Muslim women

Eve ("Hawwa")

By Sister Aishah Ho from Hawwa magazine

Hawwa was the first woman and the first Muslimah to be created by Allah (s.w.t).
Hawwa represents, on the one hand, womanhood and, on the other, the source of human population. In fact, her name means "the source of life". Hawwa also has another meaning which is used to denote a reddy colour that is closer to the darker tone. There is an opinion that this could allude to her skin colour.
The name Hawwa itself is not mentioned in the Qur'an but is mentioned in hadeeth literature. For it is there that we get such information as the meaning of her name, how she was created and how many children she had.
For instance, Hawwa, according to the Qur'an, was created from Adam (see Surah an-Nisaa:1 and Surah az-Zumar:6). From Bukhari, this was further elucidated and we find that Hawwa was created from the upper rib of Adam.
Narrated Abu Huraira (r) Allah's Apostle (s) said: "Treat women nicely, for a woman is created from a rib, and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper portion, so, if you should try to straighten it, it will break; but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked. So treat women nicely." (Bukhari) This hadeeth does not literally mean that women are crooked or evil by nature. What it means is that women are delicate and should be treated gently and with care. Furthermore, it has been explained that the breakage of the rib in case one tries to straighten it, stands for divorce which is the natural results of disagreement between the wife and her husband. In the Qur'an, the story of Adam and Hawwa can be found in three places, namely Surah al-Baqara:30-39, Surah al-A'araf:11-25, and Surah Ta-Ha:116-123. As the story goes, Allah created Adam from clay and taught him the names of things, that is knowledge. Then Allah said in the Qur'an (surah Ta-Ha:116-123):
When We said to the angels, "prostrate yourselves to Adam", they prostrated themselves, but Iblis: he refused. Then We said "O Adam! Verily this is an enemy to you and your wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that you art landed in misery. There is therein (enough provision) for you not to go hungry nor go naked. Nor to suffer from thirst, nor from the sun's heat.
But Satan whispered evil to him. He said "O Adam! Shall I lead you to the tree of eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?" In the result, they both ate of the tree, and so their nakedness appeared to them: they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden: Thus did Adam disobey his Lord and fell into error.
But his Lord chose him (for His Grace): He turned to him and gave him guidance. He said "Get you down both of you, all together, from the Garden, with enmity one to another: but if as is sure, there comes to you guidance from Me, whosoever follows My guidance will not lose his way nor fall into misery.
In all cultures and its religious beliefs, traces of the story of Adam and Hawwa can be found, though it has been greatly distorted. However, it is important to note that the Quranic story of Adam and Hawwa differs from the Old Testament in that :
(i) Both Adam and Hawwa were equally guilty of disobeying Allah by eating from "that" tree. "That" tree does not mean an apple tree. Only Allah knows what fruit "that" tree bears.
(ii) Allah forgave Adam's and Hawwa's sins before their descent to earth.
(iii) It was part of Allah's will that Adam and Hawwa were to reside on earth. For, Allah in surah al-Baqara, ayah 30, He said that He is creating Adam as a vicegerent on earth. Furthermore, from the hadeeth we have: Abu Hurairah reported: The Apostle of Allah (s) said: 'When Adam and Moses held a discussion, Adam won. Moses said: "You are the same Adam who set people astray and had them ousted from Heaven". Adam asked: "Art you the same Moses whom Allah gave knowledge of all things and honoured you with Apostleship?" He replied: "Yes!" Adam said: "And yet you accused me of that which has written in my fate!" (Al-Muwatta')
When Adam and Hawwa landed on earth they were separated. According to traditions Hawwa landed in Jeddah while Adam landed somewhere in India (some say in Sri Lanka). Then on the ninth of Zhuh Hijjah, they met at 'Arafat. Thus, began their life together on earth till they were called back to Allah.
Hawwa gave birth twenty times and each time she had twins with the exception of her last birth, where she gave birth to only a son. In other words, she had thirty-nine children in total. The gap between each birth was two years.



Origin:
 http://homepages.tig.com.au/~umm_pub/Food.html#FrstWmn

2.Sarah: Abraham's First Wife

Sarah was the only woman of Ibrahim's people to believe in Allah. She afterwards became his wife. She stood by her husband all the time when calling his people to Allah. When Ibrahim realized that no other than his wife and his nephew, Lut, was going to believe in his call, he decided to immigrate to a city caller Ur and another called Haran and then departed for Palestine with them. After Palestine, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) arrived in Egypt.
Abu Hurairah narrated that Ibrahim did not tell a lie except on three occasions: twice for the sake of Allah (Exalted and Almighty) when he said: "I am sick," when his people were holding a festival in honor of their gods, Ibrahim excused himself by saying he was sick, (Ch 37:89 Quran) and when he said: "(I have not done this but) the big idol has done it." The third was while Ibrahim and Sarah were on a journey. They passed through the territory of a tyrant. Someone said to the tyrant: "This man Ibrahim is accompanied by a very charming lady." So, he sent for Ibrahim and asked him about Sarah saying "Who is this lady?" Ibrahim said: "She is my sister." Ibrahim went to Sarah and said "O Sarah! There are no believers on the surface of the earth except you and me. This man asked me about you and I have told him that you are my sister. Do not contradict my statement." The tyrant then called Sarah, and when she went to him, he tried to take a hold of her with his hand, with evil intentions, but his hand got stiff and he was confounded. He asked Sarah: "Pray to Allah for me and I shall not harm you." So Sarah asked Allah to cure him and he was cured. He tried to take hold of her for the second time, but his hand got as stiff as or stiffer than before and he was more comfounded. He again requested Sarah: "Pray to Allah for me, and I will not harm you." Sarah asked Allah to again, and he became all right. He then called one of his guards who had brought her and said: "You have not brought me a human being but have brought me a devil." The tyrant then gave Hajar as a maid servant to Sarah. Ibrahim, gesturing with his hand, asked: "What has happened?" Sarah replied: "Allah has spoiled the evil plot of the infidel or immoral person and gave me Hajar for service."
Sarah had not born any children. Ibrahim had aged and his hair was gray after many years spent in calling people to Allah. Sarah thought she and Ibrahim were lonely because she could not have a child. Therefore, she offered her husband her servant Hajar in marriage. Hajar gave birth to her first son Ishmael (Isma'il) when Ibrahim was an old man.
Time passed. One day Ibrahim was sitting outside his tent, three angels descended to the earth. They came in human shapes and saluted Ibrahim. Ibrahim arose and welcomed them. He took them inside his tent thinking they were strangers and guests. He invited his guests to eat and placed before them a sumptuous meal of roasted calf. They were angels and did not eat. The angels gave Sarah glad tidings of the birth of a son, Isaac (Ishaq). She could hardly believe the news. As a "barren old woman" the news seemed to her too good to be true. Allah Almighty says:
There came Our messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, "Peace!" He answered, "Peace!" and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw their hands went not towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: "Fear not: We have been sent against the people of Lut." And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed (either, because the Messengers did not eat their food or for being glad for the destruction of the people of Lut). But we gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said: "Alas for me! shall I bear a child, seeing I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!" They said: "Dost thou wonder at Allah's decree? The grace of Allah and His blessings on you, O ye people of the house! for He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of all glory!" (Hud 11: 69-73)
And thus were Sarah and Ibrahim blessed with the miraculous birth of a son in their old age.
Adapted from: Stories of the Prophets by Al-Imam Ibn Kathir

3.Hajar, Mother of Isma'il

from Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi

One of the most prominent distinguishing features of the Muslim woman is her deep faith in Allah (SWT), and her sincere conviction that whatever happens in this universe, and whatever fate befalls human beings, only happens through the will and decree of Allah (SWT); whatever befalls a person could not have been avoided, and whatever does not happen to a person could not have been made to happen. A person has no choice in this life but to strive towards the right path and to do good deeds - acts of worship and other acts - by whatever means one can, putting all his trust in Allah (SWT), submitting to His will, and believing that he is always in need of Allah's (SWT) help and support.
The story of Hajar offers the Muslim woman the most marvellous example of deep faith in Allah (SWT) and sincere trust in Him. Ibrahim 'May peace be upon him' (PBUH) left her at the Ka'bah in Makkah, above the well of Zamzam, at a time when there were no people and no water in the place. Hajar had no-one with her except her infant son Isma'il. She asked Ibrahim, calmly and with no trace of panic: "Has Allah (SWT) commanded you to do this, O Ibrahim?" Ibrahim (PBUH) said, "Yes." Her response reflected her acceptance and optimism: "Then He is not going to abandon us." (Reported by Bukhari in Kitab al-Anbiya)
Here was an extremely difficult situation: a man left his wife and infant son in a barren land, where there were no plants, no water, and no people, and went back to the distant land of Palestine. He left nothing with her but a sack of dates and a skin filled with water. Were it not for the deep faith and trust in Allah (SWT) that filled Hajar's heart, she would not have been able to cope with such a difficult situation; she would have collapsed straight away, and would not have become the woman whose name is forever remembered night and day by those who perform hajj and 'umrah at the house of Allah (SWT), every time they drink the pure water of Zamzam, and run between the mounts of Safa' and Marwah, as Hajar did on that most trying day...
"The first lady to use a girdle was the mother of Ishmael. She used a girdle so that she might hide her tracks from Sarah. Abraham brought her and her son Ishmael while she was suckling him, to a place near the Ka'ba under a tree on the spot of Zam-zam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Mecca, nor was there any water So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ishmael's mother followed him saying, "O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her Then she asked him, "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then He will not neglect us," and returned while Abraham proceeded onwards, and on reaching the Thaniya where they could not see him, he faced the Ka'ba, and raising both hands, invoked Allah saying the following prayers:
'O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House (Kaba at Mecca) in order, O our Lord, that they may offer prayer perfectly. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.' (14.37) Ishmael's mother went on suckling Ishmael and drinking from the water (she had).
When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him (i.e. Ishmael) tossing in agony; She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached the Marwa mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between Safa and Marwa) seven times."
The Prophet said, "This is the source of the tradition of the walking of people between them (i.e. Safa and Marwa). When she reached the Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, 'O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?" And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zam-zam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place. She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it."
The Prophet added, "May Allah bestow Mercy on Ishmael's mother! Had she let the Zam-zam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zam-zam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth." The Prophet further added, "Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her, 'Don't be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.' The House (i.e. Kaba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada'. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, 'This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.' They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water)." The Prophet added, "Ishmael's mother was sitting near the water. They asked her, 'Do you allow us to stay with you?" She replied, 'Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.' They agreed to that." The Prophet further said, "Ishmael's mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child (i.e. Ishmael) grew up and learnt Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them.
After Ishmael's mother had died, Abraham came after Ishmael's marriage in order to see his family that he had left before, but he did not find Ishmael there. When he asked Ishmael's wife about him, she replied, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Then he asked her about their way of living and their condition, and she replied, 'We are living in misery; we are living in hardship and destitution,' complaining to him. He said, 'When your husband returns, convey my salutation to him and tell him to change the threshold of the gate (of his house).' When Ishmael came, he seemed to have felt something unusual, so he asked his wife, 'Has anyone visited you?' She replied, 'Yes, an old man of so-and-so description came and asked me about you and I informed him, and he asked about our state of living, and I told him that we were living in a hardship and poverty.' On that Ishmael said, 'Did he advise you anything?' She replied, 'Yes, he told me to convey his salutation to you and to tell you to change the threshold of your gate.' Ishmael said, 'It was my father, and he has ordered me to divorce you. Go back to your family.' So, Ishmael divorced her and married another woman from amongst them (i.e. Jurhum).
Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished and called on them again but did not find Ishmael. So he came to Ishmael's wife and asked her about Ishmael. She said, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Abraham asked her, 'How are you getting on?' asking her about their sustenance and living. She replied, 'We are prosperous and well-off (i.e. we have everything in abundance).' Then she thanked Allah' Abraham said, 'What kind of food do you eat?' She said. 'Meat.' He said, 'What do you drink?' She said, 'Water." He said, "O Allah! Bless their meat and water." The Prophet added, "At that time they did not have grain, and if they had grain, he would have also invoked Allah to bless it." The Prophet added, "If somebody has only these two things as his sustenance, his health and disposition will be badly affected, unless he lives in Mecca." The Prophet added," Then Abraham said Ishmael's wife, "When your husband comes, give my regards to him and tell him that he should keep firm the threshold of his gate.' When Ishmael came back, he asked his wife, 'Did anyone call on you?' She replied, 'Yes, a good-looking old man came to me,' so she praised him and added. 'He asked about you, and I informed him, and he asked about our livelihood and I told him that we were in a good condition.' Ishmael asked her, 'Did he give you any piece of advice?' She said, 'Yes, he told me to give his regards to you and ordered that you should keep firm the threshold of your gate.' On that Ishmael said, 'It was my father, and you are the threshold (of the gate). He has ordered me to keep you with me.'
Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished, and called on them afterwards. He saw Ishmael under a tree near Zamzam, sharpening his arrows. When he saw Abraham, he rose up to welcome him (and they greeted each other as a father does with his son or a son does with his father). Abraham said, 'O Ishmael! Allah has given me an order.' Ishmael said, 'Do what your Lord has ordered you to do.' Abraham asked, 'Will you help me?' Ishmael said, 'I will help you.' Abraham said, Allah has ordered me to build a house here,' pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it." The Prophet added, "Then they raised the foundations of the House (i.e. the Ka'ba). Ishmael brought the stones and Abraham was building, and when the walls became high, Ishmael brought this stone and put it for Abraham who stood over it and carried on building, while Ishmael was handing him the stones, and both of them were saying, 'O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.' The Prophet added, "Then both of them went on building and going round the Ka'ba saying: O our Lord ! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." [Narrated Ibn Abbas: Bukhari]
Origins: 

4.Maryam, Um Isa 
(Mary, the Mother of Jesus)

Maryam (Mary), the mother of Isa (Jesus), was a pious Muslim woman during the time of Prophet Zakariyya. She was Maryam daughter Imran from the family lineage of Dawud (David), the offspring of the Children of Israel. In the Quran there is a chapter named Maryam which talks about Maryam, her birth, her story, the birth of her son Prophet Isa (Jesus), and other things. Allah also mentioned the story of her mother's pregnancy with her in Surah Al Imran.
Maryam's mother, Hannah, conceived and delivered Maryam when she was an old woman, at an age when women usually can no longer have babies. With the birth of a son in mind, Hannah vowed that she would dedicate the child to the service of the Sacred House in Jerusalem, dedicate the child for worship, freed from all worldly affairs. Instead Almighty Allah blessed Hannah with a daughter. She named the girl "Maryam," which literally means "maidservant of Allah," and she asked Allah to protect Maryam and her offspring from evil. Maryam could not be devoted to temple service as her mother had intended, due to being a female, under the Mosaic Law at the time. However, as the new born was marked out for a special destiny to be the mother of the miracle-child, Prophet Isa, Allah had accepted her for His service.
The Holy Quran says:
(Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: "O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve Your Place of worship), so accept this, from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knowing."
Then when she delivered her [child Maryam (Mary)], she said: "O my Lord! I have delivered a female child," - and Allah knew better what she delivered, - "And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Shaitan (Satan), the outcast." (Surah Al-Imran:35-36)
Since Maryam's father had died, she lived under the care of Zakariyya, who was the husband of Maryam's sister and the father of John “the Baptist”. He was a great man among Children of Israel at the time, to whom they would refer their religious matters. She grew up as a righteous, pure, and pious Muslim woman worshipping Allah and endeavoring greatly in performing obedience to Him. Zakariyya saw astonishing miracles occur from her that amazed him.
So her Lord (Allah) accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zachariyya. Every time he entered Al-Mihrâb (a praying place or a private room) to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Maryam! From where have you got this?" She said, "This is from Allah." Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit." (Surah Al-Imran:37)
It has been mentioned that he would find her with winter fruit during the summer and summer fruit during the winter.
She became the best of the women in the world. It is mentioned in the Quran that the angels said Allah chose Maryam and preferred her to the other women of the world.
And (remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allah has chosen you, purified you, and chosen you above the women of the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns)."
O Maryam! "Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allah, by worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and Irkâ'i (bow down etc.) along with Ar-Râki'ûn (those who bow down etc.)." (Surah Al-Imran:42-43)
And as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Many men reached the level of perfection, but no woman reached such a level except Maryam, the daughter of Imran and Asia, the wife of Pharaoh." (Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 4.643, Narrated Abu Musa Al Ashari )
Maryam was unique in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle, without the intervention of the customary physical means. This of course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than her son was more than human. When Allah wanted to grant her His servant and messenger, Isa (peace be upon him), Maryam withdrew from her family and secluded herself from them. She retired to the eastern side of the Sacred Mosque in Jerusalem where she prayed. It was in this state that the angel appeared to her in the shape of a man. As she thought the angel was a man, she was frightened and asked him not to invade her privacy:
She withdrew in seclusion from her family to place facing east. (Surah Maryam:16)
Then, Allah sent His Ruh, the angel Jibril (Gabriel), to her.
And he appeared before he in the form of a man in all respects. (Surah Maryam:17)
When the angel (Jibril) appeared to her in the form of a man, while she was in a place secluded by herself with a partition between her and her people, she was afraid of him and thought he wanted to rape her. Therefore, she said,
Verily I seek refuge with the Most Gracious from you, if you do fear Allah. (Surah Maryam:18)
She meant, "If you fear Allah," as a means of reminding him of Allah. This is what is legislated in defense against (evil), so that it may be repulsed with ease. Therefore, the first thing she did was try to make him fear Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.
The angel said to her in response, and in order to remove the fear that she felt within herself, "I am not what you think, but I am a the messenger of your Lord." By this he meant, "Allah has sent me to you." [At-Tabari 18:164]. It is said that when she mentioned the Name of the Most Beneficent (Ar-Rahman), Jibril fell apart and returned to his true form as an angel. He responded,
'I am only a messenger from your Lord, to provide to you the gift of a righteous son.' (Surah Maryam:19)
She said: "How can I have a son..."
Maryam was amazed at this. How she could have a son when she did not have a husband nor did she commit wicked acts like fornication? For this reason she said,
...when no man has touched me, nor am I Baghiyya (unchaste)? (Surah Maryam:20)
He said: "Thus said your Lord: 'That is easy from Me (Allah)..." (Surah Maryam:21)
The angel responded to her "Verily, Allah has said that a boy will be born from you even though you do not have a husband and you have not committed any lewdness. Verily, he is the Most Able to do whatever He wills." Due to this, he (Jibril) conveyed Allah's Words,
And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind (Surah Maryam:21)
This means a proof and a sign for mankind of the power of their Maker and Creator, Who diversified them in their creation. He created their father, Adam, without a male or female. Then he created Hawwa (Eve, Adam's spouse) from a male (from the rib of Adam) without a female (mother). Then, He created the rest of their progeny from male and female, except Isa. He created Isa to be born from a female without a male. Thus, Allah completed the four types of creation of the human being, which proves the perfection of his power and the magnificence of His authority. There is no god worthy of worship except Him and there is no true Lord other than Him.
Concerning Allah's statement:
and a mercy from Us.. (Surah Maryam:21)
This means, "we will make this boy a mercy from Allah and a Prophet from the Prophets. He will call to the worship of Allah and monotheistic belief in Him. This is as Allah, the Exalted, said in another Ayah,
(Remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam! Verily, Allah gives you the good news of a Word from Him, his name will be Al-Masih (The Christ), Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam, held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allah. And he will speak to the people, in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous. (Surah Al-Imran:45-46)
Finally Jibril completes his dialogue with Maryam, informing her that this matter was preordained by Allah's power and will.
and it is a matter (already decreed (by Allah). (Surah Maryam:21)
This means that Allah determined to do this, so there is no avoiding it. [At Tabari 18:165]
So she conceived him and she retired with him to a remote place. (Surah Maryam:22)
Later, Maryam, being human, suffered the effects of childbirth as any expectant mother would during these times.
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-free): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man say `I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.' " (Surah Maryam:23-26)
When Mary showed the baby to her people, they said that this was truly an amazing thing that had happened. The newly born baby (Jesus) replied to the people:
He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; "And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; "(He) hath made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable; "So Peace is on me the day I was born the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"! (Surah Maryam:30-33)
And that is what is reported of the story of Maryam. Even though Maryam is the mother of Isa (Jesus) and occupies a highest position among women, neither Maryam nor Isa have any divine attributes in them. The Holy Quran makes this clear in the following verse:
They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Christ the son of Maryam." But said Christ: "O children of Israel! worship Allah my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him the garden and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help.
They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy) verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.
Why turn they not to Allah and seek His forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful. Christ the son of Maryam was no more than an Apostle; many were the Apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth makes His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!
Say: Will ye worship besides Allah something which hath no power either to harm or benefit you? But Allah He it is that heareth and knoweth all things." Say: "O people of the Book! exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper) trespassing beyond the truth nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by who misled many and strayed (themselves) from the even way. (Surah Al-Ma'idah:72-77)
Say: He is Allah the One and Only; Allah the Eternal Absolute; He begetteth not nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (Surah Al-Ikhlas)


References:

Muttaqun Online Islamic Network Center 
http://muttaqun.com/library.html

1 comment:

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)