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1 In his first address to women at the Jalsa Salana of 1982, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV rh made an impassioned plea to Ahmadi women. At its heart was this sentiment:

SLIDE 2 “Allah put in me a great passion for this new scheme that Ahmadi women should declare a Jihad against this immodesty. If you leave this battleground, then which other women in this world will come forth to defend Islamic values? ”

Last year, 30 years later, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V atba brought this jihad to the attention of Lajna again. My first reaction when I heard this was – why? Why is he drawing our attention to this particular address when he himself has addressed the topic of modesty and purdah so many times?

Does it indicate that we Ahmadi women have not reached the level of modesty that is required of us; are we still drifting away from the battleground and losing this jihad? Where do we stand in this never-ending struggle and what do we need to do to about it?

2 Before discussing this jihad against immodesty, let’s define the terms ‘modesty’ and ‘immodesty’.

SLIDE 3: Modesty, as perceived by Islam, is synonymous with hayaa, an Arabic word that may be translated as shyness, bashfulness, shame, honor and humility. Hayaa itself is derived from the word hayat, meaning life. The modesty of a person is based on the life of the heart; when the heart is alive, alert and pure, it means it has modesty. Hayaa is an essential characteristic of a Muslim; it must be present in order to attain faith since modesty and faith are inseparable companions.

3 SLIDE 4: Abdullah ibn Umar ra narrated that the Holy Prophet saw said:

“Indeed Haya’a and Iman (faith) are companions. When one of them is lifted, the other leaves as well.”

4 SLIDE 5:

Modesty is both inherent and acquired. A certain type of natural modesty in human beings manifests itself in the urge to cover one’s private parts; this is seen even in the most primitive of people. But modesty is a very fragile commodity, easily eroded and therefore must be safeguarded.

In practical terms, modesty can be defined as a sense of shame or shyness; as a shrinking of the soul from lewd or coarse conduct; as a quality that prevents one from behaving badly towards others or encouraging others to behave badly towards you.

Therefore modesty is more than just a question of how a person dresses, and comprises of more than just modesty in front of people; rather it is reflected in a Muslim’s speech, dress, and conduct: in public in regards to people, and in private in regards to God.

Immodesty is, of course, the opposite; it is a lack of modesty, whether in dress, talk or actions. It displays itself in disregard and disobedience to the commands of Allah.

The Holy Prophet saw said, ‘Modesty is part of faith’. Thus a person whose faith is strong feels shy in front of Allah and His creation, since Allah knows and sees everything. He feels shy to disobey his Lord and feels shame if he sins or acts inappropriately, whether in private or public. This type of modesty is acquired and is directly related to one’s faith, where one’s awareness of Allah increases one’s 5 “shyness” in front of Him and increases one’s reluctance to disobey Him. SLIDE 6: Islam teaches that there is a deep relationship between outer modesty and inner modesty and that is why the Holy Qur'an commands restraint of the eyes as well as purdah for women so that modesty and purity of the heart is safeguarded.

It was to safeguard this type of modesty, where the outer modesty reflects inner modesty and which was under attack through laxity to the command of purdah that led Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV rh to make an impassioned plea to Ahmadi women to wage a jihad against immodesty.

6 SLIDE 7: He began the address with recitation of the following verses:

Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts. This is purer for them. Surely, Allah is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts, and that they disclose not their natural and artificial beauty except that which is apparent thereof, and that they draw their head‐coverings over their bosoms, and that they disclose not their beauty save to their husbands, or to their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands or their sons or the sons of their husbands or their brothers, or the sons of their brothers, or the sons of their sisters, or their women, or what their right hands possess, or such of male attendants as have no sexual appetite, or young children who have no knowledge of the hidden parts of women. And they strike not their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may become known. And turn ye to Allah all together, O believers, that you may succeed. (Holy Qur’an C24v31‐32)

7 SLIDE 8: Hudhur rh said: “I have recited these verses because I have felt for some time that immodesty is one of the greatest evils to attack Islam.” And then he says; It was expected that the Muslim Ahmadi woman would be a model of jihad (striving in the cause of Allah) in this battleground; she will stop others from running away and lead them to victory. But with great sorrow and deep regret, I have to say that Ahmadi women have also succumbed to this weakness. This epidemic of immodesty started from major cities and is reaching small towns and it appears as if we are losing this jihad.

By succumbing to this weakness, Hudhur meant that Ahmadi women, instead of following the teachings of the Holy Qur'an to the letter, were allowing the society around them to influence them. He was disturbed to see that the purdah observed in the early days of Ahmadiyyat, which was in line with the purdah prescribed in the Holy Qur'an, was being replaced by a much more careless form, i.e. a chador or shawl.

Hudhur rh then issued a challenge: “Allah put in me a great passion for this new scheme that Ahmadi women should declare a Jihad against this immodesty. If you leave this battleground, then which other women in this world will come forth to defend Islamic values? ” 8 SLIDE 9:

Then Hudhur rh commissioned an extensive review of the Qur'anic injunction of purdah and to examine under what circumstances and to what extent does this purdah of the chador remain purdah . This detailed review concluded that Islam expects different types of purdah based on different societies and different states of their progression, human needs and the overall situation and character of society. Islam is an international religion that keeps in view every practical situation related to purdah .

9 SLIDE 10:

This is a summary of the kinds of purdah reviewed: A) The chador used by women in Pakistani villages serves the purpose of modesty. These women go into the fields to deliver food to their husbands but are still modest and dignified as they wrap the chador from left to right and form a ghoonghat, which partially covers the face. This is within the fundamentals of the Islamic purdah.

B) A form of purdah, in which the face is covered on both sides; the chin and forehead are fully covered and no makeup was permitted by the Promised Messiah as for European women. He said: “this is the purdah which will not be a burden for the Europeans. In those societies women have made great progress and are deeply engaged in the economic affairs of their societies. Therefore they have to step out of their homes.”

Purdah in which the face is covered. The Promised Messiah as wrote that purdah of the face is included in the root of Islamic purdah. This purdah is mandatory for those women who are called “advanced” in society; they have every comfort and luxury and they spend much of their time in social activities. In Pakistan, this type of purdah is usually observed by wearing a burka.

Purdah practiced by women of the Ahle Bait sect who do not leave their homes unless it becomes necessary and do so with their faces fully covered. 10 SLIDE 11: After describing these types of purdah, Hudhur rh said that: These are three types of Islamic purdah that are applicable under different situations. Individuals cannot be allowed to break discipline and go out dressed as they please. This could lead to a gradual erosion of Islamic purdah. Jama’at Ahmadiyya is an organized community with the concept of unity. Unity cannot be established without discipline.

Hudhur observed that wearing a burka had not hindered women from gaining higher education or from partaking in sports, and he expressed his deep concern that if the form of purdah changes e.g. from burka to chador, it must not damage the spirit of Islamic purdah. If wearing a chador leads to immodesty, then he would have to take action.

Hudhur rh said this was why he had given strict orders that even his own family members would not be allowed to sit in a special stage area during Jalsa if there was any laxity in their observance of purdah. When his sister, Sahibzadi Nasira Begum Sahiba, mother of Hadhrat Khalifa V, who was in charge of this, cancelled some girl’s passes on account of this, Hudhur rh said she received many angry taunts and complaints, some girls going as far as telling him that this strictness would not work.

11 SLIDE 12: Then Hudhur rh stated that he knew full well, in spite of all the excuses made, that the use of the chador that was prevalent at the time of this address was immodest and was not Islamic purdah. Children are observing that their mothers have taken chador in place of burka and are wearing it in such a way that is wrapped tightly among their own people, but slips down and falls to their shoulders in front of others.

He said Islamic values are being rejected and these women do not care what will happen to their future generations. They do not know that they (the next generation) may resort to singing and dancing, and indulge in immodest ways of life, making it impossible to stop them.

I will tell you why and how strict discipline needs to be enforced. I can see this fact that the next generations are entering an extremely dangerous time. Immodesty is prevalent everywhere. Such conditions are prevalent in all directions that if you do not offer special protection to your purdah, then your future generations will face such perilous situations that you will watch them with remorse, but will not be able to bring them back.

Hudhur rh also talked about Pakistani women living abroad who gave up purdah under the influence of the society with the result that their daughters thought that commandment of purdah had been lifted. He mentioned that in America, some women were coming back to chador or even burka, but in some instances, where 12 Ahmadi girls had run off with non-Muslims, it was too late. SLIDE 13: Thus Hudhur rh said that he was compelled to be strict in this matter and pointed out that women in the time of the Holy Prophet saw and the Promised Messiah as made much greater sacrifices than this, and were loyal to their pledge of allegiance.

Hudhur rh emphasized some examples of obedience to Khilafat that were shown by these women, including the elderly widow who offered up her only son to fight for the country; simply because it was the call of the Khalifa.

He described these women thus: An Ahmadi woman had character and she was loyal to her pledge. She had taken Bai’at to Khilafat with full devotion of her heart. After this she did not question why certain orders were being given or why she was being treated unjustly. Ahmadiyyat has produced great mothers and their greatness amazes ordinary people.

13 SLIDE 14: Hudhur rh said: Thus, if due to the strict discipline, some of our daughters get upset and leave us, I will undoubtedly be saddened by their departures, but the honor of faith tells me that the religion of God does not need them. If one daughter of Promised Messiah as leaves, then God will grant us millions of such daughters who will be more faithful, more modest, ready to make sacrifices for religion, submissive guardians, and those who will uphold the pledge of allegiance until their last breath. The religion does not need such women who leave.

14 SLIDE 15: He made this appeal to Ahmadi women:

If you remain true and adherent to the pledge of allegiance then angels of Allah will shower his blessings and Mercy on you and will always show you the happiness of your progeny. Thus, you should recognize your obligation and understand whose descendants you are. You are guardians of a great religion and its values. If you give up on these values then who will guard these values?

Hudhur rh spoke at length of the bravery of Hadhrat Amara who fought in battles for the Holy Prophet saw , but remained steadfast in observance of her purdah.

15 SLIDE 16: In conclusion he said: What I am asking of you is nothing in comparison to the great sacrifices you will be asked to make for Islam and Ahmadiyyat. I can see that the speed of the caravan of Islam Ahmadiyyat is about to become faster and faster. You are about to bear the weight of great tasks of this world. If you panic at these small issues how will you be a part of this great service? Thus pray and ask for forgiveness. May Allah enable us to make every sacrifice for Islam and never forget that no matter what, we have to win this battle that we may be losing .

16 SLIDE 17: So this was a brief summary of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV’s rh address given in 1982. Now let me turn back to the questions that I asked in the beginning.

Have we reached the level of modesty that is required of us or are we still drifting away from the battleground and losing this jihad? Where do we stand in this never- ending struggle and what do we need to do to about it?

There is no question that modesty has become an endangered virtue in the society we live in.

If we just survey the changes in women’s clothing in western society over the last hundred years or so, we see that clothing today bears no resemblance to the clothing of the past; in the 19 th century, around the time of the Promised Messiah as , women were actually covered from head to toe. Hemlines began to rise in the early 20 th century, and thereafter the decline of modesty in clothing accelerated into today’s skimpy and revealing fashions.

17 SLIDE 18: Now let’s look at what has happened to our modesty and our purdah. At the time of the Promised Messiah as , Ahmadi women wore the traditional burqa and kept their faces covered; or in rural areas, the full chador was used which still met the standards of the Holy Qur'an.

18 SLIDE 19: But then the smaller chador came into fashion, which easily slipped off the head and was one of the reasons which prompted Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV rh to issue this call for a jihad on immodesty.

So where do we stand today?

19 SLIDE 20: A few Ahmadi women still wear the traditional burka in the USA, but most Ahmadi women have adopted ‘minimum’ purdah. The Promised Messiah as initially approved this type of purdah for European converts or women who work outside the home, but its use now is widespread among Lajna members of all backgrounds.

If it is worn something like this, with only the face uncovered and no makeup; the outer garment being long and loose, then it is acceptable as the minimum form of purdah. The figure on the left of the slide is wearing a chador, but her forehead is covered and her clothes are very loose. The figure on the right is at the edge of minimum purdah, her coat is a little short as it appears to be at her knees. Preferably it should be longer, coming below the knees.

20 SLIDE 21: But - if it is worn more like this, with a scarf perched on the back of the head with most of the hair exposed or the scarf hanging loosely, revealing the neck and ready to slip off at the slightest turn of the head – then let me ask you again – have we left the battleground and are we losing the battle?

If this is the way any of us observe purdah, or if this is the way any of our daughters wear their purdah, or God forbid, they do not observe purdah at all, then we have to admit that we are fooling ourselves if we think we are fulfilling the requisites of Islamic purdah.

21 SLIDE 22:

But, my dear sisters, we cannot allow this to happen because leaving this battleground means that we will not only lose our own values but will be putting our future generations in peril. Therefore we cannot abandon this jihad against immodesty and we have to realize that this jihad, which we have been asked to fight, is as important as the jihad in which Hadhrat Amara fought alongside the companions of the Holy Prophet saw .

Our jihad has to be not only against immodesty in dress and laxity in purdah, but all kinds of immodesty. Let me remind you of the importance of this again in Khalifa Rabay’s own words:

These words have an even greater significance than they had thirty years ago because the battleground where immodesty has to be fought has broadened and deepened. In the past few decades, standards of decency and modesty have dropped so low as to be almost non-existent. I can remember that when I was growing up, there were so many topics our mothers did not discuss openly in front 22 of children or even among themselves, simply because of a sense of hayaa. There SLIDE 23: There is no doubt that the jihad against immodesty has to begin at home, with the training of children at a young age, for both boys and girls. Even if children do not comprehend it initially, it is crucial for parents to instill the essence of modesty in their children throughout their formative years, both inside and outside of the home. While it is true that a certain sense of modesty is inborn, nevertheless, without constant re-enforcement of its importance, this fragile quality of shyness and restraint can become tainted and degraded. Modesty training should be an integral part of the moral training of children, and parents must realize that it is as important for boys as it is for girls.

When children are learning that obedience to Allah and to His commandments and to their parents is as important as breathing, that’s the time to help them to understand why jihad against immodesty is necessary. Parents’ own example of modesty and restraint in their speech and conduct are vitally important and the children’s behavior will reflect their example.

As Hudhur said, immodesty is prevalent everywhere, then and now. Television, video games and computers have become a huge part of our lives and through these mediums we and our children are exposed to anything and everything. Continuous viewing of immodest, degrading and often violent material slowly erodes our sense of morality and shame, so we need to lower our gaze; even better, we should avoid viewing anything in which we know may contain obscenity or violence and turn off the television. Today’s parents must work much harder to 23 monitor the content of TV programs, video games and potentially harmful SLIDE 24: In fact, in his Friday sermon of January 15, 2010, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V atba warned that the standards of the modesty/decency of an Ahmadi are not what can be viewed on TV and the Internet. He said: This prevalent indecency has also turned around the standards of modesty in some apparently decent Ahmadi households. In the name of progress some matters are adopted which are intolerable for any decent person even if it is [between] husband and wife. Some matters are such that when they are done in front of others, not only are they unwarrantable, they become sin. If Ahmadi families do not clean themselves of such vulgarities, then they have not honored their pledge and have wasted their belief.

24 SLIDE 25: He also said: Each Ahmadi young person should particularly keep in mind not to be entrapped by the media and its prevalent indecency or they may lose their faith. It is due to these indecencies that some individuals exceed all limits and as a result have to be ex‐ communicated. A Hadith relates that indecency makes the perpetrator unsightly and modesty gives a modest and bashful person inner and outer beauty.

25 SLIDE 26: Immodesty can enter our lives through our tongues also, in what we say, how we say it, who we say it to. Our jihad against immodesty should not permit us to participate in gossip, slander and backbiting; in fact it should help us find the courage to help others to refrain from it too. Raising one’s voice in anger primarily shows lack of self-control and uncontrolled anger can lead to verbal or physical abuse. Both of these take off the veil of bashfulness we are naturally endowed with and expose the immodesty of our ego.

Pride and arrogance are also the result of immodesty of the heart and mind and should be avoided. We should be humble and not boast about our abilities and achievements.

An Ahmadi Muslim woman’s manner of speech should be neither too loud nor too soft (so as to be alluring). Idle, senseless, excessive conversation should be avoided since it has no benefit and distracts from more important responsibilities. We should also attempt to avoid contact and conversation with men who are not family members. When it becomes necessary, such as for Jama’at work, in the work environment, or for educational purposes, the conversation should be limited to pertinent matters, with the tone being straightforward and bland.

It should be noted here that Ahmadi Muslim men and women should not socialize freely; addressing each other as ‘Bhai’ and ‘Bhabi’ when there is no family relationship between them. The notion that non-related Ahmadi Muslim families can distort the boundaries of purdah in social settings is inappropriate, sends the 26 wrong message to the younger generation, and should be discouraged. SLIDE 27: Modesty can therefore be seen as the means by which morals and ethics in society are maintained and pursued. It is an attitude of humility that seeks to please God rather than man or self. It is characterized by restraint and self-control, and dignity in dress, speech, and actions. Thus, the key to modesty is knowing that God is aware of what you do and shying away from that which He forbids.

However, jihad against immodesty is not an easy task and it may not be completely won by any single generation of Ahmadi women. It is an ongoing, struggle which can be made easier if we remember and develop the qualities of an Ahmadi woman as described by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh. He said:

An Ahmadi woman had character and she was loyal to her pledge. She had taken Bai’at to Khilafat with full devotion of her heart. After this she did not question why certain orders were being given or why she was being treated unjustly.

27 SLIDE 28: Therefore the bottom line of why we must fight immodesty and be steadfast in observing purdah is because we have to obey the commands of Allah and our Khalifa.

So at this moment in time, all of us here have been asked by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V atba to participate in the jihad against immodesty; to demonstrate our loyalty and devotion to Khilafat; to be modest in our dress, our words and our actions and to obey Allah’s commands without question.

So now I have talked at length for the necessity to participate in a jihad against immodesty. But the fact remains that although we know what we should be doing and how we should be dressed as an Ahmadi woman, many of us find we still have difficulty in taking the first steps. The apparently simple act of wearing a head covering is not so simple for a teenage girl who feels unsure of herself and does not want to stand out in a crowd; how do we help the women who wore burkas in Rabwah but then succumbed to the so called “freedom” of the West and discarded all modesty; what do we do about those who say their purdah is in their hearts, they do not need to cover; or that their husbands don’t like it; or one of the saddest things that I have heard is girls who say that they cannot get rishtas because boys don’t want girls who observe purdah?

28 SLIDE 29: So how are we going to overcome all the difficulties and excuses that we make to ourselves and really set forth on this jihad? This is where I would like you all to participate with your input on this very important subject.

I am going to ask everyone to take the piece of paper that they have been given and in the next few minutes, write down

1. What do you think are the three greatest obstacles to observing purdah and dressing modestly? 2. The solutions for those problems. 3. What you will do to promote the jihad on immodesty?

29 SLIDE 30: Let me leave you with this reminder –

There is an inseparable link between your heart and your clothes. Your clothes speak volumes about your attitude. If your clothes do not express a heart that is humble and modest, that desires to please Allah, that longs to serve others, that exercises self-restraint, then it is the heart that must change before the clothes.

May Allah enable us all to bring about the change in ourselves that may please Him and may safeguard ourselves and our future generations from all indecency and immodesty. Ameen.

References: www.lajnausa.net/web/tarbiyat www.sharperiron.com www.islamreligion.com/articles/21/ Pictures: www.wikipedia.com, www.touriran.wordpress.com, www.zarinas.com, www.islamicoccasions.com 30