Motherhood in Islam

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 alayhis 'salam

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala told the Mother of Hazrat Musa alayhis 'salam ( 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 Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and an enemy of Hazrat Musa alayhis 'salam. How much faith and comfort a mother would have to respond to this call from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala 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 Subhanahu wa Ta'ala 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 Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and an enemy of Musa alayhis 'salam. It must have been a very strong and faithful mother.


Mother of Hazrat Yahya alayhis 'salam

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

The trial is not to Hazrat Zakariya alayhis 'salam but to his wife, the old woman who has to go through the tribulations to having that child. Nonetheless the father was sceptical 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.

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