Surah 19 - Maryam
(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya (Zachariah).
When he called out his Lord (Allah) a call in secret,
Saying: "My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head, And I have never been unblest in my invocation to You, O my Lord!
"And Verily! I fear my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So give me from Yourself an heir,
"Who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya'qub (Jacob) (inheritance of the religious knowledge and Prophethood, not the wealth, etc.). And make him, my Lord, one with whom You are Well-pleased!".
Allah said) "O Zakariya (Zachariah)! Verily, We give you the glad tidings of a son, His name will be Yahya (John). We have given that name to none before (him)."
He said: "My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age."
He said: "So (it will be). Your Lord says; It is easy for Me. Certainly I have created you before, when you had been nothing!"
[Zakariya (Zachariah)] said: "My Lord! Appoint for me a sign." He said: "Your sign is that you shall not speak unto mankind for three nights, though having no bodily defect."
Then he came out to his people from Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room, etc.), he told them by signs to glorify Allah's Praises in the morning and in the afternoon.
It was said to his son): "O Yahya (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)]." And We gave him wisdom while yet a child.
And (made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins [i.e. Yahya (John)] and he was righteous,
And dutiful towards his parents, and he was neither an arrogant nor disobedient (to Allah or to his parents).
And Salamun (peace) be on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up to life (again)!
(Surah 19, Verses 2 – 15)
SubhanaAllah, What a beautiful Ayat! For all those brothers and sisters going through the heartache of conceiving this is definitely a sign of hope. It is Allah’s will that decides whether we have a child or not. Not medical problems, society or infertility. This is not to say that one shouldn’t exhaust all halah methods of trying to conceive like IVF. InshaAllah, if we are meant to have a child then it will happen. Miracles do happen – Look at Zakariya and his barren, old wife. Apparently, I’ve been advised she was 99 years old!
This has been a hard issue for me because I’ve wanted a child for so long. (Please see previous posts). Recently, I’ve found out a colleague at work and two aunts are pregnant. I felt happy for them and thought about what a wonderful gift bestowed on them by Allah, the Generous. I struggled with the knowledge that some didn’t expect the pregnancy or that it didn’t take long for them to conceive. A child is a gift from Allah the Almighty and they bring their own baraka (rewards). My aunt is struggling financially and subhanaAllah the foetus through Allah SWT brought some money in via my cousin (who doesn’t do this thing often). May Allah reward her for her efforts.
When I found out the pregnancy of these ladies, I struggled with my own need for a child. The idea that there must be something biologically wrong with me coupled with the desperation to fix it. I wanted to join their club. I wanted to be pregnant too. A possible solution could have been metformin. This is prescribed to some diabetics to help them conceive. The statistics are promising but unfortunately I haven’t been able to tolerate these tablets. I’ve recently been given the liquid version of metformin. I only took it once and I slightly struggled with it. It wasn’t as bad as the tablets. However, I have put this on hold until I get further medical advice.
Yahya is a symbol for all of us. It’s a sign of Allah SWT almighty power and the gifts he can bestow on who ever he wishes. However, sabr is keen with the understanding that certain things are beyond our wisdom. That is Allah knows best. As I was travelling to work, all I kept thinking was I need to listen to Surah Maryam. When I switched on the IPod and read the Ayat above, the tears started flowing out. Then the release emerged. It felt so good. Allah gave me hope in my heart. InshaAllah if it is meant to be then no medical problem or anything else (i.e. psychological), which could be stopping conception, can prevent Allah SWT from grant you or me a child. I also recommend getting a copy of Sisters Magazine with the article “Barren but blessed”. It is a moving, touching real life story of a sister’s struggle to have a baby. This has also kept me going because she says towards the end of the article (apologies for spoiling it for those that like to find things out for themselves) that she is so happy Allah SWT didn’t give her her own child as adoption gave her something better. SubhanaAllah.
Please make dua for all those struggling with fertility including me!
.JPG)
