Written by Khalid A. Mansour,
Al-Qassim,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Prophets Stories:
Indeed if it had not been for Muhammad (Peace be upon him), we would
not have known the true stories of prophets as they took place. This is
because their stories were distorted and corrupted before Muhammad's (peace
be upon him) mission. The resulting versions did not respect the dignity
and infallibility of the prophets. For example, the corrupted books of
the Jews narrate a story of a prophet who drank alcohol and committed
adultery with his own daughter; of a prophet who worshiped idols after
marrying a pretty young idol-worshiper. This is a false, confused, and
misguided mentality, which lies about Allah and His messengers.
In the books of the Christian, There is a contrary attitude which almost
a reaction to the first (of the Jews). The Christians glorified their
prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) to the degree that most of their sects
call him the son of Allah. Allah is high above that!
One of the stories mentioned in the Qur'an is The
story of Jesus (peace be upon him). We call him ISA.
The Story of Jesus
(peace be upon him):
In many verses of the Glorious Qur'an Allah the Exalted denied the claim
of Christian that he has a son. A delegation from Najran came to the prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). They began to talk about their claim about
the Trinity, which is that Allah is three in one, the Father, Son, and
the Holy Spirit, with some disagreement among their sects. That is why
Allah affirmed in many verses of the Qur'an that Jesus (peace be upon
him) is a slave of Allah, whom He molded in the womb of his mother like
any other of His creatures, and that He created him without a father,
as He created Adam without a father or a mother.
Mary, the Jesus' mother:
`Ali ibn Abi-Talib narrated that prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Said: "The best of the world's women is Mary (in her lifetime), and the
best of the world's women is Khadijah (in her lifetime)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
Also, Abou Mosa Al-Ash`ari narrated that the prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) said: "Many among men attained perfection, but among women none
attained perfection except Mary the daughter of `Imran, and `Asiya the
wife of Pharaoh; and superiority of `Aisha to other women is like the
superiority of Tharid (an Arabic dish) to other meals."
And for her story is as follows, Allah the almighty said:
<< Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of
`Imran above the `Alamin (mankind and jinn) (off their times). Offspring,
one of the other, and Allah is the All-Hearer, All-Knower.
(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 works; 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 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 Mary, and
I seek refuge with You (Allah) For her and for her offspring from Satan,
the outcast."
So her Lord (Allah) accept her with goodly acceptance. He made her
grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zechariah. Every time
he entered Al-Mihrab ( a praying place or a private room), he found her
supplied with sustenance.
He said: "O Mary! Frome where have you got this?"
She said: "From Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He
wills, without limit.">> (Surah 3: 33-37)
Hannah - Mary's mother and married to `Imran, a leader of the Israelites.
She remained childless for along time. So she turned to Allah pleaded
with Him for a child. She would offer the child in the service of Allah's
house, in the temple of Jerusalem. Allah granted her request. When she
learned she was pregnant she was happy and thanked Allah for His gift
and so did her husband `Imran. However, while she was pregnant, her husband
passed away.
When she delivered the child, it was a girl. So, she had a big problem
reference to Allah, for females were not accepted into the temple, and
she was very worried. Her sister's husband, Zachariah, comforted her,
saying that Allah knew best what she had delivered and appreciated fully
what she had offered in His service. Therefore, she handed the baby over
to the temple elders.
When they took the baby, there was disagreement on who would be the guardianship
of her. Zachariah said that he would be more mindful of her than all for
he the husband of her maternal aunt. So they , as their custom in disputing,
drew lots to solve the disagreement. Each one was given a reed to through
into river. All the reed sank in the bottom except Zachariah's. With this
sign, they all surrendered to the will of Allah and Zachariah obtained
Mary's guardianship.
To ensure that no one had an access to Mary, Zachariah built a separate
room for her. She grew in devotion to Allah and Zacharaiah visited her
daily to see her needs. This continued for many years and one day when
he entered the room, he found a fresh fruit which out of season. As he
the only person who can enter the room, he asked her how the fruit got
there. She replied that these are provision from Allah, as He gives to
whom He wills. Zachariah understood by that Allah had raised Mary's status
above that of other women. Mary grew to be a devotee of Allah, glorifying
Him day and night.
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