Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 223
! ! 223 love and cherish t heir responsibilities and they understand that through education , they will progress academic ally and spiritual ly , making them more us eful to our community. Yet the sense of responsibility alone is no substitute for the actual accomplishment because no matter how great a person’s desire or longing is, success cannot be achieved u n til the right means are used and implemented upon. You see, if a person makes an effort and struggles in order to draw water from a well during a winter night, this effort of his will not cook the bread! Why? Because the laws which God has necessitated for making bread have not been obeyed. Therefore, I believe our mission will only be ful filled when we follow the rules established for this task. One’s Voice Should Resound with Power and Dignity I feel that to advance the learning of the girls and women at this institution, the most critical point to keep in mind is to speak in a clear voice. It should be void of softness or hesitation and should be full of courage, determination , and authority. In my opinion , our women cannot succeed in achieving their work, until their voices resound with that authority and dignity which can be heard in the voice s of those who are strongly determined to finish their work. It is the delivery of the speech which leaves the greatest impression. If the tone of the voice is filled with self - doubt and hesitation, and uncertainty over whether the audience will accept one’s notions , then the voice will leave no impact. We had a M aulv i Sahib amongst us, who despite being very knowledgeable spoke in a manner which suggested self - doubt. He would feel intimidated if someone challenged his arguments. Once he said to a man that the Holy Qur’ān contained thirty verses proving Hazrat Jesus ’ as death. He was asked to present any one of them. When he did, the person raised an objection to it and Maulv i Sahib replied , “ Fine, f orget that one. Here is another , ” and recited a second verse. The other person raised an objection to the second verse, so he recited a third one , and this continued until he had recited all of them. A commanding voice has a profou nd effect on its listener; thus , it is crucial for women to develop the habit of speaking with dignity and