Our life will be over one day. All the pleasures and hardships are fleeting. You cannot understand this well, as long as you are young. During one's youth, one feels that everything in the world will stay the same and that nothing will change. But when one reaches our age, one realizes how quickly the world changes. Everything changes in the blink of an eye. Our real life will start on the other side: "And this life of the world is nothing but sport and play, and, as for the next abode, that most surely is the life," [The Holy Quran, 29: 64].
Our real life will start in the hereafter. "That is of which Allah gives the good news to His servants," [The Holy Quran, 42: 23]. This verse was among the holy verses that were recited in today's meeting. What Allah has promised is in the hereafter. Women of our society should observe hijab (modest dressing), modesty and [Islamic] principles, both for the sake of the hereafter and for the sake of maintaining national dignity and progress. This is a duty.
Putting oneself on display is a fleeting act, but it has permanent and destructive consequences for the country, for society, for ethics and even for policy-making. There might be certain hardships involved in observing modesty and religious restrictions, but the hardships are fleeting, while the positive effects are profound and permanent. Ladies should take extra care to observe hijab and modesty. It is their duty. It is a source of honor for them. It gives them an identity.
Hijab gives women freedom and identity. In spite of the senseless and superficial propaganda campaigns launched by materialistic people, hijab does not shackle women. By ignoring hijab and failing to cover what Allah the Exalted has asked them to cover, women undermine their own dignity and value. Hijab brings about dignity. It makes women more valuable. It increases women's dignity and respect. Therefore, it is necessary to appreciate hijab and to be thankful to Islam for emphasizing hijab. Hijab is among the blessings of God.
