A supplication (duaa) by the mother of Maryum peace be upon them. After delivering Maryum, Maryum’s mother called upon Allah (swt) and made a duaa, part of the duaa, she stated that the male is not like the female. She was worried that her daughter might not be fit for the work of outreach and serving her Lord, especially that she will be constrained some of the time by needs of women such as her menstruation monthly period, labor and delivery (according to tafseer of Al-Jalallen). Also Allah (swt) is telling us through her tongue not to think that the boy you wished for will be better than this girl, this girl has a huge legacy to come (according to tafseer of Al-Sharawey). Indeed Maryum peace upon her was chosen by Allah (swt) to be the mother of a man who was created from no father, a miracle and legacy till the end of time when Eissa (Jesus) peace be upon him comes down to earth.

The duaa also teaches us that a mother can name her child and choose the name, if the father does not object. It is mainly the responsibility of the father, however the mother has the right to chose the name, as it is clear to us here that she chose the name Maryum (tafseer Al-Saadi) . A name that is very unique, means the “worshipper”, “obedient”, “long awaited for the service of Allah” (Al-Sharawey).

Allah glory be to Him has blessed the mother of Maryum with a baby girl who not only will be a worshipper and worker in the cause of Allah, but a girl who will affect people’s creed, a much more significant role than just serving a good deed. Doing good deeds without a solid creed is of limited value, and if the creed is corrupt, it has no value in the hereafter. Maryum’s legacy is a legacy much more valuable than just a servant of Allah working in the house of worship, but rather a mission to mankind to leave behind a man, Jesus (Eissa) peace be upon him, who is a miracle and guidance to mankind focusing on creed before acts of worship. A man who will cause man-kind to be filtered and categorized according to their creed both during his time and after he has risen to Allah glory be to Him (Al-Sharawey).

The parable ends with a supplication by the mother of Maryum to Allah glory be to Him, asking Him to protect her and her offspring from the evil of her enemy, satin (shaytan). She immediately realized that her daughter’s enemy is satin. Indeed Allah glory be to Him accepted her duaa, as we know from the beloved Prophet peace be upon him, in one of his statements he mentioned that the only two humans who have not been pinched by shaytan at the time of their birth (that first cry of a baby) are Eissa and his mother Maryum.

Lessons learned

1. The male has been created to take on the bigger part of the struggle in the path of Allah glory be to Him and to deal with the difficulties of this low life (dunya). Our boys and young men are the ones to carry the burden of the nation (ummah) on their shoulders.

2. With sincere intentions and full confidence in Allah glory be to Him, Allah can bestow his special bounties upon His faithful servants, in ways we can never expect or imagine. In the case of Mary’s mother, no one expected that a girl can have a role as serious as a boy in serving the Lord, and no one ever expected a man can be created from no father. Two parables and signs that are so special and so enormous.

3. Mothers can chose names for their children, both parents should agree on a name for their baby child.

4. Girls are a blessing to their families, and as confirmed by the statements of the Prophet (pbuh), whoever is blessed by a girl and raises her well in the obedience of her Lord shall be granted paradise.

5. Parents should first and foremost make duaa that Allah glory be to Him blesses them with an obedient child, before asking for the child to be healthy or wealthy or successful. The top priority is serving the Creator of the child.

6. Women have major roles in society, they are the thinkers and strategists, they are the planners and workers. They raise the men who will deal with the difficulties and execute the plans. They lead their families in partnership with their husbands, giving advice, collaborating and guiding, accepting the final decision of the higher authority of the family, the husband, and the higher authority of the Universe, Allah. As the beloved Prophet peace be upon him says in a statement, that if it was allowed for anyone to prostrate to someone else it would be a woman to her husband.

7. Shaytan is our enemy, he is a common enemy, our enemy is not the misguided child, but rather the root causes of the misguidance. Being tolerant with our children is a trait of the beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. To address challenges with our children, we should focus on the root cause of their misguidance. Our wealth and where it came from, our creed and its strength, our supplication, our protection of our children from shaytan through good deeds, acts of worship, understanding, care, love and compassion.

8. Making duaa to protect our children from shaytan is an obligation before their birth, at the time of their birth and after they are born. The beloved Prophet peace be upon him taught us and showed us how to call for the prayer in the ears of the new born, as a form of protection from shaytan.