'Alas! I wish I had died before this, and was a thing long forgotten!'

Sometimes life can get so overwhelming and painful that we wish we could disappear. 

When I read these ayat, I think of how Maryam (a) is being told about the blessings that Allah has provided her. Sometimes we are so weighed down with sorrow that we might overlook the blessings right in front of us. 

Then she is told to take action. We cannot allow our emotions to paralyze us. We have to push through and have hope, even through great sadness and difficulty.

☀Do not grieve. 
☀Be aware of the streams right at your feet. 
☀Shake those trees. 
☀And watch the blessings fall upon you. 

Insha'Allah

As I was walking outside in the morning, there was someone in front of me who was walking alongside his dog, and on the back of his shirt, there was a nice quote which states:


'Pain is weakness leaving the body.'


So after I saw that, those words resonated with me, because it flips around the immediate perception of pain and reveals the essence and the purpose of pain in our everyday lives.


We can think of it more from a religious point of view, so it's not necessarily just physical pain, but it can also be emotional or psychological pains that we carry sometimes.


The weaknesses that we may have could be not remembering Allah enough, not being grateful for His blessings towards us, not being humble enough, not doing what we are supposed to do, lacking trust in Allah's plan, and so on. We start getting more off track from a God-conscious path unless we are hit with a trial, pain, or something that tests our patience.


Those are the real weaknesses that can exist within ourselves and it's not the pain itself that is the weakness. Rather, the pain can help to eliminate some of those weaknesses from ourselves.


The pain that Maryam felt when giving birth to Issa (peace be upon him) drove her to the trunk of a tree, and she wished that she was something forgotten. But perhaps she wasn't aware that the pain was in fact Allah's mercy upon her; it was only wrapped up and packaged in a different form which wasn't recognizable to her immediately.


So, the pains are sometimes a disguised sign from Allah SWT that His help and reassurance is indeed very close to us, which will inevitably strengthen us even more than before.


#MercyandPain

Prophet Yunus in the darkness, alone in the belly of a whale.

Prophet Yusuf in the darkness, alone in a well and in prison.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them) in the darkness of a cave as he leaves his beloved city.

Prophet Musa in the darkness of a basket alone in a river.

Maryam gave birth alone away from her family and community.

All these great figures in our history, who were chosen by Allah and beloved to Him, had to endure difficult and trying experiences, times of darkness, loneliness, fear and uncertainty.  

They could have been spared all this pain and suffering but instead we are told their stories of hope and resilience so we can learn and grow. 

It makes me think these dark and lonely instances were like incubators for these great figures to grow utter reliance on Allah and the strength, stamina, trust and faith to become triumphant and deliver important eternal legacies to humanity.

So if you're feeling restricted or constricted, perhaps due to illness or any other type of adversity,  it could be preparing you to fulfill your potential, to pave your purpose, to grow your capacity to deliver an important legacy.

Maybe in this restriction, through Allah's lutf and subtle grace, you are being protected, elevated, cleansed, healed and given an opportunity to focus on what really matters. 


#reflectingincrisis

Jazaak Allah khair, Ma shaa Allah truly inspiring ✨. 

God, The Creator and Sustainer cares about the heart of women and highlights it in divine revelation for all of time and for all of humanity. 

The Quran shows us how God, in His Infinite Compassion and Love comforts grieving women and puts their heart at ease. 

So even when others do not grasp or understand, know that your heart is precious to Al-Wadood, The All Loving.

Your sadness, your grief, your struggle matters to Him.

God sees, hears and knows. He cares about your heart being at ease. 

So take your heart to God, with all that lies in it, and let Him heal it with His Grace. 

And trust without a doubt that when you call on The Mender of Hearts, His Grace and Generosity will manifest in ways you didn't even expect.

There are 2 really beautiful lessons about these ayat that go hand-in-hand that didn’t strike me until today subhannallah. 

The first is that Maryam (as) was so terrified and that her situation was so bad that she wished she was dead before this. That she can’t imagine how to get through this. So she utters this statement, and what was the response: 'don’t grieve.' This woman just wished for death before this and instead of the reply being, 'astaghfirallah! How dare you say such a thing!' Or that 'it’s haram to think about death like that! Your iman is low!' she was consoled. 'Don’t grieve.' Subhannallah. The root of her statement came from grievance, it came from overwhelming worry, so in return she was comforted. Yet when our friends, our siblings, our children come to us with a heavy weight of emotions anchored onto their chests we judge, instead of comfort. We attack instead of listen. And then we complain we don’t know what’s going on with them. Yet we have this beautiful example in the Quran to show us, that when someone is feeling burdened, comfort them. Don’t judge them. Don’t ridicule them. Comfort them. Console them. Be there for them. 

The second thing that stood out to me was that she was instructed to shake the palm tree to receive fresh fruits. Now, in the story of Maryam (as) we know that Zakareeya (As) used to find her with fruits outside of the season, just there for her. It wasn’t rare for her to just have things appear for her. However, in this instance she’s instructed to shake the tree even though provision could appear right there for her with no effort, per Allah’s will. This goes to show that even in times of disparity you have to put in the effort. You gotta try. 

You must put in that effort to reap the rewards of helping yourself. 

Yes, things are tough. Yes, it’s hard to push yourself but in these ayat we’re being shown: don’t grieve, Allah is with you, but you gotta meet Him halfway. You have to get up and help yourself as well, because no one else can do that for you. And once you do, Allah will be there to provide for you in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine, but you have to put in that effort.

Jazakallahu khair , beautiful reflection..

Muslim Student Organization & Women in Islam  CCNY

بسم اللّٰہ الرحمٰن الرحیم

قرآن کریم میں جتنے بھی واقعات کا تذکرہ ملتا ہے، یہ تمام واقعات اور ان میں موجود تفصیلات ہمیں بہت کچھ سکھا سکتی ہیں، اگر ہم ان پہ غور کریں۔
بعض اوقات ایک ہی واقعہ کو ہر بار پڑھنے سے ایک نیا سبق حاصل ہوتا ہے،  نئے انداز سے تدبر کرنے پر نئے در وا ہوتے دکھائی دیتے ہیں۔ قرآن کریم میں مزکور ان تمام واقعات کے ذریعے ہم اللّٰہ تعالیٰ کے مقرب بندوں سے اپنی ایک نسبت جوڑ سکتے ہیں، اور ایسے ہمارے لیے، اللّٰہ تعالیٰ کے قرب کو حاصل کرنے کا راستہ آسان ہو سکتا ہے۔ اس کے ساتھ ہی بحیثیت انسان، اپنے اور دوسروں کے لیے زندگی کو آسان کرنے کا فلسفہ بھی سمجھا جا سکتا ہے۔ 

اللّٰہ تعالیٰ کے برگزیدہ بندوں میں سے ایک، مریم علیہ السلام ہیں اور ان کے واقعہ سے متعلق ان چند آیات سے میں نے کچھ سبق حاصل کیے ہیں۔

اکثر یہ تاثر پایا جاتا ہے کہ ذہنی اذیت میں مبتلا ہونے کا سبب، اللّٰہ تعالیٰ سے دوری ہے۔ یا پھر یہ سمجھا جاتا ہے کہ وہ لوگ جو بہت عبادت گزار ہوں، وہ کبھی کسی ذہنی اذیت یا خلفشار کا شکار نہیں ہو سکتے۔ اور اسی لیے اگرخلاف توقع ہمارے آس پاس کوئی ایسا شخص جو دین پر عمل پیرا ہو،  کبھی اپنے غم کا اظہار کردے، یا وقتی طور پر مایوس دکھائی دے، تو جواب میں انہیں لوگ دانستہ یا نا دانستہ طور پر احساس جرم دے دیا کرتے ہیں۔ 
جس سے ان کی تکلیف کا مداوا تو درکنار، اس تکلیف میں مزید اضافہ ہو جاتا ہے۔ اب ذرا ان آیات کو پڑھئے۔

ان آیات میں سیدنا عیسیٰ علیہ السلام کی پیدائش سے قبل، مریم علیہ السلام کی کیفیت بیان فرمائی گئی ہے۔ ایک کھجور کے تنے کے قریب آکر انہوں نے  انتہائی تکلیف کے عالم میں یہ الفاظ ادا کیے: 

'بولی کاش! میں اس سے پہلے ہی مر گئی ہوتی اور لوگوں کی یاد سے بھی بھولی بسری ہو جاتی' (مولانا محمد جوناگڑھی 19:23)

یہ الفاظ کسی عام انسان کے الفاظ نہیں ہیں۔ یہ ایک ایسی خاتون کے الفاظ ہیں جنہیں تمام جہان کی عورتوں پر فوقیت عطا فرمائی گئی۔ مریم علیہ السلام ایک 'چنی ہوئی' خاتون ہیں۔ اللّٰہ تعالیٰ نے اپنے ایک زبردست معجزہ کی تکمیل کے لیے ان کا انتخاب فرمایا، اس سے ان کا مقام و مرتبہ واضح ہوتا ہے۔ لیکن جب آزمائش کی سختی کو محسوس کرتے ہوئے ، انہوں نے ان الفاظ سے اپنے غم کا اظہار کیا، تو اللّٰہ تعالیٰ نے انہیں ٹوکا نہیں، ان سے یہ نہیں کہا گیا کہ ان کو 'چنا گیا' ہے لہذا ان سے اس بات کی امید نہیں کی جا سکتی۔ بلکہ اللّٰہ تعالیٰ نے مریم علیہ السلام کے الفاظ کو اپنی کتاب کا حصہ بنا دیا! 
مریم علیہ السلام کو تسلی دی گئی۔ ان کی دل جوئی بھی فرمائی گئی اور ان کی سہولت کے لیے اک پانی کا چشمہ جاری کر دیا گیا۔ 

'اتنے میں اسے نیچے سے ہی آواز دی کہ آزرده خاطر نہ ہو، تیرے رب نے تیرے پاؤں تلے ایک چشمہ جاری کر دیا ہے۔' (مولانا محمد جوناگڑھی19:24)
 
اس کے بعد انہیں ایک نصیحت بھی کی گئی۔

'اور اس کھجور کے تنے کو اپنی طرف ہلا، یہ تیرے سامنے تروتازه پکی کھجوریں گرا دے گا.'
(مولانا محمد جوناگڑھی 19:25)

ان آیات کے تدبر سے یہ حاصل ہوا کہ:
 جب کوئی اپنے دکھ کا اظہار کرے، تو اس کی بات مکمل یکسوئی سے سن لینی چاہیے۔ 

 اللّٰہ کے نیک بندے بھی کسی آزمائش کے زیرِ اثر ذہنی دباؤ کا شکار ہو سکتے ہیں۔ ان کے اندر احساس جرم کا بیج بونے سے اجتناب کرنا چاہیے۔ 

 اذیت میں مبتلا انسان سے تسلی بخش گفتگو کرنی چاہئے۔ بات کرتے وقت احتیاط سے کام لینا چاہیے کہ ہمارے الفاظ یا رویے سے کہیں اس دکھی انسان کی مزید دل آزاری نہ ہو جائے۔

کسی کی تکلیف کو کم کرنے کے لیے، حسب استطاعت اپنا ہاتھ بھی بڑھانا چاہیے۔ 

نصیحت کرنے سے پہلے اوپر لکھے گئے نکات کا خیال رکھنا چاہیے۔ مریم علیہ السلام کی مدد پہلے کی گئی اور نصیحت بعد میں دی گئی۔

ماشاءاللہ بہت خوبصورت تدبر اور نصیحت' مریم علیہ السلام کی مدد پہلے کی گئی اور نصیحت بعد میں دی گئی۔' جزاک اللہ خیر 💖

Surah Maryam has always been one of my favourite surah the way in this verse you can see how Allah is reassuring Maryam (AS), sometimes when you are feeling helpless and are in a state where you feel like u have no one with you, Allah is there and at that moment we mostly don’t look around ourselves, and we don’t see the blessings Allah has given us.

I used to say stuff like why is this happening to me now when I’m going through something I look around myself that makes me more patient because when you're aware of the presence of Allah around you, you will know that you are not alone, whenever you feel like you can’t stay here any more recite these ayahs.

Bilal May Allah be pleased with him stopped giving the athan after the prophet peace be upon him passed away as it would remind him of the blessed prophet. 

I never truly understood this concept untill I had to recite these surahs after my mother الله يرحمها passed away. Tbh I’ve been avoiding these surahs because of the emotional weight they have on me now. 

I still love these Surah , but there is this memory attached to them now that I recited these a lot by my mother’s death bed. 

Even walking through the streets that I passed by while talking to my mother,  somehow remind me of her. Subhan Allah 


Sometimes I almost accidentally pick up the phone and dial her 


I trust that Allah rewards a person every time  they remember a loved one that they lost and practice patience 

Until then 

و لذكر الله اكبر

Isn't it so interesting that Zechariah (a), a healthy adult, couldn't speak for 3 days and then a few ayahs later, we read that Isa (a), a newborn baby, could speak clearly?

Has anyone reflected upon/compared these 2 events? I'd love to read your reflections and any lessons you can share.  JAK.

Why was Zachariah deprived of speech for 3 days? Does anyone know the spiritual lesson behind this? I am unaware of the context of his teachings/story so any explanation would be greatly appreciated jzk!

In addition to being from amongst the greatest woman of mankind, their is another hidden wisdom as to why Maryam AS is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran.

The Arabs of old, especially the elites amongst them (kings, noblemen, etc.) would never mention the names of their wives publicly because to them this was degrading to their honor as they held their wives too sacred to allow for their names to be on the tongues or ears of other men.  Instead they would refer to their wives in general terms that can also mean family, such as (ahl, 3iyal, etc)

We see in the quran other woman are referred to by their patronymic or 'kunya' such as the wife of Pharaoh aka Asya, or the mother of Musa AS, etc.  However with Maryam it is different. In almost every reference she is referred to by her name and not just her title, as the Mother of Jesus. That is because the Christians claim her to be the mother of the Son of God (AKA Jesus AS). This would entail that Allah SWT , far removed from this claim, took Maryam AS as a wife. So referring to her by name in every reference in the Quran adds additional emphasis that she is a servant of Allah SWT and nothing more. Knowing that the arab's did not see it problematic to refer to the female servants by name, unlike the case with their wives, this offered additional proof for those in doubt that Allah SWT never took for himself Maryam AS as a spouse, nor anyone for that matter.

Far removed is He from what they ascribe to Him.

Subhanallah so well thought out reflection, to me this is also proof of divine foreshadowing in a sense; Allah knew Isaa AS would be slandered by the christian presenting him as a god. Thereby by referring to Maryam AS  by her name it provides no room for misinterpretation of her as his wife, and establishes clarity on her role as a servant of Allah (as you mentioned at the time female servants were refered to by their names unlike wives called as per their status) and the mother of a prophet.

ماهانه اهدا کننده شوید