The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 657
PT. 22 AL-AḤZĀB status to women. The Quran has repeatedly said that Muslim women stand on the same level with Muslim men, and that they can attain to all those spiritual heights to which men can attain. Besides, Islam confers on women all the political and social rights which men enjoy. Only their spheres of activities being different, their duties are different. It is this difference in duties of both the sexes that has been mistakenly, or perhaps deliberately, misunderstood by hostile critics of Islam as implying a lower status for women. The ten outstanding attributes of Muslim men and women mentioned in this verse have been appropriately described in an ascending order. CH. 33 from his love for the Supreme Being. The next stage in the spiritual journey is reached when a believer becomes which means that he identifies himself completely with truth, and faces trials and temptations with complete equanimity. His faith becomes pure and free from all dross of hypocrisy and love of worldly things. The fifth stage is that of ; when identification with truth becomes a permanent feature of a believer's character. The stage of is a still higher stage in spiritual progress. It indicates an attitude of humility which the believer develops after he has gained complete victory over trials and tribulations consequent upon the growing consciousness of his own weakness and that of the perfection and completeness of the Divine Being. The next stage is that of. At this stage the believer becomes conscious that he is not to live for himself alone but should share God-given blessings with other fellow beings. At the stage of which is the next high spiritual stage the believer learns to sacrifice his own legitimate needs and comforts for the benefit of others and The first stage of the spiritual development of a believer is that of which in this verse has been used in the sense of intellectual acceptance of truth. The next stage is that of old which implies the giving of peace and safety to others and testifying to the Divinely-revealed Teaching. At the stage of a Muslim accepts truth because reason and common sense demand of him this acceptance, while at the stage of the combines emotions and feelings with reason, and becomes intellectually and emotionally a true believer. The third stage of spiritual development is that of which signifies total obedience, which is the last stage and to God's commandments. At this which forms the climax of spiritual stage the spiritual wayfarer finds growth and development, the believer himself irresistibly attracted towards is so completely engrossed in God as his Creator, and his submission to to have become lost in His Divine commandments proceeds remembrance. 2571 he حافظين فروجهم at the ninth stages of scrupulously guards all the avenues through which sin can find access to his mind. At the tenth stage i. e.