Responding to the reaction of the family on observing purdah

Question:
A friend of mine recently started observing 'purdah'. Her family's reaction to this change is rather upsetting and discouraging. So far, she has not been able to get her point accross to her family and neither have they been able to convince her to retrace her steps. Her family is probably suggesting that it is not right to become so sober, so early in life. We definitely cannot agree to this. How, in your opinion, should she react to this and handle the criticism?

Response:
There is nothing surprising about what is happening to your friend. The difficulty your friend is going through is a trial we all are given to go through when we start taking our faith seriously. My advice to your friend is that she should not adopt an unnecessarily rigid stance while handling these reactions. She should be extra polite with her parents and siblings, but she should not compromise on her principles. In other words, she should be polite but firm. Elders in such circumstances normally make an effort to check the firmness of the son's/daughter's commitment. If she gives in, their purpose is achieved; if she doesn't, they realise they have to live with it. She should not worry about what her parents' assessment is. She should do her duty, which is:

"And your Lord has ordained that you worship no one except Him, and be good to your parents."

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