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902   Visits: 1253  Add date: 2013-03-27

 

MARY-5 MARYAM The Chosen Woman Human Intention and Divine Intervention

BY

Ahmad Zaki Hammad

 

 

 

 

 

II. The Story of Mary and the Advent of Jesus

 

As Zachariah had perceived, the Children of Israel had reached a watershed in their long history. Faith waned in the hearts of his people. Doubt and indulgence triumphed over sincerity in religion such that some colluded against their own prophets and breached their covenant with God. Yet God, the Ever Patient, was to give the Children of Israel an illustrious assemblage of prophets and believers, blessed with miracles so convincing that no one could be mistaken about their having come from God. Mary, from the noble Family of c1mran, the chosen lineage of the Children of Israel, would be the bearer of God's mercy of reform for her people.

 

Following upon the signs of Zachariah and upon the wondrous birth of John, the Children of Israel would again witness one of the most spectacular miracles of all time, the advent of the long-anticipated "anointed one," the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary. It was Jesus who was to receive a Book confirming the Torah for the Children of Israel. The revelation was to be known as the Evangel [al-Injil or the Gospel].

Jesus' remarkable life begins with one of the noblest and purest women ever to touch the face of the earth.

 

(16-22) MARY's REMARKABLE CONCEPTION OF JESUS ANNOUNCED THROUGH ANGEL GABRIEL, THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

16      And mention, O Muhammad, to humanity all that is now being revealed to you in the Book of God about the wondrous story of the mother of Jesus, Mary, daughter of 'Imran.1 Tell them of when, in the blossom of youth, she withdrew from her family and retreated to an eastern place, to devote herself to prayer and to the remembrance of God in solitude.

 

17      And she placed a veil between herself and them to avert distraction. Then We sent to her Our angel-messenger whose title of honor is the Holy Spirit, and who is none other than the Angel Gabriel, who thus appeared to her as a perfect human being, so as for her not to be frightened at the sight of his true magnificent form.

 

18      When she saw him, she protested the presence of a strange man in her sanctuary and feared harm from him. She said, "Indeed, I seek refuge in the All-Merciful from you and from any evil that may come from you. I warn you that God punishes those who violate this holy place. So let me be, if ever you were God-fearing"

 

19      He said, "I am not a human being, nor am I an evildoer. Indeed, I am none other than an angel, a messenger of your Lord to grant to you a pure boy. His birth shall be a miracle and a manifest sign of his truthfulness. Moreover, this miracle shall aid him-as a Messenger of Resolve-to call his people back to the sincere worship of the true God and for them to abandon the evil ways and idol worship to which they have inclined."

 

20      Astonished by his announcement, she said to Angel Gabriel, God's chosen Messenger of Revelation, "How shall I have a baby boy while no human being has ever touched me, for never have I been married, nor have I ever compromised my honor and been unchaste?"

 

21      The angel said, "Even so, thus shall it be; you shall be with child, though truly you are most innocent and virtuous; for your Lord has said, 'This is no difficult matter for the Almighty; it is easy for Me to create whomever I will. And We shall cause the child to be in you, as your son, and thereby make him a sign for all people to reflect upon and to see manifest before their eyes the might of

God. And he shall be a living mercy from Us -a human messenger sent to the Children of Israel. And know, O Mary, that this is a matter decreed. This is My plan, which cannot be deterred. So do not dispute or resist it, but calm your heart and trust in your Lord."

So by God's leave, Angel Gabriel sent forth the breath of life into Mary's womb; and her immaculate conception of Jesus was silently established and human destiny took a new turn.

 

22      So she conceived him, and withdrew with him in-womb to a remote place, far from human eyes.

(23-26) MARY GIVES BIRTH TO JESUS ALONE IN A REMOTE PLACE

 

What worldly scale can measure God's blessing upon Mary? Yet it is a pattern in the history of righteousness that great blessings are often accompanied by immense tribulation. Young, alone, and frightened, Mary bravely sequesters herself in a grove, not only to deliver her miracle, but to strive with her soul, with life itself, in the path of God. The pain of accusation and abuse that would assault her, at the tongues of her own beloved people, can scarcely be imagined, let alone endured.

But endure she does, and God, the Giver of Security, is ever with her.

 

23      And when the blessed unborn became fully formed in her womb and his delivery was at hand, the birth pangs drove her to the trunk of a nearby date-palm. Leaning her burdened body against the tree in weariness and pain, she said, Oh, woe to me for the terrible anguish and plight I now face! If only I had died before this day had come, and if only I could enter oblivion and become something utterly forgotten so that people would never mention me-the devotee of the Sanctuary-as one of ill fame."

 

24      Then a voice called to her from beneath her-the voice of the newborn Jesus himself-"Never fear, and do not sorrow. Indeed, your Lord has already placed beneath you a fresh flowing streamlet from which to bathe yourself and to drink."

 

25      And shake toward you the trunk of the barren date-palm, and it shall flourish before your eyes and promptly drop upon you dates, ripe and fresh. Therein is replenishment for you, by the mercy of God, and yet another miracle, for God is always with His righteous servants.

 

26      So let not sorrow and grief overwhelm you; rather eat and drink from these blessed provisions, and cool Your eyes for the sake of your own welfare and for the wellbeing of your newborn. And if you should see any human being who inquires about your absence or protests the bundle you carry in your arms, then do not speak in your own defense, for God shall inspire an answer on your behalf. Simply say, "I have vowed to my Lord, the All-Merciful."

 

28      "O sister of Aaron, who was so righteous of a man, how can you, of all people, have done this depraved deed, when you are from a virtuous and God-fearing home? Your father was not an evil person indulged in vice, nor was your mother at all unchaste such that you could have learned such promiscuity from them!"

29      So having been admonished by God not to speak, she then pointed to her newborn, her son Jesus, gesturing to her people, as if to say, "Ask him about the matter that now confounds you and causes you to accuse me." They protested such a farfetched proposition and said, "How shall we speak to one who is in the cradle, merely an infant boy? Do you take us for fools?"

 

Then to the awe of all present, God, who gives all things their manner of speech, bestowed the newborn Jesus with the power to speak in his very cradle--to defend the honor of his mother, but also to declare and bear witness to a fact that would nonetheless become disputed by the ignorant, that he was indeed a messenger of God sent to the Children of Israel.

 

30      Responding to their audacious contentions, the infant Jesus said, "Indeed, I am the servant of God. He has given me the Book, a revelation to be known as the Evangel, confirming the Torah; and God has chosen me from among the Children of Israel and has made me a prophet. I am to lead you back to worshipping Him-and Him alone--and to His covenant, the bond of honor that ennobled your fathers and all humanity.

 

31      "And He has made me blessed, as a great benefit to people, wherever I may be; and He has enjoined upon me the establishment and preservation of the Prayer and the giving of the prescribed Charity, each in its due time, for as long as I am alive.

 

32      "And I am enjoined by God to be gentle and virtuous to my mother-as are all of you; and He has not made 'me an insolent human being, condescending to the common people and arrogant in the land. Nor shall I make myself wretched with wrongdoing.

33      "So it is peace that God has ordained to be upon me, now and forevermore-on the day I was born into the world, and the day I am to die, and the day when I am raised to life again for judgment in the Hereafter."

 

(34-36) GOD INSTRUCTS PROPHET MUHAMMAD AS TO THE TRUE NATURE OF JESUS

 

God is He who is the Creator of everyone and everything. All submit to Him and obey His command. He has no partner in His divinity, nor agent in His creation, nor assistant to carry out His decree. If God creates someone by a command to which people are unaccustomed, in nowise does this indicate that there is divinity in such a one? Rather, it only points out that special creation took place. If such a thing were true, then all things in existence-which are God's creations and unique-would be considered the divine offspring of God. Indeed, such logic is contradicted by sincere reflection and by the teachings of all the prophets, messengers, and scriptures. Being created is altogether different from being divine, for divinity-which belongs only to God-is eternal and self-sustaining, without beginning or end, and without need, while creation is finite and dependent, no matter its condition and no matter the miracle of its creation.

He whom God has created by exceptional means becomes unique in the manner of his creation, not in the matter of his creation. This uniqueness in manner of creation is the case with Jesus, who has no father. A more extraordinary occurrence is that of Adam, who is without father and mother. What sets Jesus apart, then, is not an exceptional nature, which is purely human, but that God has graced him with miracles and a revealed Book as a chosen prophet-messenger. It is on this count that all who affirm the oneness of God and the fraternity of God's prophets and messengers are to revere Jesus.

 

Thus, Jesus is not to be worshipped, just as Adam is not to be worshipped, nor Mary, the mother of Jesus (nor any human being or idol). Rather He who created Jesus-the one whom Jesus himself exclusively worshipped-is the one who alone is worthy of worship and all-able to answer prayers. This is none other than God Himself.

 

34      That, O Muhammad, is the certain news about Jesus, son of Mary. It is the absolute word if truth, about which they the People of the Book-perpetuate doubt, and over which they bitterly contend.

 

35      It is not jar God to take a son, for He is nothing like His creatures. Nor is He a part of His own creation. And never does His creation take on something of His divine self. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a matter even if it is by way of miracle---He but says to it "Be!" and so easily it is! His is a command that none can thwart.

 

36      Then say, O Muhammad, as Jesus himself repeatedly said in teaching his people: "And indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord; so worship Him and none else. This is the path that I walk, and it is a straight way, a good path to be tread by the upright who truly love God."

 

III. A Warning about the Coming Judgment

 

(37-40) THE SECTARIAN DISPUTE BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND JEWS ABOUT JESUS AND MARY

 

Many people among the Jews and the Christians have taken up two extreme positions as to the person of Jesus: The former denounce him as a false Messiah, a son of illegitimate birth; the latter elevate him to the level of a god alongside God, and even God Himself But there will come a day-a final day-in which all disputes are settled, all positions exposed, and all argumentation useless. God will call to account each one that has enrolled in this dispute, whether for denying

Jesus and demeaning his honor and his mother, or for attributing god-ship to Jesus. But before that day, here is a scripture-the Quran-that is pure and unpolluted by the alterations of men. It says that Jesus is not God, nor is he the "son" of God. He is the Messiah, a prophet, a noble and truthful messenger from among the Messengers of Resolve.

 

In no manner was the birth of Jesus the result of an illicit act on the part of his mother. She was a devout woman, a virgin, and her conception of Jesus was miraculous. And may there be God's peace and blessings upon her in this life and ever after!

 

37      The truth of Jesus is plain, yet the sects have disputed among themselves about him." Woe, then, to those who disbelieve in what has been revealed to them! Woe to them when they will recoil from the spectacle of a great Day-a Day of unmasked accountability! It is a Day in which every soul shall stand before God, the All-Mighty, and be asked about all that they have conjectured about God during their brief lives.

 

38      How well they shall hear the truth of this matter and see it for themselves on the day they come to Us for judgment! But alas the wrongdoers will not be helped when they realize the truth on this day. Rather, they are to see just how far they have strayed and how far they have indulged in what is clear misguidance.

 

39      And warn them all, O Muhammad, if the consequences of associating false gods with the one true God, who is generous and good to people. Call them back to the worship of God exclusively, to affirm the hopeful message of His prophets, and to keep in the forefront of their minds that all men and women will die and then be given life again in the Hereafter. Tell them, so that they will set aright their faith and deeds, and that they may enjoy with their families a wholesome and successful life before Judgment Day overtakes the world suddenly. Warn them that this day will be the Day of Regret for the wrongdoers. When the final trumpet sounds, it will be too late, when the matter of the ultimate destiny is decreed, while they are yet heedless of the truth and of the Hereafter, and while they still do not believe that only God is worthy of worship and that He alone receives and answers prayer.

 

40      Indeed, O people, it is We alone, as the Lord and Sovereign of all existence, who shall inherit the earth and take repossession of it and whoever is upon it, seen or unseen. And to Us are they returning for judgment.

Thus did the blessing of prophet-hood reach its culmination among the family line of 'Imran (Amram) of the Children of Israel-in Zachariah, John, and finally Jesus. The miracles that accompanied them and Mary were unmistakable signs of God's guidance. Yet long before them, God had chosen to place his message and blessing in the family line of the great forebear of prophet-hood, Abraham, the Friend of God.

 

IV. Abraham and the Prophets of Honor

 

 

(41-50) THE FOUR APPEALS OF ABRAHAM TO HIS FATHER AND THE BEGINNING OF HIS CALL

God called Abraham to establish the blessings of monotheistic faith in the world when Abraham was yet young. He was neither a Jew nor a Christian. He preceded these faith communities as the patriarch of all the prophets succeeding him. God commanded Abraham to surrender his soul to God, whereupon Abraham responded by saying, "I submit my soul to the Lord of the Worlds."

 

This is the basis of the covenant he passed on to his children, each a nation, Ishmael and Isaac, and to his grandson, Jacob-all of them prophets. They called this creed "the true religion'" and exhorted their descendants that they die only in the state of being believers of God, people who submit to His wonderful will and who accept the purposes for which He created humanity, which is the meaning of the word and name "Muslim."

 

41      And mention, O Muhammad, to humanity all that is now being revealed to you in the Book of God about the eminent status of Abraham. He is the father of those prophets who descended from the lines of Ishmael and Isaac, and indeed, he was ever-truthful, and himself a prophet.

 

42      Behold the youthful Abraham when he resolved to lead his family back to the worship of God. With a gentle, loving word, he said to his father, Azar, in the hope of helping him to see the folly of worshipping mere stones:

"My dear father, why do you worship what can neither hear, nor see, nor avail you ill anything you hope for-unlike the power and the might of God, the Exalted?

 

43      "My dear father, indeed, sure knowledge from God has come to me that has not reached you. So please follow me upon the path of success and accept my counsel, and I shall guide you to all even way upon which you shall never go astray. How happy you will be living by the guidance of your true Maker! For He will deliver you on Judgment Day from the torment of the Fire, the very destiny of those who worship false deities.

 

44      "My dear father, do not worship the evil one called Satan, for it is only him that you actually worship when you indulge in idolatry. And know that indeed, Satan is ever rebellious to the All-Merciful. Satan's mission is to mislead people by any means possible, so that they too can be rebellious against our all-loving Creator.

 

45      "My dear father, out of love and grave concern I appeal to you. For I fear that a torment from the All-Merciful will strike you down in punishment, if you continue in your rejection of God and in your worship of these idols. And if such a fate befalls you, then it shall be that you will forever become a patron of Satan, his companion not only in this life but also in the Hellfire to come."

 

46      Abraham's father was enraged by his son's good counsel, and his response was harsh. He said, "Are you, my own son, so bold as to be averse to my gods, O Abraham, these icons that I have fashioned with my own hands? Most surely, If you do not desist from your blasphemy I will stone you to death as a heretic. So be banished from this family, this people, this land, and leave me and my home for a long while, until such time as you come to your senses and repent and I may forgive you."

 

47      Abraham went away in exile, yet as he departed he said no harsh word to his father, for God enjoins kindness to parents. He offered only the farewell, "Peace he with you. No harm shall come to you from me." Still, his care for his father did not waver: "I shall ask my Lord to forgive you, that destruction may not befall you for your idolatry, for all my hope rests in God. Indeed, He has been ever gracious to me, giving me true knowledge and answering my prayers.

48      "And I shall stay away from you and your people, as you  have commanded-and stay away as well from this godless way of life and whatever false and powerless images you call upon apart from God. And I shall call upon m}' Lord exclusively instead, and render all my service to Him sincerely, pursuing His pleasure alone. And if I accomplish this, then it may be that in calling upon m}' Lord to answer my prayers I shall not be left unhappy and unfulfilled, as you surely shall be in calling upon your deaf idols."

 

49      So when Abraham stayed away from them and whatever they worshipped apart from God, and when he refused to pay homage to false gods, he fulfilled his promise. So We granted him a reward for his sincerity and steadfast worship of God alone, even in the face of family and societal pressure. We blessed him with a blessed son, Isaac, and through Isaac, a blessed grandson, Jacob. And each one We made a prophet after him.

 

50      And We granted each of them an abundance of blessings  and grace from Our mercy, and We set praise for them upon the tongues of every succeeding generation, such that they are to this very day mentioned in high esteem and with an exalted reverence.

 

(51-58) MOSES, AARON, ISHMAEL, AND IDRIS: PROPHETS OF HONORABLE MENTION

 

51      And mention, O Muhammad, all that is now being revealed to you in the Book of God about the noble Prophet Moses. Indeed, he was chosen to deliver the Children of Israel from Pharaoh's tyranny, and he was a messenger, sent with the Commandments of God. And he was a prophet of resolve who upheld God's covenant without fail.

 

52      As Moses advanced toward Egypt from Midian through the Sinai, he perceived a fire on a mountain slope. And We Ourself summoned him from the right side of Mount al-Tur, to impart to him the divine message and a daunting mission. And We brought him near for close converse in a manner conferred on no other human being.

53      God spoke to him directly from the fiery tree, commanding him to deliver his people from Egypt. And when he asked God for an aide from within his own family to strengthen and assist him in conveying the message, We granted him, out of Our mercy, his brother Aaron, who was gifted in speech, and whom We appointed as a prophet in his own right.

 

54      And mention, O Muhammad, to humanity all that is now being revealed to you in the Book of God about the eldest son of Abraham, Ishmael, born of the blessed woman, Hagar. Indeed, he was the very model of a striving believer-ever true to his promise, never leaving his word unfulfilled, and he too was a messenger. God resettled him and his mother in the valley of Makkah to establish the blessings of the monotheistic religion among the neighboring Arabian tribes, but also to establish a city that would forever be a center of belief for all humanity. Moreover, he was a chosen prophet, favored by God to assist his father, the patriarch Abraham, in raising there the foundation of the first Sacred House of God on earth, the Ka'ba-a station to remind humanity of the truth of God and His messengers until the end of time.

 

55      Ishmael used to steadfastly enjoin his family with the Prayer and with the giving of prescribed Charity to the needy. He exhorted them to do righteous deeds that were pleasing to God, and he himself was to his Lord ever-pleasing.

 

56      And mention, O Muhammad, in the Book about the learned believer Idris. Indeed, he was ever-truthful to God, to himself, and to all people. And he was of great faith and wisdom. He too was a prophet, who conveyed God's message to his people.

57      And thus We raised him to an elevated rank in this life, and to a high place in the Hereafter.

58      These are the ones whom God has promoted to the true leadership of humanity. What great exemplars of excellent character and faith! Their stories and righteous ways are related to you in this Quran, for it is upon the likes of these whom God has bestowed grace-from the prophets of the children of Adam; and from those believers whom We carried with Noah in the Ark; and from the children of Abraham and his grandson Jacob, known also as Israel; and from those men and women who strove in the path of God, they whom We guided and selected as witnesses to the truth.

 

So genuine was their sincerity and so deep their faith that when the verses of the All-Merciful were recited to them revealing to them sacred knowledge of the rites of worship which they were to perform and the laws by which they were to abide in life-they fell to the ground, bowing down and weeping, out of supreme gratitude, reverence, and love for God.

 

(59-63) THE STRUGGLE OF GOOD OVER EVIL AMONG THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM

 

59      Then descending from them thereafter, from their very seed, came godless peoples, descendants who started upon a dark path and who eventually forsook the Prayer. They dishonored and neglected the prescribed rites of worship that illuminate the human soul. And they followed instead their whims and lusts. And thus shall they meet with degradation as a consequence of their sedition.

 

60      They shall endure chastisement, as they have been warned-except for those among them who realize their error, repent of their unbelief, and believe ever after in God with genuine devotion. And provided they do righteous deeds that confirm their true repentance, God will accept it of them. Then they shall enter the eternal Garden, amply rewarded for their renewed faith and good works. Happy, then, is their meeting with God in the Hereafter, and they shall not be wronged in anything.

 

61      Therein do they partake of the everlasting delights reserved only for those in the Gardens of Eden. That is the ecstasy which the All-Merciful has promised His servants who remain constant in their earthly lives, certain of the Hereafter, though its manifestation is kept hidden from them in the unseen. Indeed, His promise to His faithful worshippers ever comes true.

 

62      In Heaven, they know only gladness forever-families and friends living together in endless peace, enraptured in their nearness to God. They shall not hear therein idle talk, words of folly, malice, and envy; but only the word of "Peace"- a salutation to them from their Lord on high, and His angels. And for them therein shall be their sumptuous provision-food and pure drink, gems and silk clothing; fruit from every orchard and rivers gently flowing; gardens full and lush and tall trees lightly swaying; fair companions and seats of honor and fountains ever cascading-and all that enchants the heart, morning and evening.

63      This is but a glimpse of the Garden, the true and only Heaven, which We shall give as inheritance to those of Our servants who are God-earing, those who choose purity over defilement, and who do what is right, no matter the earthly consequence.

 

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رسول خدا صلی الله علیه و سلم فرمودند:
(اقتدوا باللذين من بعدي ،أبي بكر وعمر). 
 «به دو نفری که پس از من هستند، (یعنی) ابوبکر و عمر، اقتدا کنید» 
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