Captioning provided by MUHSEN (www.muhsen.org)
Have you ever wanted something so badly
that you made Duaa to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
that if you got this one thing, then you would do XYZ,
change this habit, or start increasing your Ibadah?
And then after getting what you wanted,
did you ever feel like you wanna go back
on that burst of enthusiasm?
Like for example, if I pass this important final exam
I'll start praying Fajr, or I'll put on the hijab
or stop being so quick to get angry and so on.
And then when you finally pass that exam
you now all of a sudden think
of several reasons why you shouldn't
or couldn't fulfill your promise to
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
Many of us have been there before.
So how do we strengthen our resolve?
Let's meet someone who made an oath
to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and fulfilled it
despite several difficult obstacles that came her way.
Meet the wife of Imraan 'Alayhi Salaam
The Mother of Maryam 'Alayhi Salaam
Hinnah bint Faaqud
May Allah be pleased with her
Hinnah radiAllahu Anha was a pious woman
who was married to Imraan 'Alayhi Salaam.
They were not able to have children
so Hinnah turned her focus to Allah
She repeatedly made dua to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
to grant her child
even though she and her husband were both older
and had not previously had any children.
Then miraculously Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
answered her prayer.
And when Hinnah found out the blessed news of her pregnancy
she expressed her deep gratitude
by dedicating her child to the worship of Allah
And in service to Bayt al-Maqdis
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says in the Qur'an
Remember when the wife of Imraan said, "My Lord
I dedicate what is in my womb entirely to your service.
So accept it from me.
You alone are truly the all hearing
all knowing."
This was a very happy moment
for Hinnah and Imraan 'Alayhi Salaam
as well as for their people.
Yet shortly thereafter, Imraan 'Alayhi Salaam passed away.
Let's pause here for a minute.
Imagine how Hinnah must have felt.
She wanted a child for so long
and after so many years she finds out she was expecting.
Imagine the elation, the excitement, the gratitude.
MashaAllah Hinnah immediately expresses her gratitude
with the dedication of her unborn child.
Now with the tragic timing of her husband's death
there is such a stark change in her reality.
Imagine the pain, the sadness, and all
of the unknowns that come along with death.
Yet despite this loss, Hinnah doesn't wave her commitment
to Allah` and she doesn't now take back her oath to Him.
And when Hinnah radiAllahu Anhq finally gives birth,
she says as is mentioned in the Qu'ran
When she delivered, she said, "My Lord, I have given birth
to a girl." And Allah fully knew what she had delivered.
And the male is not like the female.
This statement of surprise is not one
of dismay in having a girl, but rather out
of her desire to be able to fulfill her oath
as it was not customary in Judaic law
for women to worship in the temple and
for a child to be dedicated to the dow of Allah,
this also was customarily more practical for men.
So when Hinnah radiAllahu Anha says
"the male is not like the female"
she's expressing her wish to continue her oath
despite it being against societal norms.
How amazing is it that Hinnah radiAllahu Anha
notices this challenge yet continues
in her commitment. To further establish this dedication
of her daughter to the service of Allah,
she names her daughter Maryam,
which comes from the Aramaic language ; Mary
meaning "Rabb" my Lord and 'Em female servant.
Even with a seemingly simple action
of naming her daughter in the way she did.
Hinnah radiAllahu Anha teaches us
what it means to have Tawakkul.
This shows the level of optimism
in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
There was no question of should I still go
through with my oath or hesitation on her part.
She could have easily tried to rescind her oath
and justify it by saying, Well, I just lost my husband
and can't bear to also have my future child be away from me.
And again, when she discovered that she gave birth
to a girl, Hinnah could have also justified going back
on her oath by saying, Well
girls are not allowed to worship in the temple.
She had two moments where her commitment could have wavered
but she persevered.
Instead, she trusted in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
and stamped it with her certainty and Allah's mercy
by literally naming her daughter after her intention.
If we look at it this way, before birth
Hinnah made the intention to dedicate her child
to the service of Allah. After birth,
despite it being against the norm
she still decided to fulfill her oath, to dedicate her child
to the worship of Allah and then sealed it
by naming her daughter Maryam; the servant of my Lord.
When you think about it, so much goodness comes
from these heartfelt and sincere Duaas
All stemming from the Duaa for a child
a Duaa asking her child
and progeny to be protected from Shaytan.
I have named her Maryam
and I seek your protection for her and her offspring
from Shaytan the accursed as she says in the Qur'an
Never underestimate how far your Duaa can go
Allah gives with endless generosity beyond our imagination.
Remembering that answering our Duaa
sometimes is generously answered
by not being fulfilled in the way we asked.
This is one of the most difficult aspects
of Allah's wisdom to accept at times.
Why aren't we getting married to that individual?
Why aren't I able to have children?
Why am I not able to get
into this university or get this job and so on?
Although Hinnah did not explicitly make Duaa for a son,
it is what she wanted so
that she could dedicate him to the service
of Allah which again was more practical for men at the time.
But Allah gave her much more than what she expected.
A righteous daughter
in her own right,
miracles being bestowed upon her,
forever memorialized in the Qur'an
and then Isa 'Alayhi Salaam
one of the most righteous men
to ever walk this earth bestowed
with miracles upon miracles
and set to come back to this earth.
So since her grandson's book is not yet sealed
therefore hers is not either.
Hinnah radiAllahu Anha
got so much more than she could have ever imagined.
So what about us?
Can we make Dua to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
with full Yaqeen
that He will answer our prayers
in the best way possible for us?
Can we remember that not having our Duaas answered is
in and of itself a blessing
and mercy since it is what is best for us?
Can we ask of Allah without holding back thinking
that it is not possible to get what we want?
We can.
All we have to do is believe and ask.
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