Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 347
! ! 347 was forced to jump the walls of the garden to leave. I was walking through the market when I saw a man pointing at me and telling another man, ‘ He is the one. ’ He gave me a letter from a K ing, in which it was written that as the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa did not care for my dignity , I should join them. At t hat point , I realized that this wa s Satan , who was trying to deceive me. I asked the man to follow me. On the way , I passed by a baker’s oven, threw the letter in the fire , and told the man to tell his K ing that I had given my reply. I visited the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa daily and offered my sal a am [ greeting s of peace ]. I would look at his face to gauge whether he had replied to my sala a m in a low voice. I would then leave , but come back again to offer my salaam , in case the Holy Prophet sa had not hear d me the first time. I would look at his lips, hoping his lips would move [in reply] and answ er me in a soft voice. D espite the vastness of the earth, it had become narrow for us. ” “ T he morning when the commandment for our forgiveness was revealed, many people rushed to break the news. One clever person scaled a roof top and shouted, ‘ O m y Malik! Go d has forgiven your offence. ’ ( I am narrating this incident to you to illustrate that wealth can become an obstacle. Note how the poor left [with the Holy Prophet sa ] , but wealth became a barr ier for the rich). I gave a suit [ of clothing ] to the first man who delivered me the news, saying that this is all I have. Since my wealth came in the way of my faith, I have decided to give the rest of my wealth, garden , and land to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Thus, this suit of clothing comprises of the entirety of my wealth , which I now give to you. ” Learn a lesson from this historical incident and pledge to adopt simplicity in eating and drinking. Make only one dish for the meal. Many of the wives of farming families cook several dishes of vegetables. Every Ahmadi woman and child should promise to keep their dress simple. Make fewer outfits comp ared to earlier and do not spend any money on accessories for your clothes. It is not forbidden to keep what you have already. Doctors should prescribe such remedies which are less costly. Do not go to see plays or other entertainment. Do not give any money or g ive only a small amount of money as gifts at weddings. In keeping up with custom and fashion, d o not spend a great deal of money on the decorations of your homes , except if you