Hijab — Page 184
184 In the context of Purda, I wish to put forth an excerpt from a speech by Hazrat Khalīfatul-Masīh IV rh. On the occasion of the first Jalsa of his Khīlafat in 1982, he spoke about Purda in his address to women in the Ladies section. Referring to the Purda of my mother, he said, ‘We have an older sister who has been inclined to strict adherence to Purda from the early days. Since she is from the first generation raised by Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ūd ra , she follows whatever she observed of Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ūd’s ra practice at home and the manner in which the girls were allowed to go out. All this has become her second nature and she cannot break the habit now. Some girls of our family have the view that these are people of olden times so do not say anything to them. They think they are out of their minds; it’s given that people who belong to earlier days would talk like this. But which earlier times? The only earlier times that I am aware of are that of Hazrat Muhammad sa. Therefore, if someone wants to say that someone is ‘of olden times’, then that is what they want to do; the matter is between them and God. However, this sister of mine, while solemnly abiding by Taqwa (righteousness), indeed practices strictness in this matter. ” (Friday Sermon, August 5, 2011 at Baitul Futuh Mosque, London, Al-Fazl International, August 16, 2011) • At the death of Hazrat Syeda Amtul Qayyum Begum Sahiba, daughter of Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ūd ra and wife of Hazrat Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad Sahib, Huzoor Anwar atba gave a detailed account of the deceased in his Friday Sermon. In this context, Huzoor Anwar atba mentioned her virtue of observing Purda and said: “She held the Jamā‘at and Khilafat in great esteem. She was steadfast in Purda to the extent that even if a young relative from whom veiling is not required happened to visit her, she would observe Purda until she recognized him properly. ” (Friday Sermon, June 26, 2009 at Baitul Futuh Mosque, London, Al-Fazl International, July 17, 2009)