are, in mud, in the form of fish and he wants to crush them. Seeing this, the sentiment of compassion for women surged in my heart and I climbed up on his chest and made my legs longer until my feet reached his feet. He was trying to trample down women, whereas I was trying to stop the movement of his feet so as to raise the women. Meanwhile, I addressed those women: "O women! The time of your liberty has come.