Notes on Surat Maryam

When Maryam, alayhas-salaam, was in her room learning about and worshipping Allah in a state of relative ease she was granted fruits that were out of season.

When she was desperate, in the throes of despair and struggle, her relief was withheld until she shook the tree.

When we are in a state of relative ease, Allah may test us with extra bounties. Allah says in the Qur’an, “As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honor and bounties, then he says: My Lord has honored me. But when He tries him, by constricting his means of life he says: “My Lord has humiliated me,” (89:15-16).

Oftentimes when we are in struggle, we think, “What have I done to deserve this?” “This is so unfair.” “When will the relief of Allah come?” As parents, we want to quickly fix and help our children when they are struggling. “Let me help you with your shoelaces. Oh, the zipper is stuck? Let me get that.”

I was speaking to a friend and we were sharing our hajj stories- how these invitations came when we least expected them. We did not intentionally set our minds to performing hajj and yet it was gifted to us from Al-Wahhab (The Bestower of Gifts)- it was a fruit out of season for us. She told me the last time she had performed hajj was ten years ago and every year after that, she would make the intention to perform umrah. For whatever reason, it wouldn’t happen, except for this year when she was able to visit the House of Allah, azza wa jal, once again.

Her striving, her sai’, her ten years of patience knowing that she may not understand Allah’s wisdom, but there was definitely wisdom behind it, made her appreciate the fruit so much more. It made her focus on not losing a single opportunity for worship and helping others struggling to please Allah (swt). Csikszentmihalyi writes, "The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."

Imagine how much sweeter the water and dates were to Maryam (as) because she had to work for it. Because her struggle was so real and so painful, the relief was also extraordinary. Sometimes Allah breaks us and withholds the bounty so we can become stronger slaves in our worship to Him. Sometimes we withhold helping our children so they can become capable, independent adults. Sometimes the bounty is withheld so we can appreciate the value behind it.

No matter our outside circumstances, we need to internally reflect on whether or not our relationship with Allah remains constant. Zakariya (as) was gifted with Yahya (as). He was shocked and elated and he was told to take an oath of silence. Maryam (as) was gifted with Isa (as) and feared the reaction of her people. She was also told to take an oath of silence. Their outside forms of worship were the same even though they were going through two markedly different emotions. They didn’t allow their emotional states to dictate their actions-

“But as for him/her who feared standing before his/her Lord and restrained him/herself from his/her whims, their abode will be the Garden,” (79:30).

May Allah allow us to master our emotions and grant us relief from our tribulations with a constant trajectory of earning His pleasure.

Then your hearts became hardened after that…

"Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder. For indeed, there are stones from which rivers burst forth, and there are some of them that split open and water comes out, and there are some of them that fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do," (2:74).

This beautiful verse in the Qur'an is filled with so many gems. In it, we see Allah comparing our hearts to rocks. Allah describes the potential of our hearts as rivers bursting forth. In order for the breakthrough to happen though there must exist that initial breaking. The fall. The cleaving and the splitting. That's hard to internalize when one goes through hardship. And it's only usually in retrospect that we understand the wisdom behind the hardship. But, look at what happens after the fall- there is a burst, a gush, a newer and better you.

Many of us have heard the phrase "Be like water." Usually, it conjures up traits like flexibility, steadiness, and consistency. Yet oftentimes we neglect the other attributes that water provides. Water polishes and cleanses. It also renews through hydration and sustains us. What are we doing to hydrate our spiritual hearts? To nourish and sustain us, to cushion our fall when we break? The third group that Allah describes, "there are some that fall down for fear of Allah." This last group is described with no water and they fall from their lofty heights, humbled in front of their Lord. I pray that Allah blesses us with hearts that race to do good and as our internal river gushes forth, it picks up our family members, friends, and allies along the way. May Allah make us amongst them!

What does your sa'i look like?

What does your sa'i look like? We all know how deflated it feels when we work out for weeks and see that the scale isn't budging. For parents, we know the difficulty in course correcting a particular behavior in our kids only to see them continue doing it. For students, you may be spending hours on an exam and the "A" goes to the student who barely lifts a finger. We all feel those moments of deflation that either a) stall our efforts or b) make us give up completely. This is an opening for truly understanding Allah's mercy and justice. How heavy the effort on the Day of Judgment when you tell Allah that you tried your best to take care of the trust you were given in your body. How beautiful the reward when Allah shows you the mountains of good deeds due to the sa'i in raising your kids with good manners. How weighty your studying will be on that Day as you forewent sleep and pleasure for the sake of excelling and gaining knowledge. I love this verse from the Qur'an:

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُمْ مَشْكُورًا

And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it accordingly, and is a true believer, it is they whose striving will be appreciated, (Isra'a, v. 19).

Mashkoorah- Allah appreciates your striving, your effort, your pursuit for excellence.

To my persistent strivers, do not give up. Allah not only accounts for your good deeds, He, azza wa jal, is appreciative and thankful for them. What a blessed honor.

"Had Allah lifted the veil for his slave and shown him how He handles his affairs for him, and how Allah is more keen for the benefit of the slave than his own self, his heart would have melted out of the love for Allah and would have been torn to pieces out of thankfulness to Allah. Therefore if the pains of this world tire you, do not grieve. For it may be that Allah wishes to hear your voice by way of Dua'a. So pour out your desires in prostration and forget about it and know; that verily Allah does not forget it," Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya

Ashura is closely approaching

Assalaamu Alaykum everyone! Ashura is closely approaching and it is recommended that we fast the day of Ashura as well as a day before it or after it. There are many occasions in Islamic history that happened on the day of Ashura and fasting these two days erases the sins of the previous year.

One of the most awe-inspiring occurrences that took place in Ashura was the Exodus; Musa leading Bani Israel to the Red Sea as Fir'awn and his soldiers are at their heels. It feels as if failure is imminent, ahead of them is the Red Sea and behind them are men intent on killing them. Bani Israel's response is a common one of despair, "Surely, we will be overtaken!"

How does Musa respond?
Musa says, "Kalla!" "No!" "Inna ma'aya Rabbee, sayyahdeen"- Indeed, I have my Lord; He will guide me."

What an amazing response, there is no fear. No anxiety. It's a complete conviction in Allah's plan. However, did Musa always have this innate confidence or did it develop over time?

The first time Musa (as) meets Allah (swt), Allah commands Musa to throw down his staff and it becomes this huge, living, snake. Musa responds in a way most of us would- he flees and does not return. Allah reassures him by saying, "Do not be afraid. We will return it to its original form." Here, we see the physical manifestation of Musa's fear.

When Allah (swt) commands Musa to speak to Fir'awn, we see Musa's internal fears manifest themselves. Musa explains to his Lord all of his anxiety, "I am afraid they will kill me." "I am afraid they will deny the message." "Aide me with Haroon, he is better in speech." Allah encourages Musa and is gentle with him. Allah says, "Do not worry. I am with you both. I hear and I see." "I chose you for Me.”

Now, lastly, we see Musa in front of the Red Sea, responsible for the men, women, and children of Bani Israel. Firawn, the worst of creation, is ready to slaughter them all. And yet, there is no longer any fear, anxiety, or trepidation in his words. "Indeed, I have my Lord, He will guide me."

Sometimes, we see a sea of problems in our lives and we wish we had a miraculous staff that could split all the worry, fear, and anxiety asunder. Let Ashura be a time where we perform a small exodus and leave some of our fear and anxiety repeating to ourselves the beautiful verse:

قَالَ كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ ﴿٦٢﴾
Indeed, I have my Lord. He will guide me.