MOTHERHOOD IN THE QUR'AN

The cases of the Mothers in the Qur'an are always accompanied by a sense of testing, challenge, anguish and for each one of these cases and there must be a reason for that.

Mother of Musa (a.s.w.s.):

Allah told the Mother of Musa ( through inspiration to do this unbelievable, challenging, trying and testing act that is to place her newborn son in the chest and throw it into the river to be picked up by one who is an enemy of Allah and an enemy of Musa (Qur'an 20:38-39). How much faith and comfort a mother would have to respond to this call from Allah to throw her son and some people say that after all she did not have a choice because Pharaoh is killing the sons.

Nonetheless it is quite difficult to convince a mother to throw her son to the unknown like that. Allah did not say that her son will be taken to safety and instead He said the baby will be picked up by one who is an enemy of Allah and an enemy of Musa (a.s.w.s.). It must have been a very strong and faithful mother.

In arabic language the word 'fa' means 'immediately' i.e. to place him immediately in the chest and without much delay throw the chest into the river. This shows the sensitivity in the Qur'an that one cannot prolong the agony because the mother could change her mind.

Musa's (a.s.w.s.) sister goes around and finds that Pharaoh's wife picked up the chest and seemed to love the child, the sister came forward like a stranger and said: shall I search out a good wet-nurse for the child so that she may rear the child. She agreed and the sister brought the mother and she openly fed the child. (Qur'an 20:40)

There is an attitude in the story that Allah interferes deliberately just for one purpose that this faithful mother needs to be comforted. This step was not needed but somehow Allah showed the sensitivity and empathy to the mother that his son will return to her at least under her direct supervision.

Mother of Yahya (a.s.w.s.):

Yahya's (a.s.w.s.) father Zakariya (a.s.w.s.) was an old man and there was a need for an heir to carry the legacy of the message. Zakariya's (a.s.w.s.) wife was also old. Allah wanted him to have a very special child (Qur'an 19:7-11). We know that Yahya (a.s.w.s.) played an important role in the chain of messengers because he was the one who conveyed the message and also who took care of Isa (a.s.w.s.).

The trial is not to Zakariya (a.s.w.s.) but to his wife, the old woman who has to go through the tribulations to having that child. Nonetheless the father was skeptical of having a child in the old age but on the contrary the mother was joyful and cheerful about that situation and she came laughing aloud. (Qur'an 51:29)

She just had a positive attitude about the whole thing and cheerfulness that she could not hide even though it was a strange situation to be at.

Mother of Isa(a.s.w.s.):

Maryam's (a.s.w.s.) trial was also very strange. Maryam, (a.s.w.s.) a chaste and a respectful person of the society finds all of a sudden that she will have a baby. She seeks refuge in Allah to protect her. She was wondering how she can have a child affirming her chastity. Qur'an explains the miraculous conception. In the pain of labour, Maryam (a.s.w.s.) wishes that she would rather die than go through this. Allah comforts and guides her. (Qur'an 19:16-25)

She delivers the baby and goes back to her people. Her people immediately remind her about her pious and respectful family. And Allah made the newborn defend her mother. Baby Isa (a.s.w.s.) said he is NOT the son of Allah but the servant of Allah. And Isa said he will be kind to his mother. (Quran 19:26-35)

We can see the gratitude he had towards his mother who went through all these trials.

Foster Mother:

Pharaoh's (Firaun)wife prays to Allah that she needs a house in the heaven and she wants Allah to save her from Pharaoh (Firaun) and his doings and from those who do wrong. (Qur'an 66:11)

One can appreciate her good attitude when she finds the baby [Musa (a.s.w.s.)] inside the chest. She says that the baby is a pleasure to her eyes and her mother's instinct starts taking over. She says to Pharaoh (Firaun) not to kill the baby and says the baby might be of benefit to them. Here is the mother's instinct that is saying that they will adopt him as a son. (Qur'an 28:9)

Kindness to Mother:

Qur'an ordains to be kind to one's parents and especially to the mother (Qur'an 31:14, 46:15). All the family and relationships mentioned in the Qur'an refers to the womb (rahim). Allah instructs not to break the ties of the womb when put in authority (Qur'an 47:22).

Motherhood in Modern times:

For the first time in the history, motherhood has become a matter of question. Throughout the history from Adam (a.s.w.s.) and Hawa (a.s.w.s.) and up until now the motherhood was never questioned. The mother gets pregnant, delivers a baby and she is the mother of the child but with the advent of modern science, people can tamper with that. One can commercially contract motherhood and what is known as Surrogacy, which creates horrendous problems that are both moral and practical and has become an issue of debate.

The surrogate mother may have been quite willing to surrender the child upon birth, but she may have become unwilling to do so after birth. This behavioural change is often termed as "maternal instinct," in the pregnant woman. The result is that they go to the court and usually the courts rule based on the breach of the contract.

Like any pregnancy, it is impossible to predict the outcome. If the surrogate mother delivers a baby with serious disabilities, would the commissioning couple accept an abnormal child?

I have attended many conferences where many Muslim jurists and doctors participated to address the issue of surrogate motherhood and here are the conclusions.

1. Islam does not accept the practice of surrogacy because it is demeaning.

2. It creates problem

3. If it happens, the (surrogate) woman who delivers the baby is considered as the Mother (Qur'an 58:2).

On the positive side, we have Stem cells that are the blue-print cells in the embryo that have not gone through the process of cell differentiation and therefore have the potential to give rise to many different kinds of specialized cells. For instance a stem cell could be used to produce liver cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells, blood cells, etc.

Dr. Omar Alfi, a scientist in Genetics explains, "During pregnancy the fetus leaks the stem cells that goes to the mother and becomes part of her."

So each mother is carrying in her the parts of the original material that made her child. Hence with the advent of modern science the mother-child relationship is much more than what we had ever known before. This probably explains the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) when a man came to him and he was asked, 'O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Your mother. The man said, 'Then who?' The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Then your mother. The man further asked, 'Then who?' The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Then your mother. The man asked again, 'Then who?' The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Then your father (Bukhari).

QUR'AN : The Most Widely Read Book in the World

Forward By : http://www.shariqkhan.page.tl

All Muslims memorize some parts of the Qur’an to recite in their daily ritual prayers
The Qur’an is the Book of Allah (God) that was revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) over a period of twenty-three years. He dictated it to his followers as he received it from the Angel Jibril (Gabriel), and they wrote it down on whatever materials were available. The Prophet and many of his followers memorized it as it was revealed.
The Qur’an consists of 114 surahs (sometimes called chapters) of various lengths, from 3 to 286 verses. The verses were revealed a few at a time and not in their present order but were placed in their position by the Prophet in accordance to instructions from the Angel Jibril.
Shortly after the death of the Prophet, the first caliph, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, ordered the scribe Zayd ibn Thabit to collect the manuscripts and make one copy of the Qur’an. He did so with the assistance of the hundreds of Companions of the Prophet who had memorized the Qur’an, thus assuring that nothing was added or omitted, and that the order of the verses was according to the Prophet’s instructions. Later, the third caliph, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, again asked Zayd to oversee the copying of the Qur’an. Several standard copies were made and sent to all the provinces of the Muslims, with orders that all other manuscripts be burned. This was to ensure that there would not be various readings of the Qur’an.
Thus, the Qur’an remains today exactly as it was revealed more than 14 centuries ago and contains the exact Words of Allah. Many thousands of Muslims memorized it each generation so that it was never forgotten. Further, the Arabic language in which the Qur’an was revealed remains a living language. There are copies of the Qur’an from the first century after the revelation in libraries in the Muslim world. A comparison to modern printed copies shows that the Qur’an has not changed over the centuries.
Only the Arabic text is the authentic Word of Allah. Translations of the meaning of the Qur’an have been made in many languages, but no translation can capture the full meaning of the Qur’an. Therefore, to properly understand the teachings of Islam, one must refer to and understand the Arabic text of the Qur’an.

The Qur’an remains today exactly as it was revealed more than 14 centuries ago
What Is the Qur’an About?
Someone who is familiar with the Bible might expect the Qur’an to be similar, but will be surprised to find that it is not. It is not a narrative or a collection of rules or a hymnal or a science book, yet it contains elements of all these things and more.
The Qur’an speaks of the nature of Allah, man’s relationship with Allah, and man’s relationship with others. The Qur’an has a unique style that moves from one topic to another, interweaving various themes, moving from the specific to the general and back again. For this reason, calling the surahs “chapters” is really a misnomer, for a chapter deals with one theme. The word “surah” is unique to the Qur’an.
The Qur’an contains, among other things, glimpses of the stories of previous prophets but, with the exception of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), does not tell each story in one unbroken narrative. Rather, in various places it relates certain details and asks us to reflect on their significance.
The verses revealed in Makkah during the first 13 years of the Prophet’s mission generally deal with the articles of faith — the Oneness and Uniqueness of Allah, the Day of Judgment, the Angels, Prophets, previous Books, and Divine Decree. The verses revealed in Madinah, where the Muslims had established a nascent Islamic society, generally deal with social relationships between individuals and groups. Often just a few verses came down at a time to deal with a question or situation that had arisen in the Muslim community. Therefore, the study of the “reasons for revelation” — the background of when, where and why a particular verse was revealed — is integral to scholars’ understanding of the Qur’an.
The Qur’an remains the most widely read book in the world. All Muslims memorize some parts of it to recite in their ritual prayers daily. Many others devote a part of each day to reading the Qur’an, and even more so during the month of Ramadan. Further, there are still hundreds of thousands — both Arab and non-Arab — who memorize the entire Qur’an.

Why Was the Qur'an Revealed Over A Period of 23 Years?

Before We answer this question, let's note that if the Qur'an had been revealed all at once, people would ask: "Why was it sent down all at once and not in stages?" The ultimate answer to such questions lies with God, the All-Wise and All-Knowing. Our decisions are based on a very limited viewpoint, as we are limited creatures. The Divine Decree, on the other hand, considers everything—our moral and spiritual well-being, worldly happiness, future and present—and weaves the whole into a single pattern that is coherent with Grace and Wisdom. Thus, the benefit we derive from the Divine commandments is immeasurable, and the blessing that flows from obeying them is beyond our imagination. And so it is with the method that God chose to reveal the Qur'an.

The Revelation began when it was time for humanity to reach maturity. The Prophet's mission and that of his community was to become the most complete, progressive, and dynamic exemplars for humanity, and to achieve such a level of advancement that they would be the masters and guides for all subsequent people. But these reformers first had to be reformed. Their qualities and characters had been conditioned by the surrounding non-Islamic environment in which their people had been living for centuries. Islam was to turn their good qualities into qualities of unsurpassed excellence, and to purge their bad qualities and habits in such a way that they would never reappear.


If the Qur'an had been revealed all at once, how would they have reacted to its prohibitions and commandments? Certainly, they would have been unable to understand, let alone accept and apply, them in the ideal manner. This lack of gradualism would have been self-defeating, as proven by history: Wherever Islam was taken, it spread gradually but steadily, and so became firmly established.

We see people all around us who cannot free themselves from their bad habits and addictions. If you confined such people, even if you convinced them to abandon their habits for their own benefit, they would not be happy with you. On the contrary, they would feel angry, bored, and irritated. They would complain and try to escape from your program of reform, so that they could revert to their habits as soon as possible. All the arguments and documented evidence of specialists and experts would not persuade them to change. Even those who were cured occasionally suffer a relapse. Indeed, some of those who campaign against such harmful habits as smoking and consuming alcohol still indulge in them!

Remember that the Qur'an came to change not one or two habits; it came to change everything: ways of living and dying, marrying, buying and selling, settling disputes, and how to perceive one's relation with the Creator, among others. Given the scope of the change envisioned, we can begin to grasp why it was revealed in stages.

The gradual revelation of the Qur'an prepared the people to accept and then live the virtues, excellent manners, and lofty aspirations it demanded. That so much was achieved in only 23 years is a miracle. As Said Nursi said: "I wonder if the scholars of today went to the Arabian peninsula, could they accomplish in 100 years even 1 percent of what the Prophet accomplished in 1 year?" Current campaigns to eradicate such a peripheral vice as smoking employ famous scholars, individuals, institutions, and the whole network of mass media—yet they still result in overall failure. If 20 fewer people die on the road per year after a campaign against alcohol, it is considered a great success. What the Prophet accomplished, at God's bidding, over 23 years far surpasses what all of humanity has managed to achieve since that time.

The Qur'an was revealed in stages so that its audience could understand, internalize, and apply its prohibitions, commands, and reforms. Revelation came when the need for guidance arose, without discouraging or grinding down morale: warning and condemnation preceded prohibition, appeal and exhortation preceded command. For instance, alcohol and other intoxicating drinks were prohibited in three or four stages; female infanticide in two stages; uniting warring tribes and building up a close-knit society based on brotherhood, thus raising the collective consciousness, in several stages. These difficult reforms were not gestured at or expressed in slogans—they were achieved.

Today, we design our projects according to past experience and future possibilities. Taking possible social and economic fluctuations into account, we make our plans flexible in order to leave room for any necessary modifications. Just like a young tree, the early Muslims grew slowly, adapting gradually to new conditions and thus developing naturally. Every day new people were coming into Islam. New Muslims were learning many things, gaining in Islamic consciousness, training themselves to act upon Islam, and thus becoming members of a society rather than separate individuals or mutually hostile clans. Their characters and personalities, their whole lives, were reshaped and reordered in accordance with Islamic precepts and the Qur'anic guidance.

Such was the magnitude of their spiritual, moral, intellectual, and even physical regeneration. This transformation was achieved through a balanced synthesis of worldly life and spiritual advancement, and it happened gradually, slowly yet continuously, and harmoniously.