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21-11-2024
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Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-Imran (3)- Lesson (12)- Verses [33-37]-
   
 
 
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful  
 

 Dear brother, this is our 12th lecture of Surat Al Imran, verse 33. Allah the Almighty has said:

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. (33) Offspring one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing. ﴿

[Al Imraan:33-34]

1- Allah chooses those who love him:

 Dear brother,
 He is absolutely wrong whomever believes that a creature's deed is meant to be because it is done by an act of Allah, and, consequently, no one would be guilty for whatever he does. This is wrong because Allah gives the human beings the freedom of choice; if they do well, they will get the best reward from Allah, but if they do wrong, they will be punished. Allah the Almighty chooses, but who does he choose? He chooses those who love Him, those who worship Him, those who are afraid of Him, those who beg for His mercy. But there must be a reason for a servant of Allah to be chosen, and this idea fills one's heart with optimism. Anywhere, anytime, any place, in any order, at any social level, in any position, as long as you love Allah, comply with his order and try to get closer to Him by serving His creations, you will be chosen one way or another. Allah may exalt you, raise your value, make you do good deeds, inspire you to say the truth, make you guide lots of people to be good believers, and this is a sort of selection, because Allah the Almighty when he addressed the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

﴾Have We not expanded for you your breast (1) And taken off from you your burden, (2) Which pressed heavily upon your back, (3) And exalted for you your esteem? (4) ﴿

[Al Shareh:1-4]

2- There must be a reason for election

 Scholars said: this applies to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and to every believer, according to his faith, his integrity and his dedication. You are an honorable and distinct creature. Allah made all what is in the skies and earth subservient to you, and you must do what makes you deserve to be elected one way or another. The door of prophecy is closed; similarly, the door of truthfulness is closed. After the Prophet, the sun never rose on a man better than Abu Bakr. However, the door of heroism is wide open till the Day of Resurrection. The door to be a great believer, the door to be a great benefactor, the door to know Allah, the door to be loved by Allah - this door is wide open to all creation.
 But Allah the Almighty shows in this verse the status of those elite, those peaks, the top of mankind, the prophets Allah has knowingly chosen. One is right when he says: “prophecy is a gift!” But let me tell you the truth about it.
 When a State has to appoint an ambassador in the most powerful country in the world, what characteristics must this ambassador have? He must have various kinds of knowledge: law, literature and sciences. Some countries require all three of these specializations. Moreover, he must speak a foreign language, and must be a descendent of a well known family. He must be elegant, intelligent, and he must and must and must, only because he will represent a nation, will speak for his nation, and will express a culture. When such a person is elected to be an ambassador in a great country, he must have qualifications that he has earned by his own effort, his studies, his interests, and his education. He must have gotten all this by his own personal effort. He was appointed because of all this. And once appointed, he shall be granted wide powers, a diplomatic portfolio, blank checks and so many advantages. This is a gift. This is exactly what he has been chosen for: his superiority in terms of his three specializations.
 Therefore, it is a pure illusion to say that any person could be chosen by Allah to be a prophet.

﴾Surely Allah chose ﴿

3- To elect is to select and chose

 To elect is to select from among His creatures. He selected from among millions of distinctive people. He selected a man who loves Him, obeys Him, gives His creatures, and gets closer to Him. This is how prophets truly are. Allah knowingly chose them; He chose them from among all of His creatures because they are the top, because they are the height of human perfection, because they are all love, all devotion, all goodness, and all wisdom. Selection must be based upon an optional part as well as an acquired one. We chose them knowingly. The sole word "chose" means what I said. Allah chose from among the sons of Adam prophet Adam. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, says in some of his Hadiths:

((There is no pride, Adam and those (prophets) who came afterwards are under my flag the Day of Resurrection))

 This means that Prophet Adam is in a very, very high rank.

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam﴿

4- Adam, the first human being on earth:

 Adam is the first human being on earth; he has no father, no mother, and therefore Allah has raised him. He lodged him in Heaven, and forbade him to approach this tree. But the cursed Satan came and tempted him to eat from this tree, when neither lies nor hypocrisy had existed!

﴾But the Shaitan made an evil suggestion to him; he said: O Adam! Shall I guide you to the tree of immortality and a kingdom which decays not? ﴿

[Taha:120]

 and Adam believed him.

﴾And Adam disobeyed his Lord﴿

[Taha:121]

 In another verse:

﴾And certainly We gave a commandment to Adam before, but he forgot; and We did not find in him any determination. ﴿

[Taha:115]

 … over sin. He begged Allah for forgiveness, and Allah granted him His indulgence. But, He evicted him out of Heaven not to punish him but to teach a lesson all of His creatures who will come after him (Adam), because Allah originally said:

﴾And when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place a successor in Earth﴿

[Al Baqara:130]

 Allah evicted Adam out of Heaven for a pure educational wisdom… As if He wanted to Adam to be a lesson for all the sons of Adam, and to teach them that Satan, who was behind the eviction of their parents from heaven, is their enemy.

 Brother:

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh﴿

[Al Imraan:33]

 After Adam, sh3er besides Allah were worshiped on Earth. Noah was the first prophet sent to humans who had fallen into polytheism. After came the family of Ibrahim, Ibrahim the father of prophets; our Prophet, peace be upon him, is from his descendants.

 Abu Umama said: I said,

"O Prophet of Allah, what was your very first beginning? He said: “the prayer of my father Ibrahim, the prophecy of Jesus, and my mother saw a light come out of her that lit up
Sham’s palaces".

[Ahmad]

"I am the prayer of my father Ibrahim, and the prophecy of Jesus."

[Al Mustadrak ]

﴾Our Lord! and raise up in them a messenger from among them who shall reauthor to them Thy communications and teach them the Book and the wisdom ﴿

[Al Baqara:129]

"I am the prayer of my father Ibrahim, and the prophecy of Jesus."

[Al Mustadrak ]

 So Ibrahim is the Father of the Prophets.

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran﴿

[Al Imraan:33]

Today's story is the story of Imran.

 I want to reiterate that the selection means that the reason one is elected is partly due to the person himself. This gained part does not deny however that the prophecy is a gift; it is actually a gift built on the selection, and the selection is based on the acquisitions as I previously indicated in the ambassador example.

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. ﴿

[Al Imraan:33]

 If I want to expand on the meaning of the selection: it means that if any faithful brother achieves a superiority in the knowledge of Allah, and is very keen to obey Him, and gives from what Allah has granted him either through knowledge, money, prestige, wisdom, experience, or any similar gifts, he will definitely feel acceptance and dignity from Allah. It is impossible that you work to get closer to Him and He does not reward you, or honor you, or grant you special treatment that makes you feel that He loves you! You may call this selection, as some scholars have said.

﴾And exalted for you your esteem? ﴿

[Al Shareh:1-4]

 This is addressed to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and every obedient faithful, loving, penitent believer has his share of this verse!

Faith generates high vigor

 If you want to be distinct, if you want Allah to grant you a certain knowledge, to teach you what you do not know, that his grace on you be great… If you want Him to give you a fluent tongue to bring people to get to know Allah even more; if you want Him to give you money to spend for Allah’s sake; if you want Him to grant you prestige to protect the weak believers with; if you want Him to grant a good deed that wipes the tears of the helpless; if you want Him to grant you a great deed allowing you to save His believing servants, be sure that the door is wide open. There are doors that are shut by the text of the Koran, but there are still open ones. It has been said in the Hadith that faith generates high vigor.
 In the field of education if a student wanted to pass the exam only, he says: I want the minimum required marks, and most of the time he does not pass. But when a student seeks excellence, he might pass and succeed. The same applies to you. If you want to be behind the door of Heaven, you may not enter it. But if you want to be ambitious, with the transcendent, may Allah have mercy of us and accept us all.
 I want you, brother, to feel that the doors of Allah's mercy are always open, and have nothing to do with countries, environment, society, and nature. The doors of Allah’s mercy are open to believing servants, and at any time. If you believe Allah, you shall see something incredible. If a Moslem works to get closer to Allah, Allah will grant him grace in return and he, and everyone around him, will see it. This honor, this dignity, this special treatment, these good deeds that you were able to do thanks to Allah, this logic you speak, this good work you did by an act of Allah, or the loving people who surround you, all this is in your hands and depends on you, provided that you submit to Allah what qualifies you to win His gift.

 I have never seen greater manners than the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, when he asked Allah to grant him what makes him deserve His mercy and His forgiveness. Allah is merciful to all His creatures. However, if you want His mercy you have to pay for it and its price is that you come back to Allah, to duly perform all the worships. Its price is to obey the Sole Judge. Its price is to be good with His creatures. This is the price of Allah's mercy.

 Now back to the selection issue. I already explained that there are two parts for a selection. The first one is earned and the other one is given. We chose this particular person among the pioneers, the very best, and we gave him wide authorities. These authorities are given, while the selection has been made on the earned part. However, the narrow selection is that Allah selected the prophets and the door was closed, while the wide selection is that one must be distinct. Look at a man who spent his entire life in total obedience to Allah. Look at how he looks at such an old age!
 I once visited a scholar in a northern city. No king in his palace looked greater than that man. This is how things work: if a person spends his life in obedience to Allah, if he spends his life guiding people to Allah, if he spent his life getting closer to Allah, he shall be given special treatment, and will get a significant position. At ninety-seven years old, one of the Damascus' late scholars, may Allah grant him His mercy, looked so healthy with sharp sight and hearing and all of his teeth. When asked about the reason behind such good health he said: "My son, we maintained it at a young age, so Allah has fulfilled his vow to us in old age". He who lives piously remains strong. You shall be given exceptions in health, in reputation, in living, and in social life. You are loved because Allah said:

﴾Thus it is due to mercy from Allah﴿

[Al Imraan:159]

 You dealt with them gently so they came around you.

﴾And had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you ﴿

[Al Imraan:159]

 If you get closer to Allah your heart will be filled with mercy, you become softer and people come around you. But if you move away from Him your heart will become ruthless and tough and people will move away. This is a law! A one hundred percent mathematical equation. Now what do we have to do with this verse?

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. ﴿

[Al Imraan:33]

5- Adam is the first human being on earth:

 One may ask: What is my relation to this verse? A strong relation indeed! When one behaves contrarily to the public behavior:

﴾And if you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you astray from Allah's way; they follow but conjecture and they only lie﴿

[Al Anaam:116]

 Where do people spend their nights? What do they talk about in their meetings? What do they eat in their feasts? Women and men attending mixed gatherings, telling cheap jokes, malicious looks, mean comments, money earned through forbidden ways, sinful relations: that does not please Allah . If you belong to the public, you shall bear what the public will be charged with. But if you are afraid while the sh3er rest assured, if you obey while the sh3er disobey, if you pray at night while the sh3er are sleeping, if you lower your eyes while the sh3er open wide theirs, if you watch your language while the sh3er speak freely, if you control your senses while the sh3er fall, you shall get a special treatment from above. Allah will honor you and select you, if you wish to call it selection.
 Once I met a butcher. I respect all professions, because each profession that provides a service is acceptable to Allah. This butcher belonged to the generation of one great scholar who studied the Quran and was a butcher himself. The butcher told me jokingly: “This great scholar was once my colleague.” I said: “But the difference is quite significant between you two!”

 There is a big difference between being a great scholar of the Quran, spending your whole life reading the Quran, teaching the Quran, explaining the regulations of the Quran, and being a professional who works to make a living. One must be superior and distinct.
 Why do people want a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, a higher income, and the most beautiful office? People compete with their houses, their vehicles, their spending, their parties, their celebrations, even with their sorrows. One would say: five hundred cars followed the funeral! He says it proudly. He would even say: the grave costs a lot of money. Even when their beloved ones pass away, people manage to be proud. Why can we not compete when it comes to the afterlife? Why do we not seek transcendence in the afterlife? The door of superiority is open till the Day of Resurrection, and this is the meaning of:

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. (33) Offspring one of the other﴿

[Al Imraan:33-34]

1- The meaning of the verse:

 The same properties, same nature, same potential - and if they were not the same, the assignment would be meaningless. How could we be charged with what we cannot afford? What does Allah say?

﴾Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability﴿

[Al Baqara:286]

 All of what Allah ordered us to do is within our capacity. This is the meaning of: “Offspring one of the other.”

2- The Prophet is human and has all the qualities of human beings:

 Unless the Prophet was human and, therefore, had all the qualities of human being, he would not be the master of mankind. If he does not feel hungry as we do, gets scared as we do, desires as we do, if he did not triumph over his humanity, he would not have become the master of mankind!
Anas said: The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, said:

((I was scared in the way of Allah, and no one was as scared. I was abused in the way of Allah, and no one was as hurt. And I spent over thirty days and nights, with no food a man could eat but what Bilal’s armpit could hide)).

[Sunan al-Tirmidhi]

 And when he was persecuted in Taif, he said, peace be upon him:

((... If You are not angry with me, I do not care about anything no matter what. But Your wellness is broader for me. I seek refuge in the light of Your face from sending Your anger down on me, or hitting me with Your wrath. You can punish me until You are satisfied, and there is no strength (to obey You) and no deviation (from sins) except by You)).

[Tabaraani Abdullah bin Jafar]

Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqas said: I said:

((O Messenger of God, which people are tested the most? He said:
"The Prophets, then the lesser then the lesser. One is tested according to the strength of his religion (faith). If his religion was solid, he would be tested more severely, but if his religion is weak, he would be tested accordingly. The scourge sticks to Allah’s servant until it completely purifies him from all sin.))

[Bukhari, Tirmidhi, and the wording is his]

 There are calamities in life that one must unavoidably suffer. Calamities are very tight for prophets. (In the battle of the Trench) Islam was about to be over in a few moments! A matter of an hour may be. The religion would have ended in the trench! One of those who was with the Prophet even said: “Your companion promised us to conquer the countries of Caesar and Kisra, while none of us dare even to go to fulfill a (natural) urgent need!!!” It is as if he denied the prophecy of the Prophet. There, the believers were tried and they were shaken severely. There must be a test!

﴾Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried? (2) And certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly know those who are true and He will certainly know the liars. ﴿

[Al Aankabout:2-3]

 "My Imam, shall we pray Allah to test us or to strengthen us? He said: “You will not be strong until you are tested”. The believer has to accept that there is a test, and that there are calamities that he must undergo, and that there are severities either moral, financial or related to his health. One could be tested in his health, his money, his parents, or in his inner circle! Will he be patient? One must be patient, and patience is highly ranked, because its reward is unlimited!

﴾only the patient will be paid back their reward in full without measure. ﴿

[Az Zumar:10]

 When you read it, this verse gives you goosebumps. When Allah talks about an honorable Prophet and says:

﴾surely We found him patient ﴿

[Sa’ad:44]

 Is there a man with no problem? If he has a problem and shows patience, he will be highly ranked by Allah. “Surely We found him patient”.

When you read this verse:

﴾And (of) Ibrahim who fulfilled (the commandments) ﴿

[An Najm:37]

 If you go to the House of Allah (Makkah), and promise obedience to Him, and keep your promise when you are back home, don’t you feel indescribably happy? You may lose the world, you may lose some of the world, but you will surely win yourself and your afterlife. You will be one of the winners!

﴾Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. (33) Offspring one of the other and Allah is Hearing, Knowing. ﴿

[Al Imraan:33-34]

The story of the woman of Imran:

 Here is a story for you, brother:

﴾When the woman of Imran said: ﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

 Her husband is the father of Mary, and the grandfather of Jesus, peace be upon him. The wife of Imran said:

﴾My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me, surely Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

1- My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me.

 A child must be subservient to the religion:
 We all must follow the example of this great woman! She wanted to submit what was in her womb to Allah. She envisioned a baby boy who will be subservient to Allah’s creatures, who will preach people to submit to Allah’s orders. How many Muslim fathers are mainly concerned that their sons be Muslim Scholars, or one of the sincere preachers? His concern is that his son becomes a doctor or an engineer, to be handsome, with high income - to walk alongside his half naked wife! Only then he shall be proud of him. He says: “This is my son, and this is his wife!” How many Moslems wish that their son becomes a scholar, a great scholar, or a great preacher? Have you ever heard a Moslem praying: "O Lord: I vow this son to You?”

 I heard a story about some righteous man that touched me. A righteous man of this town chose one of his intelligent sons and told him: “Your share of your father’s trade is equal to your brother’ shares, but I selected you to serve this religion, and you will have your share in full. The son is still alive and still in the service of Moslems and righteous scholars!

 Is there a father who offers his son? I swear to Allah I envy every father with a child either a male or a female, and the female may be better than male. This is mentioned in the Quran! This child can be a great scholar, a great preacher, a great social reformer, a man with a big, warm heart. Take good care of your child, as Paradise’ doors could be wide open to you through this child. Take him with you to the mosque. Take good care of his health, his food and drink, his religion, his culture, and his education. Take care of his future. When you work for your son to in the service of the truth and its followers, you are definitely one of the happiest people on earth!
 So this woman said:

﴾My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service ﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

 Do you have a son with high qualifications? A son who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English? Can you translate some Islamic books into foreign languages? Hundreds of millions are lost and astray, and they all need to be preached to and guided. You may find that the Islamic library needs English Islamic books! A translator seeks profit and never thinks about showing the truth to other nations. But if you master a foreign language, you can use it to serve the truth. If you have money, spend it to serve the truth. If you are in a senior position, use your power to do justice to the weak and the poor!
 Everyone has some special feature, and all these features are ways to Allah. I repeat and say: you can reach Heaven no matter what good deed you have done to enter it.
Offer something to Allah:
 You may find a man whose main concern is to build mosques. He only worries about sand, cement, etc… Such a man will enter Paradise through its widest door. How would we be gathered here if it was not for those who built this mosque and its facilities? One chose to build mosques, another one turned to worship, another writes books, another takes care of the poor and needy, and sh3er give health care to patients. The gates of Paradise are wide open for just everyone, provided that you carry a legitimate job with high intention. Heaven is all yours! Beware of thinking that only preachers are allowed to Heaven. No. It is for the physician who truthfully treats Moslems; it is for the engineer who builds houses for young believers; it is for the lawyer who sincerely defends the truth; it is for the merchant who offers goods at a moderate price to all Moslems; it is for the teacher who teaches our children; it is for the educator who well-breeds our daughters. It is for such people, provided that your job is legal and performed by legitimate means, and that by doing it you seek to content yourself, your family and your children, and to serve the Moslems, and provided that it does not distract you from a duty or a worship. This way, your job will turn into worship. Religion is realistic, and this religion is a religion of life.

﴾My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me, surely Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

 Give something to Allah Almighty - your experience, your profession, your specialization. If you are a lawyer, offer your expertise to the oppressed poor. If you are a doctor, treat poor patients. If you are rich donate from your money. If you are a scholar offer your knowledge. If you are an expert offer your expertise. It is all about giving. Give something. I heard about a woman who was diagnosed with an incurable illness, a brain tumor. She vowed that if Allah healed her, she would put herself in the service of Moslems. Allah healed her, but she was a poor woman, so she began to make delicious food, sell it to the rich, and distribute the income on the poor. She only mastered the art of cooking and this art turned into a path to Heaven!
I was once at the airport and I saw each passenger heading to a gate. that inspired me that every person has an exit gate out of this world! Can you wake up every day and find yourself as good as you were the day before till who knows when? This is impossible, otherwise how would people die? One wakes up with something in his body that was not there before. He consulted one, two, three doctors, and made an analysis, x-ray, echo ... The case seemed serious, and after a while came the obituary! That is an exit gate. Everyone has his own exit gate, but if we were heroes, we would turn the exit gate into a gate to Heaven. We must! All creatures die, and only Allah the Graceful and Supreme lasts. Dawn will break, no matter how long the night was, and we will descend to the grave, no matter how long our life was.
 This woman of Imran said:

﴾My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service ﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

 The Prophet is the pride of his good nation:
 How many kids are there in the streets? Street children insult the religion, speak about forbidden matters, viciously beat their friends, say words one can not tolerate to hear. Is this an Islamic education? I never believe, not for a second, that when the Prophet said:

((Marry the loving fertile woman, I will boast about you before the Prophets on the Day of Resurrection.))

[Ahmad from Anas]

 He would ever be proud of such a nation!
 He would be proud of believers, of believing youngsters, of believing children. The children of the Prophet's companions were very polite and intelligent, and they loved Allah and His Messenger.

We want young people like those:

 Once, the Prince of the believers, Omar Bin Al Khattab, was walking in Madina when he saw a group of children. When the children saw him, they dispersed except for one boy who stayed there very politely and did not escape! Omar addressed him: "Hey boy, why did you not run away with those who fled?" He replied: "O prince, you are not unfair, so I fear your injustice, and I am not guilty, so I fear your punishment. Moreover, the path is large enough for both of us!" And so were the companions' children.

 A delegation led by a ten year old boy visited Caliph Omar bin Abdul Aziz to congratulate him for the succession. When the Caliph saw the boy he got angry and said to him: "Sit down, and let speak he who is older than you." The boy replied: "Allah may redeem the Prince! One is valued with his heart and tongue. If Allah gives a servant a speaking tongue and a memorizing heart, he would deserve to speak. But if things are valued with their size as you said, O prince, there would have been in this nation someone who deserves this chair more than you do." Those were the words of a ten year old child!
 Another delegation from the desert was introduced to Abdul-Malik bin Marwan. Seized by anger he said to his usher: "Whomever wants to get in is allowed to! Even the boys!" The child interfered: "O Prince, my presence does not denigrate you, but it honors me! We were hit by a year that melted the fat, another one ate the meat (they became all skin and bones), and another one weakened the bones, and you have extra money. If it is for Allah, we are His servants, so give it to us as a charity. If it is for us, why do you keep away from us? If it is yours, give it to us as a charity." The Caliph said: "This boy left us with no excuse."
 Listen to what our children say after they leave. See how they act. Very painful indeed!

 Is there a home with no children? Why does the father not take the woman of Imran as an example and say: "Lord, I vow this boy to you"? Why does he not take care of him? Why does he not take him to the mosque? Why does he not pray as an imam with him? Why does he not teach him the Quran? Why does he not teach him to love the Prophet? Why does he not raise him in obedience to Allah? Why does he stay away from him? Why does he let him wander in the streets where he learns nothing but obscenities? I want the Quran to be the discipline of our life. What is the value of this story if we keep it away from our life?

﴾My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me, surely Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

1- Devoted

 "Devoted" means free from any stain and seeks nothing except for Allah's sake. But most parents say: “I am saving my child till when I am old! He will help me when I grow old”. A child is very important in life indeed, but parents seek this life through their children, not the afterlife! If they seek the afterlife, the world will come to them. But if one seeks the present life, his child may get a high degree, travel, get married abroad, call his family by phone once a year, and never come back! There are disobedient children.

2- Accept from me

 Brother,

﴾Accept therefore from me﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

 She offered what was in her womb to Allah Almighty and said:

﴾Accept therefore from me, surely Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing﴿

[Al Imraan:35]

 This lady, the woman of Imran, thought she would give birth to a son and put him in the temple to worship Allah and serve His creatures. But when the child was born and she realized that she gave birth to a female, she said:

﴾My Lord! Surely I have brought it forth a female ﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

1- A woman's task is huge:

 There is a difference, of course. Men can go out and mingle with people and none would say a word about him. But when it comes to women, things are different. Allah honored the woman and assigned her a different task.

﴾And stay in your houses﴿

[Al Ahzab:33]

 Remember, woman, and learn well that if a woman fulfills her duties towards her husband, this is equal to the Jihad for the sake of Allah! Jihad, as you know, is the pinnacle of Islam! And Allah honored women with a particular role. He honored her and charged her with the same worship, but he gave her a sort of specialization: to take care of her husband and children. Men have another role; a man worships Allah, works, and meets with people. But a woman's worship is different: the more she keeps her charms and body unrevealed to the eyes of men, the stronger her religion is. What does a Muslim woman do? She contributes to keep young people chaste by wearing large dresses. And what does a vicious woman do? She contributes to exauthor instincts. How many young men looked at her and became addicted to masturbation for example? How many young men looked at such a woman and fornicated with another? A Muslim woman has a worship that makes her distinct from other women- it is that every single inch of her clothes is closely related to her religion; the larger her dress is, the higher she is in Allah's eyes.

 The woman of Imran thought that a boy would make her wish in life come true. But when she delivered a female, she said:

﴾My Lord! Surely I have brought it forth a female ﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

1- The meaning of the verse:

 Some scholars said: Allah, the Almighty, knows what she gave birth to, how can she said "I gave birth to a female"? How can she say that and Allah knows best what she delivered? It is Him who created the child in her womb. This is one meaning.

 The more evolved meaning is that Allah reassured her that although she was a female, there will be prophets from her offspring, as Christ, peace be upon him. You may have a female and never know that she may give birth to a son who will fill the earth with knowledge.

 A man married shortly after the Prophecy. When he saw the woman, she disappointed him, and he did not like her at all. When the woman realized that he was not happy, she said to him: "You never know, goodness could be inherent in evil. If you see I am evil, goodness may be inherent in me."

 The story goes as follows: The next day he left home and wandered in the world. Twenty years later, he came back to Madina and entered the mosque to pray. He saw many believers sitting down around a young scholar. When he asked who the young man is, he found out that he is his son! He approached him and asked him to tell his mother that goodness may be inherent in evil. When she heard it, she told her son that the man is his father.

 One would never know that if he gave birth to a daughter she may bring to life a boy who fills the world with knowledge, or wisdom or justice. When someone asks me about abortion before 40 days of pregnancy, I say "Maybe this child you are trying to get rid of would be the best for you from all of your children! A child is a gift from Allah the Almighty."

Allah knew best what she brought forth-- and the male is not like the female

﴾and Allah knew best what she brought forth-- and the male is not like the female﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

 And Allah knew best what she brought forth and the male is not like the female
 You must have the intention of good faith. That is all you have to do. Allah will take care of the rest.

﴾ and Allah knew best what she brought forth﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

 Then she said:

﴾and the male is not like the female﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

 Scholars differed also in this. Some of them said : It means "O Lord, I want him to be a male so he will be at your service in the temple, teach people their religion, and be of service to the righteous. But it is female." There is another explanation: "A female could be better than a male"

﴾and the male is not like the female﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

Each creature has his own qualities:

﴾and I have named it Mariam﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

 “Mariam” means the worshiper.

﴾and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Shaitan﴿

[Al Imraan:36]

The Sunnah about the wedding night:

 Ibn Abbas said: the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

"If someone comes to his woman and says "In the name of Allah. O Allah keep the devil away from us and the children you shall give us", and then a child is born, the devil can never harm him."

[Agreed upon]

 If you say this prayer, you will have a child who shall please you if you look at him, and he or she will be the reason for your joy. Do not forget to pray to Allah on your wedding night, otherwise you may have a child with some devilish tendency. He may get into trouble every day, or get arrested at the police station, or everyone complains about him… On the other hand, there are children with such a good reputation.

﴾So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing﴿

[Al Imraan:37]

1- Nothing on earth is more precious than a chaste and believing daughter

 Nothing is more valuable than a believing daughter.

﴾and made her grow up a good growing﴿

[Al Imraan:37]

 A pure, chaste, shy, and faithful daughter who waits for a believing husband, and will be content with him.

﴾So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance﴿

[Al Imraan:37]

 You may do something seeking Allah's favor only and Allah does not accept it from you. He who put a morsel of food in his wife's mouth will see it as big as Uhud mountain the Day of Resurrection.
 Anas Ibn malek said: the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((If a youngster honors an old man in respect to his age, Allah will guarantee someone to honor him when he grow old.))

[Tirmidhi]

﴾So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zakariya﴿

[Al Imraan:37]

2- The greatest thing is to have a chaste home

 The greatest thing is to have a chaste home, chaste daughters, chaste sons, a coherent family, and a family that loves Allah - a family of good reputation. One never hears evil about such a family. This is one of Allah's favors. One would say: I lived eighty years and no-one ever speaks evil about my son. That is because he raised him well.

So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing,

﴾So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zakariya﴿

[Al Imraan:37]

 A graceful prophet took good care of her.

﴾whenever Zakariya entered the sanctuary to (see) her, he found with her food. He said: O Marium! whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure. (37) ﴿

[Al Imraan:37]

 We shall continue in another lesson, if Allah wills.
 What I want from you is to understand each verse in a practical way, to never stop asking yourself: "What is my duty towards this verse? What benefit would I obtain by reading it?" Your duty is to offer some of your children, some of your specialization, some of your profession, some of your knowledge, some of your expertise to Allah. To give something for Allah's sake only.
A brother dentist told me that a poor woman who works in the field of education came to his clinic to fix her teeth. When she heard about the cost, she apologized and went away. "I insisted, the dentist said, to fix her teeth, and I never felt happier. I did not take any fee, which was, by the way, quite expensive." He never felt happier because he did something for Allah's sake only. Her teeth were funny and made her relatives laugh at her. But when he fixed them, Allah filled his heart with happiness. Is there anyone with no profession? Can't you allocate a part of your profession for Allah's sake? A favor maybe to his good servants? Either a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, a merchant, a farmer, everyone has a qualification and can give some of it to Allah taking the woman of Imran as an example.

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