Lobna Mulla – #3 The Power of Du’a Maryam bint Imran as Upheld Allah Women in the Quran
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Have you ever felt alone?
Felt like you couldn't manage a difficult situation
on your own?
Have you ever gone through a difficult situation
and thought, why me? What did I do
to deserve this?
Good people go through bad situations.
And although it's hard to think positively in
the midst of a painful trial,
holding onto the hope in Allah can give
you an unimaginable strength.
There is a young woman praising the Quran
whose story reminds us of how faith and
hope, taqwa and tawakkul can get us through
any trial.
Meet Maryam bint Imran Alayhi Salaam.
Maryam was the daughter of Imran and Hinnah
bint Faqood.
Mariam Alayhi Salaam story starts with a promise
her mother, Hinnah
made when she found out she was expecting
a child, an oath dedicating her unborn child
to the service of Allah. Since it wasn't
customary for women to worship in the temple,
her uncle Zakariyah,
Alayhi Salaam, who was a carpenter, built for
her a separate room in the temple, a
mihrab, so she could stay and worship Allah
Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la. Now there was a
phenomenon that happened to Maryam Alayhi Salaam, and
her explanation of it is profound.
Giving us insight into her deep understanding of
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta'ala.
Whenever Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam visited her in the
mihrab, he found her supplied with provisions. He
proclaimed,
oh Maryam, where did this come from? She
replied, it is from Allah. Surely Allah provides
for whoever He wills without limits.
Whenever Zakariya Alayhi Salaam would visit Maryam in
the meharab to check on her, it is
said that she would have fruits that were
out of season.
So in the winter, she would have summer
fruits, and in the summer she would have
winter fruits. Without refrigerators,
having foods out of season would be impossible.
Yet Maryam Alayhi Salaam understood it is from
Allah. And what's even more profound
is her statement, Allah provides for whoever He
wills
without limit. Let's think about that for a
moment. Do we sometimes hold back from asking
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la for a better
health, a spouse,
more money, a child to be successful and
so on. Why? Do we not feel that
we are worthy or worse yet maybe we
feel that I have sinned. So how can
I ask Allah for things I don't deserve?
Or maybe your dua doesn't seem feasible. Like
if you're struggling to make ends meet, you
might think, what's the point of asking for
money? Where will it come from?
If these thoughts are holding you back, remind
yourself of what young Maryam Alayhi Salaam so
casually and confidently told Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam. Allah
provides for whoever He wills
without limit.
It's out of Allah's mercy and generosity that
He doesn't necessarily hold back from us just
because we don't deserve it. And more importantly,
although it's hard for us
to understand limitlessness,
that is the reality of what Allah can
provide. So when you need help or want
something from Allah, your only job is to
ask with certainty that Allah will answer your
dua and leave the rest up to Him.
You don't need to figure out the how,
that is for Allah. Now look how powerful
and moving Maryam Alayhi Salaam statement was. It
inspired Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam at that moment,
hunalika daa zakariyahrabba.
At that very, you know, then and there,
Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam he asked asked Allah Subhana
Wa Ta'la for what he always wanted, a
child to carry on his mission.
Despite the fact that both Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam
and his wife were well past the age
of being able to have children,
he still made this dua.
Allah says in the Quran, then and there
Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam prayed to his Lord saying,
my Lord, surely my bones have become brittle
and gray hair has spread across my head,
but I have never been disappointed in my
prayer to you, my Lord.
Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam describes the physical signs of
aging, knowing that from a biological standpoint, this
request isn't possible, but that he has never
been disappointed in his duas to Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta A'la. So he still asked from
Allah what he wanted. He made the ask,
the what and left the how and when
up to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la. And
that was the result of that dua, the
glad tidings from the angels of a baby
boy, a righteous child, Yahya, who would grow
up to be an upstanding prophet.
That's tawakul, that's asking Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta
A'la who gives to whom He wills without
limit. And this is a wonderful reminder for
all of us to seek the company of
those who will remind us of Allah in
action
and in words.
Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned in Hadith
that Maryam was one of the women amongst
Asiya, Khadija and Fatima who perfected their faith.
Maryam Alayhi Salaam loved to worship Allah, make
dhikr, reflect and so on. So during those
days of the month, when she couldn't continue
her worship in the temple, she would leave
the mihrab and head towards the east and
continue her worship there. It is at one
of these moments that a handsome man approached
Maryam Alayhi Salaam. This beautiful man was Jibreel,
who Allah had sent in human form as
he usually did when he would send Jibreel
as a messenger.
Of course, Maryam didn't know this, but look
how she interacted with him before he even
opened his mouth.
She set her boundaries while being respectful and
at the same time, reminding this man to
fear Allah. She appealed, I truly seek refuge
in the most compassionate from you, if you
are God fearing.
Again, Bariyam's words provide for us another learning
moment. When it comes to setting boundaries for
herself, maintaining her modesty and reminding this man
to also respect his own modesty, Maryam doesn't
hesitate.
She's respectful while being firm in her reminder.
Sometimes youth and really people of all ages
find it difficult to speak up for what
they want or don't
want, especially when it comes to maintaining their
iman in public spaces, in social settings, and
even in family settings.
Thoughts of, I don't wanna seem weird, or
I don't wanna make somebody feel bad by
rejecting an offer to do anything outside of
what our faith permits, prevents us from doing
what we actually want to do.
Unfortunately, peer pressure, again, a phenomenon of all
age groups sometimes overrides this boundary setting and
we suffer negative consequences
because of this timidness to stand up. So
here, Maryam Alayhi Salaam's action reminds us to
be bold.
So returning back to her story, Jibreel Alayhi
Salaam then reveals that he brings glad tidings
of a child.
Just as Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam was shocked when
he received glad tidings of the coming of
Yahya, Maryam too was even more shocked since
she was never even with a man to
facilitate the biological
possibility of having a child.
Jibreel Alaihi Salam reminds her that it's easy
for Allah and the matter had already been
decided.
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la says, he replied,
so will it be, your Lord says it
is easy for me and so will we
make him a sign for humanity
and a mercy from us? It is a
matter already decreed.
Now Maryam is expecting a child and not
any child, but a prophet who will be
assigned to humanity and a mercy from Allah.
Let's take a moment to process this concept
of dua, especially at the intersection of 3
righteous people. The mother of Maryam,
Henna, Zakariyah, her brother-in-law and Maryam.
Henna asked for a child, hoping for it
to be a boy so that she could
dedicate him to the service of Allah. Although
she didn't get exactly what she wanted, Henna
ended up getting so much more. A daughter
chosen and purified by Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala
and a righteous grandson who played a pivotal
role, not only in his time, but also
when he returns to earth in the future.
Zakariyah Alayhi Salaam on the other hand, made
du'a for a son and got exactly what
he wanted, and even more than what he
could have expected in a righteous son like
Yahya. And then you have Maryam Alayhi Salaam
who didn't ask for a child and yet
she was bestowed with 1. SubhanAllah in Hannah's
case, you have her crying for the blessing
she received despite being tested heavily with her
husband's death. And on the flip side, you
have Maryam crying after receiving a blessing that
many women even today wish they could have.
Yet she experienced her most difficult trials
due to those blessings.
The moral of this part of the story
for us is summarized so succinctly by Prophet
Muhammad SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam when he said in
a hadith, amazing is the affairs of the
believer for all of his affairs are good.
And this is only the case for the
believer. If something good happens to him, he
is thankful and that is good for him.
And if something bad happens to him and
he is patient,
that is good for him as well. SubhanAllah,
we never know what blessings will come as
a result of our trials. And we never
know what trials will come as a result
of our blessings. But either way, shukar and
sabr are our answers,
gratitude
and patience.
Now going back to Mary M Alayhi Salaam's
story, we now see she's about to face
2 of the most difficult challenges in her
young life. Remember, she's probably only around 16
years old, and she has to navigate childbirth
alone,
and face her people who may stone her
and her baby due to their assumption that
she had committed adultery.
When you think of these monumental trials as
observers, we must wonder,
how is a young woman able to go
through these trials all by herself?
First and foremost, it is out of Allah
Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la's mercy. In addition, it
is due to her mother's dua.
Parents,
never belittle the power of your dua. When
you wish for them success, healing, guidance,
don't underestimate how far your duas can go
in being a sadaqa jariyah for your child.
Literally a gift that keeps on giving. Like
asking guidance for your child, and their guidance
is a source of guidance for others, and
those in turn inspire others to do good.
You literally have just invested in a halal
perpetual annuity.
And finally, her ability to overcome the trials
is due to the spiritual muscle she has
been flexing since she was a child.
Myriam had literally been in spiritual training her
whole life. She was ready for this moment,
whether she felt it at the exact moment
of receiving the news of a son or
not.
All of that worship, salah, dua, dhikr
prepared her soul to be able to shoulder
these weighty tasks of childbirth and facing her
people alone with a baby in her arms.
When we think of physically training to be
the best basketball player or a marathon runner,
what comes to mind?
Practice, practice, practice. Training, training, and more training.
The more you put your muscles to the
test, the better, faster, and stronger they will
help you perform. The same is with the
spiritual muscle of our heart. The more we
learn about Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la through
prayer, contemplation,
connecting to Him through Quran, through good deeds,
the more we will be ready for those
difficult moments that will come in our lifetime.
What's remarkable about when Maryam goes into labor
now, is that she is not at home
with the comfort of her mother or family.
There's no one to help her. And as
the pains of labor intensify, she cries out,
oh, that I would have died before this
moment and to be a forgotten thing. Allah
says in the Quran, then the pains of
labor drove her to the trunk of a
palm tree. She cried, alas, I wish I
had died before this and was a thing
long forgotten.
Now, this is not due to the pains
of labor or out of not accepting her
test, but rather from the worry of what
her people will think. Again, she's not worried
about what people will think about her personally,
but rather the effect their accusation will have
on their perception of the deen. Will they
mock religious people thinking, oh, look at what
the religious people do falling into sin?
She's worried not about what people think of
her, but more from a dawah perspective. Yet
Allah does not leave her alone. He sends
Jibreel to comfort her saying, don't be sad.
Allah says, so a voice reassured her from
below her, do not grieve, your Lord has
provided a stream at your feet. What a
beautiful reminder for Maryam Alayhi Salaam, and for
us when we are faced with difficulty.
Don't be sad when you're going through these
difficult tests. While that's normal to experience this
emotion during tribulations,
the idea is not to lose hope. So
in Maryam Alaihi Salam's difficult moment, Allah sent
a stream to cool her and nourish her.
For us, that stream can be a friend,
an unexpected gift, a motivation to pray where
you previously found it difficult, and so on.
Jibreel continues to instruct her by saying, and
shake the trunk of this palm tree towards
you. It will drop fresh ripe dates upon
you. A couple of points to reflect on
here. One, that even when we ask Allah
Subhana Wa Ta'la for help, we still have
to put an effort. We don't wait for
a package of comfort to fall from the
heavens. Here even though Maryam Alaihi Wasallam must
be tired after giving birth, she's told to
shake the palm tree, which if anyone has
tried the trunk of a palm tree is
so solid, you cannot shake it. But what
she's being asked to do here is to
make the effort. And again, Allah will provide
the rest. The dates will fall, although it
wouldn't be due to her actual physical effort
to make them fall, it would be by
Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la's will. Secondly, what's amazing
about the mention of dates here is that
dates are known to contain numerous nutrients and
phytochemicals.
So they are extremely nourishing, especially for a
woman who has just given birth. And some
of those nutrients are specifically designed to activate
lactation in a woman who has just given
birth, while at the same time containing minerals
like iron, which is especially beneficial in replenishing
levels lost during delivery. SubhanAllah look at the
mercy of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la how
he provided for his servant. He provided food
and water in a harsh environment to not
only help her in her postpartum recovery, but
to provide ease emotionally and psychologically.
Being able to hear and see the stream
is soothing, especially after going through such a
physically and emotionally demanding delivery.
And to provide Maryam with nourishment, which allows
Maryam to provide nourishment for baby Isa Alayhi
Salaam.
There's another interesting connection between the provisions that
Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la provides Mariyam, both in
the beginning of her story and in the
end. SubhanAllah with no effort at all, when
she's in the mihrab, she's provided with special
food just like that, as if to facilitate
that deep faith in Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta
A'la. And then later when she really needs
a support, again, the nourishment appears out of
nowhere, as in the case of the stream.
And with some effort, she's provided with dates
that would typically demand great physical effort. As
if it is a reminder to Maryam that
Allah has her back. He will take care
of her. So she need not worry when
she's about to face the biggest test. Going
back to her people with baby Isa Alaihi
Salaam in her arms, what will she do?
What will she say?
Actually,
absolutely nothing.
Allah Subhana Wa Ta A'la says, So eat
and drink and put your heart at ease.
But if you see any of the people
say, I have vowed silence to the most
compassionate. So I'm not talking to anyone today.
And actually that,
that vow of silence, she's supposed to just
signal the fact that she's not gonna talk.
She can't talk and say, I'm not supposed
to talk. The thought of not being able
to defend oneself can be terrifying. Yet Maryam
through her devotion and perfect faith knows deep
down that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la is
with her, just as he has always been.
And just as she suspected her people did
accuse her of all kinds of things.
Then she returned to her people carrying him,
they said in shock, oh Maryam, you have
certainly done a horrible thing. Oh, sister of
Harun, your father was not an indecent man,
nor was your mother unchaste.
So she pointed to the baby, they exclaimed,
how can we talk to someone who is
an infant in the cradle?
'Isa Alaihi Salam declared, I am truly a
servant of Allah. He has destined me to
be given the scripture and to be a
prophet.
How could Maryam know that her baby would
speak on her behalf? How could she have
ever expected such a thing? All she had
to do was to let go and trust
in Allah Subh'anahu Wa Ta A'la. Despite all
of these major challenges, each one of them
being extremely difficult to bear on their own,
Maryam never questioned Allah's will. And what was
her reward? Although in the moment she wished
she would be forgotten, Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala
memorialized her in the Quran
forever. Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala says, there's also
the example of Maryam, the daughter of Imran
who guarded her chastity. So we breathed into
her womb through our angel Jibreel. She testified
to the words of her Lord and his
scriptures and was one of the sincerely devout.
In Surah at Tahrim, Allah mentions that she
is one of the devout. He mentions her
as an example for all believers for all
time, not just for the believing women of
the time. Look at all of the ways
in which Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la has honored
Mariam Alayhi Salaam. First by naming a chapter
in the Quran after her and naming one
of the greatest prophets of all time, the
one who is still alive and will return
to this earth. He is attributed back to
his mother, none other than 'Isa Alayhi Salaam,
Isa Abu Num Maryam. He could have been
attributed
back to his grandfather,
Imran Alayhi Salaam. Yet Allah chose that he
would be attributed back to his beloved and
esteemed mother. And not only that, Allah Subhana
Wa Ta'ala doesn't tie her name back to
Isa Alayhi Salaam, which reminds us that her
greatness was not necessarily only due to her
being the mother of one of the greatest
men to have ever lived. She is great,
pure, chaste and chosen by Allah on her
own merit.
Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala says, and remember when
the angel said, Oh Maryam,
surely Allah has selected you, purified you and
chosen you over all the women of the
world.
This entire story of Maryam Alayhi Salaam is
such a powerful reminder for us to think
positively of Allah, to trust in him. He
has shown you so many signs that he
is with you, reflect on those signs, those
blessings, those many miracles that he has bestowed
upon you, to give you hope in those
difficult times to keep your tawakkul.
Maryam's story is also a strong reminder to
flex your spiritual muscle, feed it with good
deeds, nourish it with good company, beautify it
with worship and the remembrance of Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta A'la. And that too will help
you weather any storm that may come our
way.