Stories of the Prophets; stories of the Prophets, peace be upon them.
May Allah's blessings be followed by peace
Upon the best of all creation,
Men of steadfast resolve, whose standing is lofty.
The story of Jesus, peace be upon him.
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
And upon his family and all his Companions.
To proceed: Allah the Exalted said:
"Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham,
“Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all His) creatures.” (3:33)
Descendants, one of another.
And Allah is Hearing and Knowing."
Ibn Kathir said:
"The Almighty informs that He chose these households over all the people of the earth.
He chose Adam, peace be upon him:
He created him with His own Hand, breathed into him of His spirit,
Made the angels prostrate to him,
Taught him the names of all things,
Settled him in Paradise,
And then brought him down from it
For the divine wisdom He willed therein.
He also chose Noah, peace be upon him,
Making him the first messenger sent to the people of the earth
When mankind worshipped idols
And associated partners in Allah's religion without any authority revealed by Him.
And He took vengeance for him after his long stay among his people,
Calling them to Allah night and day,
In secret and openly,
But it only increased them in aversion.
So he prayed against them,
And Allah drowned them to the very last one,
None surviving except those who followed his religion with which Allah had sent him.
And He chose the family of Abraham,
Among whom was the master of mankind and the absolute seal of the prophets,
Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
And He chose the family of 'Imran;
And what is meant by this 'Imran
Is the father of Mary, daughter of 'Imran,
The mother of Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon them."
End of his words.
During the time of the prophet of Allah, Zechariah, peace be upon him,
There was a man among his followers named 'Imran ibn Mathan.
This 'Imran was
The leader of prayer for the Children of Israel in his time.
He was renowned for righteousness, devotion, and virtue,
So much so that his status grew immensely among the Children of Israel.
It so happened that Zechariah and 'Imran married two sisters:
Elizabeth, daughter of Faqudh,
The mother of John,
Was married to Zechariah, peace be upon him;
While Hannah, daughter of Faqudh,
The mother of Mary,
Was married to 'Imran, peace be upon him.
Hannah was a righteous, good-natured wife,
Pure, virtuous, God-fearing, and faithful,
Obedient to her husband and obedient to her Lord.
Allah had withheld children from her until she grew old.
They were a household of high standing with Allah.
While she was once in the shade of a tree,
She caught sight of a bird feeding its chick,
And her heart was deeply stirred with the yearning for a child.
So she supplicated Allah to grant her an offspring,
Saying:
"O Allah, I vow to You, if You grant me a child,
That I will dedicate it entirely to the service of the Holy House,
To be among its custodians and servants."
Allah answered her prayer,
And when she became pregnant, she rejoiced with the greatest joy,
Saying:
“(Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!” (3:35)
"Dedicated purely to the service of Your Holy House,
Devoted exclusively to Your worship,
Free from all worldly distractions for Your obedience;
So accept this sincere vow from me."
This vow was legally binding in their sacred law,
For a dedicated child among them
Would remain in the sanctuary serving it,
Constantly residing therein until reaching the age of puberty,
Whereupon he was given the choice:
If he wished, he could depart wherever he pleased,
And if he wished, he could stay in the sanctuary serving it.
However, only boys were dedicated in this manner,
As a girl was not considered suitable to serve the Holy House
Due to menstruation and physical impurities that affect her.
Hannah, the wife of 'Imran,
Was hoping that what was in her womb would be a male
So that she could fulfill her vow.
But when she delivered her child,
Behold, it was a female!
She was utterly distraught and at a loss,
And she said brokenheartedly:
“And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.” (3:36)
Though her Lord knew best what she had delivered,
For He is the Decreer and the All-Powerful.
Then she said by way of sorrow, grief, and excuse:
"And the male is not like the female,"
Meaning in serving the sanctuary and the worshippers therein,
Due to her bodily vulnerability and weakness,
And what befalls her of menstruation and postnatal bleeding.
"And I, my Lord, have named her Mary."
Mary in their language
Means the devoted worshipper and servant.
"And I seek refuge and protection in You for her and her offspring
From the outcast Satan."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"There is no newborn child
But that Satan touches him at the moment he is born,
Whereupon he begins crying out loud from that touch,
Except for Mary and her son."
Then Abu Hurayrah said:
"Recite if you wish:
'And I seek refuge in You for her and her offspring
From the outcast Satan.'"
Allah accepted the vow of the righteous woman,
Hannah, with gracious acceptance,
Caused the newborn Mary to grow in a goodly manner,
Endeared her to the hearts of His righteous servants,
And entrusted her guardianship to Zechariah, peace be upon him.
That was because her father, 'Imran,
Had passed away while she was still in her mother's womb.
Her mother brought her to the Holy House,
Placed her before the rabbis and priests, and said to them:
"Here is this consecrated child for you."
They said: "This is the daughter of our leader 'Imran,"
For in his lifetime he used to lead them in prayer.
So they vied with one another, each wanting to take custody of her,
Out of honor for her father.
Zechariah, peace be upon him, said to them:
"Entrust her to me,
For I have more right to her than you;
Besides, her maternal aunt is under my care."
They said: "No, not until we cast lots for her."
So they set out toward a river
And cast into it their pens with which they used to write the Torah.
Zechariah's pen floated upon the water,
While their pens sank to the bottom.
Thus Zechariah, peace be upon him, assumed her guardianship.
He placed her with her maternal aunt, the mother of John,
Until she grew up and attained womanhood.
He built a prayer chamber for her,
That is, a private room in the sanctuary,
Which could only be reached by a ladder.
He would bring her her food, drink, and oil every day.
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
Whenever he entered upon her, he found sustenance with her;
Namely, out-of-season fruit:
He would find summer fruit in winter,
And winter fruit in summer.
He would ask her, saying:
"O Mary, from where do you have this food?"
She would reply:
"It is from Allah;
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
Allah the Exalted said:
"When the wife of 'Imran said, 'My Lord,
“(Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!” (3:35)
Dedicated to Your service, so accept it from me.
Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.'
“And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.” (3:36)
'I have delivered a female' —
“And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.” (3:36)
'And the male is not like the female.'
'And I have named her Mary,
And I seek refuge in You for her
“And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.” (3:36)
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a goodly manner
And put her under the custody of Zechariah.
Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber,
He found with her provision.
He said, 'O Mary, from where does this come to you?'
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
Among the manifestations of Allah's divine care for Mary, peace be upon her,
And His raising her in a goodly manner,
Was that He sent Gabriel, peace be upon him, to her,
And he said to her:
“And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure, and hath preferred thee above (all) the women of creation.” (3:42)
Meaning: He selected you and chose you for His obedience,
Accepted you for the service of His House,
Purified you from impurities and filth,
And from everything that contradicts praiseworthy character and sound human nature,
And chose you above the women of the worlds in your era.
O Mary, be devoutly obedient to Allah alone,
Persist in it,
Increase your prostrations before Allah,
And bow down with those who bow.
For constancy in acts of obedience and prayers preserves blessings
And draws a person nearer and dearer to his Creator, Mighty and Majestic is He.
So Mary acted upon Allah's counsel to her:
She would perform full ritual washing every night
And stand in prayer until her feet became swollen.
Out of Mary's intense devotion, peace be upon her,
She secluded herself from her family, withdrawing from them,
And went alone to the eastern side of the Holy Mosque
To worship Allah the Exalted.
To further her seclusion and separation from people,
She placed a screen between herself and them.
One day, while she was in that state,
Allah sent Gabriel, peace be upon him, to her.
He appeared before her in the form of a handsome man,
Perfectly proportioned and of flawless physique,
In the finest form a human could possess.
When she saw him entering upon her presence without permission,
She feared him and thought that he intended some harm toward her.
“She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art Allah-fearing.” (19:18)
By uttering this statement, she combined seeking refuge in her Lord
With instilling fear in him of Allah's punishment,
Should his soul entice him to intend evil toward her.
Furthermore, her statement indicates that she had attained the highest degrees of chastity and purity,
as well as distance from any suspicion.
For she said this to him
while seeing him as a well-proportioned, handsome human being,
in a secluded place, completely isolated from other people.
So when Jibril saw her terror and apprehension,
he said to her, "I am only a messenger from your Lord to you;
so do not fear, nor be alarmed.
He has sent me to you to bestow upon you, by His leave and power, a pure boy,
cleansed of sins and transgressions,
full of goodness and blessings,
whose name is 'Isa."
Maryam (peace be upon her) was astonished at this,
and she said, "How can I have a boy
when I do not have a husband,
nor could unchastity ever be conceived of me?"
Thereupon, Jibril (peace be upon him) said to her,
answering her question:
"Allah will bring forth a boy from you,
even if you have no husband
and no indecency is committed by you,
for He is capable of all that He wills;
and so that He may make him a sign to mankind of His exalted power,
and a mercy from Him to them,
by having this boy become one of the prophets,
calling to the worship and monotheism of Allah Almighty.
And know, O Maryam,
that Allah has already decreed this matter,
so it is inevitable."
Maryam surrendered to the decree of Allah.
At that point, Jibril (peace be upon him) breathed into the opening of her garment—
which is the neck opening of the dress—
and Maryam conceived the child by the leave of Allah Almighty.
When she felt the pregnancy,
her chest grew tight with anguish,
and she did not know what to say to people,
knowing that they would never believe what she told them.
When her pregnancy was full-term and delivery drew near,
she feared her people,
so she withdrew from them
and went far away until she reached the farthest part of the valley in Bethlehem,
eight miles away from Jerusalem.
Then the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm.
When she suffered the agony of labor,
the misery of isolation without food or drink,
the heartache over what people would say,
and feared she might lack patience,
she wished she had died before this event
and had been a thing forgotten, completely lost to memory,
never to be remembered.
These were truly agonizing moments,
such as any woman experiences during natural childbirth;
so how must it have been for Maryam (peace be upon her),
being in such a distressing state of mind,
and completely alone besides,
delivering her very first child without any helper?
Jibril (peace be upon him) was below her,
in a place lower than where she sat,
and he calmed her fears,
reassured her heart,
and said to her,
"Do not grieve, O Maryam."
Then he struck the ground with his foot,
and a small stream flowed beneath her.
And he said to her,
“Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,” (19:24)
"A sweet stream for you to drink from;
and shake toward yourself the trunk of the date-palm;
it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates,
fit to eat, moist and delicious."
It has been said:
"There is nothing better for a postpartum woman than fresh dates,
nor for a sick person than honey."
So eat, O Maryam, of those fresh dates,
drink from that stream,
be comforted and be of good cheer,
and banish all sorrows from yourself.
And if you see any human being
who asks you about your child,
“So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.” (19:26)
meaning: a fast of silence—
"so I will not speak to any person today."
Among the Children of Israel,
whoever wished to exert himself in devotion
would fast from speech
just as he fasted from food,
not speaking until evening came.
Allah Almighty said:
“And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,” (19:16)
“And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,” (19:16)
"to an eastern place.
And she took in seclusion from them
a screen.
Then We sent to her
Our angel,
“And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man.” (19:17)
She said, 'Indeed, I seek refuge
in the Most Merciful from you,
if you should be fearing of Allah.'
He said, 'I am only
the messenger of your Lord
to give you
a pure boy.'
She said, 'How
can I have a boy
when no man has touched me
when no man has touched me
and I have not been unchaste?'
He said, 'Thus
your Lord says, "It is easy for Me,"
and We will make him a sign to the people
and a mercy from Us.
And it was a matter decreed.'
So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him
to a remote place.
And the pains of childbirth drove her
to the trunk of a date-palm.
She said, 'Oh, I wish
I had died before this
and was in oblivion, forgotten.'
But he called her from below her,
'Do not grieve;
“Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,” (19:24)
And shake toward you
the trunk of the date-palm;
it will drop upon you
ripe, fresh dates.
So eat and drink
and be contented.
And if you see
from among humanity anyone,
say,
say, "Indeed, I have vowed
to the Most Merciful a fast,
“So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.” (19:26)
Maryam (peace be upon her) carried
her newborn in her arms
and brought him to her people,
doing so because she was fully confident
of her own innocence and purity;
thus she came unhesitating and unconcerned.
But when they saw her, they said to her,
"O Maryam,
“Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.” (19:27)
meaning: a monstrous, atrocious thing,
and by that they meant fornication—
far be it from her!
And they said to her reproachfully,
"O sister of Harun!"
She had a half-brother through her father
named Harun,
for they used to name themselves
after the names of the prophets;
and her brother Harun was
the most exemplary man among the Children of Israel
in piety and worship.
They said to her,
"O sister of Harun,
your father was not an unchaste man,
nor was your mother an unchaste woman;
you come from a pure household,
known for righteousness,
so how could you bring us a child
without a father?"
Thereupon, Maryam (peace be upon her) pointed
to her son 'Isa,
her demeanor saying to them,
"Direct your speech to him,
for he will inform you
of the reality of the matter."
But they were not convinced
by her gesture;
rather, they said to her,
"How can we speak to a little child
who is still in his cradle
and in his nursing infancy?"
And they deemed this act of hers
even more offensive to them
than the charge they had brought against her
of unchastity.
At that moment, Allah caused 'Isa to speak
(peace be upon him) while he was an infant
in the cradle,
and he said to them,
"Indeed, I am the servant of Allah."
This was the very first word
that 'Isa spoke
(peace be upon him).
Then he said,
"He has given me the Scripture"—
meaning He has decreed that He will grant me
the Gospel—
"and He has made me one of
His noble prophets,
calling people to the worship of Him
alone.
And He has also made me,
alongside my prophethood,
blessed, full of
goodness and blessing
and purity as long as I remain alive.
And He has made me likewise
dutiful to my mother,
honoring her;
and He has not made me arrogant,
haughty, or a committer
to sins and destructive vices.
And peace and security
from Allah, Blessed and Exalted,
be upon me the day I was born,
and the day I die,
departing from this world,
and the day I am raised alive
for the reckoning and recompense
on the Day of Resurrection.
So when 'Isa,
peace be upon him, spoke this to them,
they realized Maryam's innocence.
Then 'Isa,
peace be upon him, fell silent
and did not speak after that
until he reached the age
at which normal
children speak.
Allah Almighty said:
"Then she brought him to her people,
carrying him.
They said, 'O Maryam,
“Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.” (19:27)
O sister of Harun,
your father was not
a man of evil,
nor was your mother
unchaste.'
So she pointed to him.
They said,
'How can we speak
“Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?” (19:29)
to a child in the cradle?'
He 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 may be,
and has enjoined upon me prayer
and has enjoined upon me prayer
and zakat
as long as I remain alive,
and to be dutiful
to my mother,
and He has not made me
a tyrannical, wretched tyrant.
And peace
be upon me the day
I was born, and the day I die,
and the day I am raised
alive.'"
A delegation from the Christians of
Najran came to the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and said, "Why do you
revile our master?"—
meaning the Prophet of Allah,
'Isa, peace be upon him.
He said, "What do I say?"
They said,
"You say that he is a servant of Allah."
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied,
"Yes,
he is the servant of Allah and His Messenger,
and His word
which He bestowed upon Maryam,
the pure virgin."
So they became angry and said,
"Have you ever seen a human being
without a father?
If you are truthful,
then show us his like."
Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed
His saying:
"Indeed, the example of 'Isa
before Allah is like that of Adam.
He created him
from dust;
then
He said to him,
'Be,' and he was.
The truth is from your Lord,
“(This is) the truth from thy Lord (O Muhammad), so be not thou of those who waver.” (3:60)
so do not be among the doubters.
Then whoever
argues with you
concerning him
after what has come to you
of knowledge,
say, 'Come,
say, 'Come,
let us call our sons
and your sons,
our women
and your women,
our women
and your women,
and ourselves
and yourselves,
and ourselves
and yourselves,
then
let us pray humbly and invoke
the curse of Allah
upon the liars.'
Indeed, this
is the true
narrative.
And there is no deity
except Allah.
And indeed, Allah
is the Exalted in Might,
the Wise.
But if they turn away,
then indeed, Allah
is All-Knowing
of the corrupt."
Allah Almighty directed
His Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him,
saying to him in effect:
If the People of the Book dispute with you
concerning 'Isa
after I have informed you of what is
the truth of his matter,
then challenge them to mutual imprecation (mubahalah),
and say to them:
"Come, O disputants,
to a decisive test wherein the truth will be distinguished
from falsehood,
which is that we and you summon one another,
and gather
all together in one place,
and then beseech
Allah and pray earnestly to Him
that He place His curse
upon those who are lying in their claim,
deviating from
the truth in their belief."
So they said,
"O Abu al-Qasim, let us
consider our affair."
Then they consulted among themselves
and said, "By Allah,
O assembly of Christians,
you well know that Muhammad
is indeed a sent prophet,
and he has brought you the decisive truth
regarding the account of your master.
And you certainly know
that never has a people invoked mutual curses with a prophet
and had their elders
survive or their youth
grow up; it would truly be
your total eradication if you do so."
So they came back to the Prophet,
peace be upon him,
and said, "O Abu
al-Qasim, we have decided
not to invoke curses with you,
but to leave you upon your religion
while we return to ours."
So he did not engage in mutual imprecation with them,
peace be upon him,
and agreed to let them pay a tribute (kharaj)
that they would deliver to him.
To be continued,
if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and companions,
all together.
You have been listening to "Stories of the Prophets."