Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 299
! ! 299 Thus, one means of security is closeness to a prophet. The second method is instructed in the Holy Qur’ān which states : َﻛ ﺎ َن َﻣ ﺎ َو n ِﻓ ۡﻴ pِۡ َا ۡﻧ َﺖ َو ِﻟ ُﻴ َﻌ ِّﺬ َﺑ pُۡ ا ُّٰﷲ َﻛ ﺎ َن َﻣ ﺎ َو 'َ ۡﺴ َﺘ ۡﻐ ِﻔ ُﺮ ۡو َن ُﻫ ۡﻢ َو ُﻣ َﻌ ِّﺬ َﺑ pُۡ ا ُّٰﷲ “ But Allah would not punish them while thou wast among them, and Allah would not punish them while they sought forgiveness. ” (Holy Qur’ ā n, Ch. 8: V. 34) This means that people who try to destroy the instruments of evil are saved from punishment. However, it is the job of a believer to strive in eliminating vices. Whereas it is impossible to completely eradicate filth, man can be protected from its stench by burying it in a hole and covering it up with dirt. In the same way, we cannot totally eliminate evil from the world , but we can control it. Thus, the second method is to contain the evil and prevent it from spreading. The way to do this is to bring those who spread vices into our community and consequently, put a stop to their bad intentions. Hence, there are two ways t o safeguard against destruction: one is an attachment to the Prophet and being part of his Jama'at, and the other is making an effort to curb evils. Where both come together , it is as if light radiates further light. In India, the trend towards completely abandoning p u rdah is spreading. These people blame p u rdah for their downfall , even though those who abandon p u rdah are enslaved by others. In other words , they have adopt ed mental and spiritual slavery , and those of us who consider p u rdah necessary are free from this beca us e we thoroughly oppose th at culture which they believe is the means of their advancement. According to us , [what is] seemingly [considered] slavery holds no importance. After all, someone must obviously govern the country. Even if this government belonged to Indians themselves, would all of them rule ? Only a section would govern. Hence, outward slavery is nothing. I n actual fact, it is mental slavery which is dangerous. Therefore, those who abandon p u rdah are