Transcript Slide 1

Purdah – a means of progress
Saliha Malik,
National Secretary Tarbiyat
Agenda
 My meeting with Huzurat
 Summary of Huzur’s Address to Lajna
UK Jalsa
 Huzur’s letters to Sadr Lajna USA
 Other advice from Qur’an, Promised
Messiahas, Huzurat…
 Questions and concerns
Address to Lajna, UK Jalsa 2010
Keeping the boundaries
established by Allah
TAQWA
 When Taqwa (righteousness) disappears
from the world, Vices spread all over.
 At that time Allah sends His chosen servants
 Holy Prophet
saw said:
‘Oh Mankind’ – it is
only your righteousness and your good
deeds that can help you.
 It is essential to believe in this Prophet and
follow him completely
The Blessings of Allah
 There is no other way to attain the blessings of
Allah – no new book, no new law, no shariah, no
government….
 Those who claim to believe in this message,
should mold his /her life to that claim
 Holy Prophetsaw was the most beloved of Allah
 You can only come under His protection by
following His beloved
 Otherwise your claim would be
useless:
 There would be no value in it
 Insignificant
 No Value in it
TAQWA
Those who believe:
 Have fear of Allah in their heart so that
they avoid both big and small sins
 Take care that no thorns should pierce
their clothes as they walk by them
Sometimes those thorns that stick to you injure
others as well
The Imam of the Age
For those who believe in Promised Messiahas:
 It is essential to follow his instructions
 They must remain within the boundaries he
has established
 Increase in righteousness, reform character
& behavior
 Whatever I hear from him I have to make it a
part of my life
Your Children
Establish your children on the path of Taqwa:
 Their relationship with Allah should be firm
 Watch over their prayers
 Make sure they are not mixing with people
of bad character
 They should become the ambassadors of
Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam
Allah’s Boundary
Declaration of belief must be made with both
tongue and action:
 If on the one hand we say we believe and
then deviate from Allah’s boundary, we lose
His Blessings
 Submit fully to ALL the commandments and
act upon them
 Recognize the purpose of your Creation
The Wrong Path
Free education has put some on the wrong path:
DON’T
 Expose your bodies
 Become a stumbling block for other people
– by your words or your actions
You cannot say you believe and then follow
Satan – it’s impossible
Who are Allah’s Servants?
 Those who are truly obedient to Him
 Who stand before Him submissively
 Who take care of their prayers & their
children’s prayers
 Who sacrifice everything for His service
Honor and piety of ladies
There is ONE GOD who knows the
hidden things
 A pious lady would never do anything
against TAQWA – all her actions are
known to God.
How do they live?
 Protect the affairs of the household in the absence of
their husband
 Do not squander their husband’s money
 Look after the children
 Take friends who are loyal – who do not teach them
to be indecent or wasteful
 Shun evil thinking & do not disgrace others
 Their daughters are chaste – who never do anything
that has to be hidden from parents
They Protect their Sanctity
Understand the real spirit of Hijab - no extremes:
 Lower your eyes
 Cover your Zeenat – your adornments
 Partially cover the face – no makeup
 Cover the hair completely
 Wear a lose coat
Qur’an on Purdah
 “O Prophet! tell thy wives and thy
daughters and the women of the
believers that they should draw close
to them portions of their loose outer
coverings. That is nearer that they
may thus be distinguished and not
molested. And Allah is Most Forgiving,
Merciful.”33:60
Freedom of the West
 If this freedom has resulted in their
piety, we will accept we were wrong
TAQWA
 The requirements of TAQWA are that you
always take care of the boundaries
established by Allah and His Messenger – in
the presence and absence of others
 The responsibility of an Ahmadi lady is great
– she has to take care of the next
generation.
Obedience
 Ahmadiis are those who obey
everyword of our Khalifa
Jalsa USA 2010
Huzur’s Letter 1
 When attention is brought to young girls
regarding purdah, their mothers object
that there are a lot of office holders
who do not observe purdah.
 When office holders are told to observe
purdah, they say that purdah is a
PROCESS. It will correct gradually.
 But there is a lot of bad influence on
the new converts and the young girls
from this behavior.
The scarf is only for the Mosque
 Huzurat spoke very strongly against
hypocrisy, saying that there should not
be two faces to a person. There
should not be one face in one
situation and another face elsewhere.
It is very important to have only one
face.
Huzur’s letter 2
 Ahmadi girls should try to avoid talking to boys in
their universities.
 Also try to avoid having deep
associations/friendships with non-Ahmadi girls –
do not get pictures taken with them.
 Even if it’s an Ahmadi boy, try not to have too
much interaction with him since it’s possible that
someone will try to pretend as an Ahmadi and
contact/approach them.
A means of progress
 Your purdah is your protection
 Keeping to the boundaries Allah has
set, you are comforted by His
Guardianship
 These things are not a penalty, they
are a means of progress
So keep on reminding; surely
reminding is profitable.
He who fears Allah will heed
87:10 & 11
People make Excuses
 Purdah is a PROCESS
 Purdah is my own choice
 When my heart is ready I will observe it
 My husband doesn’t want me to wear it
 My mother in law says in America we don’t have
to worry about purdah
 To tell you the truth I don’t observe purdah
 I didn’t know Aamla members should observe
purdah
Qur’an on excuses
 Those who believe in Allah and the Last
Day will not ask leave of thee to be
exempted from striving with their wealth
and their persons. And Allah knows well
who keep their duty to Him
 Only those will ask leave of thee to be
exempted who do not believe in Allah
and the Last Day, and whose hearts are
full of doubt…
9:44 & 45
Don’t Delay….
 Constantly keep this slogan in your
awareness: “If not now then never” (anon)
 And say not of anything, ‘I am going to
do it tomorrow,’ (12:13)
Remain Steadfast
 Determination brings the strength to
continue, the steadiness to succeed, and
the wisdom to slip past difficulties
undisturbed. (anon)
 “Verily those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah’ and
then are steadfast – no fear shall come on
them, nor shall they grieve” 46:14
Strive with all your capacities
 ‘And as for those who strive in Our path — We will
surely guide them in Our ways. 29:70
 However, if selfish thoughts and excuses get in the
way and slight effort is assumed as ‘striving’, man
cannot attain God.
 The entire matter rests on striving, without which
nothing can be attained. (Promised Messiahas)
 Unless one annihilates oneself in God’s way, there is
no reciprocation. (Promised Messiahas)
From Khutba 9/3/10
Prayers become profound
 Blessed are the prisoners who never tire of
supplication for they shall one day be freed
 The standing of the spirit (in prayer) signifies that
it shows readiness to suffer every hardship and to
obey every command for the sake of Allah
 Its prostration is that it falls on the threshold of
God and forsaking all personal thoughts, loses
the very identity of existence
Lecture Sialkot, Promised Messiahas
When we don’t observe Purdah
 Tarbiyat of self:
 Personal journey is arrested
 Tarbiyat of Community:
 Others follow your example
 Loss of respect for office holders / Nizame Jamaat
 Increase in backbiting, domestic problems
 We Assimilate into Society:
 Rishta Nata problems / divorce increase
 We can’t do the real work - Tabligh
What do we gain?
 Jihad of the self:
 We confront our ego desires, vanity, self
image
 Relationship with God:
 We strive in our plan to be obedient, truthful
 We seek help in prayer, increase in humility
 Serve the Community:
 Encourage others by our example
 Spread the true Islam
Purdah – a means of progress
Questions and Concerns