Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 178
178 real root of religion is love [ of God ] and the love for the Holy Prophet sa. If this is established , then the rest of the weaknesses will gradually disappear. At the very least, th ese people ’s virtue as a minimum is that if they themselves do not observe purdah , they should at least acknowledge that it is an Islam ic commandment and they do not practice it due to their own weakness. By doing so, they would create respect and regard for purdah if not within themselves, at least within their children. Rights of W omen After this , Ha z rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra drew the attention of the Jama'at members towards fulfilling the rights of women and said: “It is very sad that despite my admonitions and sermons over a long period of time , our Jama'at has not fully acted upon f ulfilling the rights of women. I have received numerous such complaints that if the husband marr ies a second wife , they ignore the rights of their first wi fe and don’t provide for their means of subsistence or give their daily expenses. In this way , not only do the women suffer , but their children also go astray. T his bad behavior is found even in sincere and dedicated families. In this regard , men bear a very heavy responsibili ty. They should remember that a wom an is an oppressed individual. [You] can attain God’s pleasure when you trea t her with love and affection. Which is why the Holy Prophet sa stated : َﺧ ُْ j a ْﻢ َﺧ ُْ j a ْﻢ َِﻻ Mْ ِﻠ ِﻪ Which means, ‘ The best among you is he who is best in treating his family members. ’ Men do not demonstrate good behavior especially at the time of divorce or khula [ divorce initiated by the w ife ]. At the time of divorce , they make countless excuses for not paying m e hr [ money a husband gives to his wife upon marriage ]. Similarly, despite the fact that a woman surrenders all her rights when she demands khula , even then men criticize it. Although, if a woman is not willing to live with her husband, he should have no objection to this. Anyhow, men should improve their attitudes. O therwise, both the men and the women will be deprived of the delights which Islam wishes to cultivate within them. ” ( Al - F azl , 1 January 1955 )