Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 157
! ! 157 important that a person’s voice be vibrant , but here, the children’s voices were soft and quivering. I believe this to be true to the point that when arranging a matrimon ial match, one should choose a person with a clear voice. Teachers should also read books and take advantage of various methods to encourage their student s to speak clearly. My younger son , Munawar Ahmad , used to speak very softly. We sent him to Qari Ghulaam Yasin to learn the Holy Qur’ān. One day , when we asked him to read the Holy Qur’ān to us, he began to read so loudly that it took us by surprise. When I i nquired as to the reason , I was told that Qari Sahib was hard of hearing , thus he [Munawar Ahmad] developed the habit of speaking loud ly , so that he was able to hear him. I have taught my wives at home , and to encourage them to read loud er I sit fu rther and further away from them. Similarly , when I was a teacher at t he Ahmadiyya School , I would make the student s who spoke softly, sit far from me and I would also push my chair back , which would force them to speak loud ly. S peak ing loud ly will improve your voice ’s clarity and you should all certainly practice this. Foster Bravery and Courage with i n Children The second aspect of moral training to keep in mind is bravery and courage, which is an extraordinary moral quality and surpasses all other attributes. We should strive to raise brave and courageous children. Master Sahib related to me that when we forbid children from swimming in the pond , the ir fathers p rotest, claiming that their children know how to swim , and they will not drown. Howev er, this may be the cause of drowning for those who do not know how to swim. In my opinion , if the children are about to drown out of their own carelessness, then we must save them. If, however, after taking all possible precautions, the child still drowns while learning to swim, then what can we do? The British host swimming contests, as well as boat races and s ometimes these boats break down and sink , causing people to lose their lives. However, it does not mean that the sport is now abandoned. They return again to take part in these competitions.