Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 195
195 the woman from Bhera , who had been made their leader. [That] woman is still alive but is very old and weak now. She used to teach women how to fight and command them in combat. Thus, there is nothing a woman cannot do. She can do tabligh , and she can teac h. S he can take part in wars as well, and where life and property are concerned, she can sacrifice those as well. S he can also lead men to do certain jobs. At times , men show weakness and at that time , the character and honor a woman shows cannot be found anywhere else. A few days ago, a boy visited me. He was from Jalandhar [a city in India]. His maternal grandfather was a p i r [ so - called s piritual leader ] and was a staunch opponent of Ahmadiyyat. [The boy] visited me and said, ‘I am the grandson of so and so. ’ I said, ‘I know your grandfather and I remember your mother used to visit me in Qadian. ’ He said, ‘That i s correct. Now my mother has passed away and she is buried in Bahishti Maqbara 3 in Qadian. ’ I asked him, ‘What brings you here now?’ He said, ‘I was only a child when my mother began regularly saying to me , ‘Son, I would like you to dedicate your life in the service of religion. ’ Hence, [when] an American delegation came to Pakistan , I learned the procedure for Tuberculosis vaccination from them and now I am employed at a good government position. B ut th e thought always stays with me that it was my mother’s wish that I dedicate my life for the service of religion. I mentioned this to my father as well and he said, ‘I do not w ish to stand in the way of your mother’s wis h. Y ou may gladly dedicate your life for the sake of religion. ’ [The boy said], ‘Now I have come here so that H u z oo r may accept my offer to dedicate my life to serve faith and appoint me for some religious service. ’ Now notice that the woman is buried in Bahishti Maqbara in Qadian. This means that she must have died in 1946 or earlier. Now ten or twelve years have passed since her death, but the instruction which she instilled in her son in his childhood, has still not left his heart or mind. He was very little when she began to tell him that she w ished to dedicate his life towards serving religion. Later, he grew up, became a graduate, learned the treatment for Tuberculosis from American doctors , and was appointed at a good government post. B ut the knowledge of his 3 T he literal meaning is ‘ Heavenly Graveyard. ’ Bahishti Maqbara is reserved for those Ahmadis who have pledged to live a life of purity and financial sacrifice. [Editor]