Thousands of years ago… there was a wonderful righteous family known as the family of Imran…
In some traditions outside of the Quran Imran was known as Saint Joachim (or You-chim) and his wife known as Saint Anne…
Imran and his wife were such righteous and religiously educated couple.
One day, the wife of Imran became pregnant… and made a promise to God…
- رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا
o My Lord, I dedicate what is in my womb entirely for You
- فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي
o So please accept from me
- إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
o You hear what I my supplication, and you know my intention [3:35]
- فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنثَىٰ
o When she delivered, she said, “O my God! I have given birth to a girl,”
- وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ
o and Allah already knew what she delivered
- وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنثَىٰ
o And the male is not identical to the female…
there are things which the female can do but the man cannot do
and there are things which the male can do but the woman cannot do
- وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ
o I have named her Mariam
- وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
o and I beg you God to protect her and her progeny from the accursed doomed devil
- Allah says:
o فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ
So her Lord accepted her graciously
o وَأَنبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا
and blessed her with a pleasant upbringing, she was blessed with such beautiful character
God praised Mariam:
- وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا
o Even though Mariam was beautiful inside and outside, and without a doubt many men would love to be with her, she never got into any inappropriate relationships
Mariam’s status and closeness to God continued to grow and become stronger, so much so:
كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِندَهَا رِزْقًا
Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions.
قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَـٰذَا ۖ
• He asked: “O Mary! Where did this come from?”
قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّـهِ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ﴿٣٧﴾
• She replied, “It is from Allah. Surely Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit.”
One day, as Mariam left the sanctuary:
- An unknown man approaches her
o And right away she said:
إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَـٰنِ مِنكَ إِن كُنتَ تَقِيًّا ﴿١٨
• I seek the protection of God, The Most Merciful.
• If you have any respect of God, get away
• He responded, “I am only a messenger from your Lord, ˹sent˺ to bless you with a pure son.”
• She wondered, “How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me, nor am I unchaste (I am still a virgin)?”
• قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ
o He replied, “So will it be!
• قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ
o Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me.
What is the wisdom?
• وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِّنَّا ۚ ﴾
• And so will We make him
o 1) a sign for humanity
[to know that Allah is capable of all things]
o 2) وَرَحْمَةً مِّنَّا and a means of mercy from Us
He will be a blessing onto the world
As the due date was approaching…
- And all of a sudden the contractions started happening
Then the pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a palm tree.
o قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا
She said: “I wish I had died before this, and was Unknown and never remembered
• She was concerned that the trial, fitnah, would be too much that she may fail the test and lose her faith…
- And she delivers
o She delivers a baby boy… he was named Issa, Jesus
He called her from below her,
"Do not grieve; do not be sad… do not worry
Your Lord has provided beneath you some pure and clean water.
And shake the trunk of this palm tree towards you,
it will drop fresh, ripe dates upon you.
o So eat
o and drink,
o [relax] and put your heart at ease.
o And if you see any of the people, say,
o ‘I have vowed silence to the Most Compassionate, so I am not talking to anyone today.’”
o Then she brought him to her people, carrying him.
o They said ˹in shock˺, “O Mary! You have certainly done a horrible thing!
o O sister of Aaron! Your father was not an indecent man, nor was your mother unchaste and immodest.”
o So she pointed to the baby.
o They exclaimed, “How can we talk to someone who is an infant in the cradle?”
- AND THE BABY speaks, Issa the son of Mariam… saying
o قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ
[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah .
He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
And He has made me blessed wherever I am [and wherever I go]
and has commanded me to pray and pay in charity as long as I remain alive
And commanded me to be respectful and kind to my mother
and He has not made me a tyrant or arrogant towards anyone.
And peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I will be raised back to life!”
23 дек 2020
