[Mention, O Muhammad], when the wife of
‘Imran said, “My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb,
consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.”
But when she delivered her, she said, “My
Lord, I have delivered a female.” And
Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, “And the male is not like the
female. And I have named her Mary, and I
seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled
[from the mercy of Allah].”
Her Lord graciously accepted her and made
her grow in goodness, and entrusted her to the charge of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah went to see her in her
sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions. He said, “Mary, how is it you have these provisions?” And she said, “They are from Allah: Allah provides limitlessly for whoever He
wills.” (Qur’an 3:35-37)
I’ve read the above verses several times,
every time captivated by its beauty, but never reflecting on the true meaning
of these words until I studied the life of the prophet Muhammad (SAW).
To understand Muhammad’s huge impact on
Arabian society, we must start with the era predating Islam in Arabia known as
Jahiliyyah – the era of ignorance.
Among the tribal customs during
Jahiliyyah was “female infanticide in which newborn baby girls were buried
alive in the sand” because Arabs “considered surplus females a burden.[1]
The Arabs did not live in a vacuum. “Mecca became a station for… northbound
caravans. It was conveniently located in
the center of the Hijaz.[2]
Built in Mecca by Abraham and his son
Ismael dedicated to worshipping Allah (SWT), the Ka’aba’s true purpose eventually
degraded to paganism. The Ka’aba
attracted pilgrims throughout the year, including Christians and Jews. Thus Jesus, the Messiah, son of Mary were
familiar to the Arabs, their story coexisting with pagan beliefs and rituals.
And if there was any doubt about Mary’s
importance in history, Muhammad (SAW) said, “Many a man achieved perfection,
but no woman achieved perfection except Mary the daughter of ‘Imran and Asiyah
the wife of Pharaoh.” (Tirmidhi)
Consider
the perspective of the pagan Arab listening to these verses for the first time,
sympathetic with Hannah bint Faqudh’s[3]
(Mary’s mother) disappointment, “My Lord, I have delivered a female.” Both desired male progeny.
However,
Allah (SWT) enlightens the pagan Arab through revelation. Man has no control over the fetus’
gender. Only Allah (SWT) has power over
all creation. “To Allah belongs the
dominion of the heavens and the earth.
He creates what He wills. He
bestows female children to whomever He wills and bestows male children to
whomever He wills.” (Qur’an 42:49)
Believing
the fetus was male, Hannah pledged the child to serve Allah (SWT). She thought a baby girl would not be able to
fulfill her pledge to Allah (SWT), but Hannah, a devoted believer, realized
Allah (SWT) knew best, accepted her daughter and asked Allah (SWT) to protect
Mary from Satan the rejected.
These
verses are a subtle admonition, every life matters. Without Mary, there’s no Messiah Jesus. The pagan Arab’s perspective changes,
realizing female infanticide is wrong.
Entrusted
by Allah (SWT) to reform Arabian society, such as eradicating the abominable
practice of female infanticide, Muhammad (SAW) preached baby girls were a
blessing. He said, “He who is involved
in brining up daughters, and accords benevolent treatment towards them, they
will be protection for him against Hell-Fire.”
(Bukhari and Muslim)
And
“Whoever maintains two girls till they gain maturity, he and I will come on the
Resurrection Day like this; and he joined his fingers.” (Muslim)
In
the Qur’an, there are other vehement admonitions against female infanticide,
for example, “And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his
face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.
He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been
informed. Should he keep it in
humiliation or bury it in the ground?
Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.” (Qur’an 16:58-59)
Imagine the pagan Arab who out of pure ignorance
killed his infant daughter, becoming overwhelmed with grief upon arriving at
this moment of clarity; only to find solace by testifying there is no deity but
Allah (SWT), Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and various Qur’anic verses
reminding the poor repentant soul that Allah (SWT) is most forgiving, most
merciful.
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