She Wanted A Babyboy — Ten Lessons Every Parent Need To Learn From The Mother Of Maryam
Sincere parenting, the most valuable secret of successful parenting, can be learned. In the Qur’an, Allah reveals numerous stories of parents who succeeded in their parenting by their sincerity towards Allah in their parenting and in other acts.
Of these stories is the story of the birth and nurturing of Maryam, the mother of Isa. And for anyone seeking to learn and use sincere parenting, here are ten parts to this story and ten clear lessons in sincere parenting from it.
- A Mother Dedicates Her Unborn Child to Worship.
Allah describes Maryam’s parents as a favored family in the Qur’an. Through this favor, the mother of Maryam knew the lessons of sincere parenting and started using them even before the birth of Maryam.
Pregnant with Maryam, she made a call to Allah and dedicated the child she carried to the worship of Allah.
Allah says, [Mention, O Muhammad], when the wife of ‘Imran said, “My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.” Q [3:35]
This teaches parents who are learning to be sincere in their parenting that parenting starts even before the child is born. Expectant parents start their journey by committing their unborn child to the worship of Allah. This means that parents dream of nothing more fondly than they dream and pray about their unborn child growing to become a true worshipper of Allah.
And just like the mother of Maryam, they should pray that Allah makes this dream a reality for them.
2. A Female Child When She Looked Forward To A Male
Allah says, “But when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female.” And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, “And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah ].” Q [3:36]
It is most likely that the mother of Maryam desired a male child so that the cold would have more strength and ability to serve Allah. But Allah knew this and Allah, in His wisdom and mercy, decreed other than what she desired.
Due to her sincerity, Allah fashioned a plan that was different from hers but much greater and rewarding than what she had imagined for her child. Things did not go the way she wanted; things happened much more beautifully due to her sincerity.
Allah rewarded her sincerity by not only making her daughter a true worshipper of Allah but a woman whom He purified and chose above all the women of her time. Then he made her the mother to a great prophet of Allah — the Prophet Isa.
With our children, things might not happen exactly the way we plan. But if plans are made with sincerity, Allah has a way of making things more beautiful than we plan and imagine.
3. A Mother Seeks The Protection of Allah For Her Child
Allah says,”[She said] and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah ].” Q []
Just after her birth, the mother of Maryam seeks Allah’s protection for her child and her descendants from Shaytan.
Protection for children is sought from Allah, and from Him alone. Sincere Muslim parents do not choose to seek any spiritual means to protect their children except by praying to Allah, the Most Merciful, and asking Him for protection.
Parents who wear special bracelets or chains or beads for their children hoping that these will protect their children are making two grave mistakes.
First, bracelets and chains have no power to protect. They are useless and ugly. So these parents leave their children in a vulnerable situation, at risk to the attacks of Shayatan and other evildoers.
Second, these parents commit the greatest of sins against Allah: believing that other than Allah, there is an object that is capable of warding away spiritual harm. This is a kind of power that only belongs to Allah, and we seek it from none but Him.
One of the pillars of sincere parenting is to have the clear belief that none has the power to ward off evil from a child except for Allah and to consistently seek the protection of Allah for children from evils.
4. Allah Accepts A Child & Nurtures Her.
Replying to the sincere pleas of the mother of Maryam, Allah informs that He accepts to watch over Maryam. Allah nurtures her and watches over her as she grows and He assigns her a teacher in the form of the prophet Zakariyya.
This divine nurturing from Allah came by through the sincerity of the mother. It happened through her dream to raise a child who would worship Allah, even before the child was given birth to.
The only beneficial form of protection and nurturing is Allah’s and from the story of Maryam, we learn how to seek this for our children.
The most important dream you can have for your child is for them to grow as a true worshiper of Allah. To dream and aspire that your child grows to serve the religion of Allah.
There is no loftier dream than this, and there is no dream that is more beneficial to Allah’s aid in the raising of your child than this. And with complete sincerity to Allah in the raising of a child, Allah chooses to nurture them and watch over them as He did with Maryam.
The second part of this article will be published later in the month, stay connected to Naas Educators to not miss out on any of our parenting, teaching, and homeschooling tips.
