Faith through hardship; miracles of Allah
There is an entire surah in the Quran named after a woman. Not a prophet, not a king, but a woman whose faith was so extraordinary that Allah chose her above all the women of the worlds. Her name was Maryam, and her story is one of the most beautiful in all of the Quran. Tonight, we learn about her life, her devotion, and the miraculous birth of her son, Prophet Isa, peace be upon them both.
Maryam's story begins even before she was born. Her mother, Hannah, was a devout woman married to Imran. When Hannah became pregnant, she made a vow to Allah: "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated for Your service, so accept this from me." She intended to dedicate her child to the service of the temple.
When the baby was born, Hannah was surprised: "My Lord, I have delivered a female." She had expected a boy, because in those days, only boys served in the temple. But Allah had a greater plan. The Quran tells us: "And Allah is most knowing of what she delivered." Allah accepted the baby girl, Maryam, and granted her a beautiful upbringing.
The question arose: who would be Maryam's guardian at the temple? Many righteous men wanted the honor. In the end, it was Prophet Zakariyya (AS) who was chosen. He was an elderly prophet, wise and gentle, and he took the young Maryam under his care.
As Maryam grew, she devoted herself entirely to the worship of Allah. She had a special chamber in the temple, a mihrab, where she would pray and reflect. Her devotion was so intense that something miraculous began to happen. Whenever Zakariyya (AS) would visit her in her chamber, he would find food laid out before her, fruits that were out of season, provisions that no human hand had brought.
"O Maryam, from where is this coming to you?" he would ask in wonder.
She would answer simply: "It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account."
This scene so moved Zakariyya (AS) that it inspired him to make his own dua to Allah, asking for a child despite his old age. Allah granted him Yahya (John), but that is a story for another time.
As the years passed, Maryam's reputation for purity and devotion grew. She was known among her people as the devout one, the pure one, the one who lived for Allah alone. The Quran tells us that the angels themselves spoke to her: "O Maryam, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds. O Maryam, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow."
Then came the day that would change everything.
Maryam had withdrawn from her family to a place in the east, seeking solitude for worship. She placed a screen between herself and the world. And suddenly, there appeared before her a figure in the form of a perfect man.
She was startled and afraid. "Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you should be fearing of Allah," she said. Even in her surprise, her first instinct was to invoke Allah's protection.
The figure spoke: "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you news of a pure boy."
It was the angel Jibril (Gabriel), sent by Allah with an extraordinary announcement.
Maryam was bewildered. "How can I have a boy when no man has touched me, and I have not been unchaste?" she asked. This was a reasonable question, and it shows Maryam's intelligence and her pure character.
Jibril answered: "Thus it will be. 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 is a matter already decreed.'"
So Maryam conceived Isa (AS) by the command of Allah, with no father. This was a miracle, just as Adam (AS) had been created without parents at all. Allah who created the entire universe from nothing could certainly create a child without a father.
When the time of birth drew near, Maryam withdrew to a remote place. She came to the trunk of a palm tree, and the pain of labor overtook her. Alone, far from anyone who might comfort her, facing the most difficult moment of her life, she cried out: "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten!"
This is one of the most human, most vulnerable moments in the entire Quran. Maryam was in physical pain, she was afraid of what people would say, and she felt utterly alone. She wished she could simply disappear.
But she was not alone. Allah was with her, as He always had been.
A voice called out to her from below: "Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream." A stream of fresh water appeared at her feet. Then the voice told her: "And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be contented."
In her weakest moment, Allah provided for her. Water to drink, dates to eat, and comfort for her heart. The palm tree, which normally would require great strength to shake, bent its fruit to her at Allah's command.
Then came the instruction she dreaded: "And if you see any human being, say, 'Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful a fast, so I will not speak today to any human.'" She was to remain silent, no matter what people said.
Maryam returned to her people carrying the baby Isa. As she expected, they were shocked and cruel. "O Maryam, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented!" they accused. "O sister of Harun, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste!"
The accusations stung, but Maryam said nothing. She simply pointed to the baby.
The people laughed. "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle, a child?"
And then, one of the greatest miracles in history occurred. The baby Isa, still an infant in his mother's arms, spoke. His very first words were:
"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 am and has enjoined upon me prayer and charity as long as I remain alive. And He has made me dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born, and the day I will die, and the day I am raised alive."
A baby, speaking complete sentences of profound truth. The people stood in stunned silence. Every accusation against Maryam was answered not by her, but by her miraculous son, speaking by the power of Allah.
In the Shia tradition, Maryam holds a special place. She is considered one of the four greatest women who ever lived, along with Asiya (the wife of Pharaoh), Khadijah (the wife of Prophet Muhammad), and Fatima al-Zahra (AS) (the daughter of Prophet Muhammad). The parallel between Maryam and Fatima is particularly beautiful: both were women of extraordinary purity and devotion, both endured suffering and accusations from their communities, and both raised children who would carry divine messages to the world.
Imam Sadiq (AS) said that Maryam was called "Siddiqah," the truthful one, because she confirmed the truth that came from her Lord. This same title was given to Fatima al-Zahra (AS), showing the deep connection between these two blessed women.
The story of Maryam teaches us that faith does not protect you from difficulty. Maryam faced loneliness, physical pain, and cruel accusations from the very people she had served through her devotion. But her faith gave her the strength to endure, and Allah provided for her in ways she could never have imagined, a stream from nowhere, dates from a barren tree, a speaking infant to defend her honor.
Whatever difficulty you face tonight, remember Maryam under the palm tree. Remember that the darkest moments of your life can be the ones where Allah's mercy shines the brightest.
"Fa asharat ilayh, qalu kayfa nukallimu man kana fil-mahdi sabiyya. Qala inni 'abdullahi, ataniyal-kitaba wa ja'alani nabiyya" "So she pointed to him. They said, 'How can we speak to one who is in the cradle, a child?' He said, 'Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.'" -- Maryam (19:29-30)