Studying Surah Maryam Part 2 - (9/7/17)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

15th Shawwaal 1438

Position in the Qur'an: Surah Maryam (Chapter 19) is between Surah Kahf (Chapter 18) and Surah Ta-Ha (Chapter 20).

Number of Verses: 98

Time of Revelation: The Surah is Makiyyah and one of the oldest Surahs that was revealed. 

When the early emigrants emigrated to Abyssinia and the disbelievers went to the Christian King of Abyssinia to get them back, he asked them about their Religion, and Ja'far bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه recited Surah Maryam to him. 

Theme of the Surah:  العبودية و رحمة الله (Al-'Ubudiya wa Rahmat Allah) - Servitude to Allah and His Mercy

The word رحمة (Rahma) and the name of Allah الرحمن (Ar-Rahman) is repeated throughout the Surah. The more you are a slave to Allah, the more you will attain of His mercy.

The Connection between the Name (Maryam) of the Surah and its Theme (The Mercy of Allah on His Slaves): The meaning of the name Maryam in their language is عابدة (Worshipper). She reached the highest levels in her worship of Allah. Allah mentions His mercy on Maryam عليها السلام and her son 'Isa عليه السلام and on their nation.

The Connection between the Beginning of the Surah and its Theme: The theme of the Surah is the mercy of Allah upon His slaves, and in the beginning of the Surah (Verse 2), Allah says:

"(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya (Zachariah)."

Allah tells us of His mercy with His slave Zakariya عليه السلام - how He gave him a son with weak means. Why? Because he invoked Allah; he was a worshipper of Allah. The more you worship Allah, the more you will attain of His mercy.

Overview of the Surah:

- The Mercy of Allah on Zakariya and Yahya عليهما السلام

- The Mercy of Allah on Maryam عليها السلام and 'Isa عليه السلام

- Ibrahim عليه السلام and how he tried to persuade his father to worship Allah alone

- Musa عليه السلام and his brother Harun عليه السلام

- Isma'eel عليه السلام

-  Idrees عليه السلام

Allah mentioned that they are all models of worshippers. They reached the utmost in their worship to Allah, which is why Allah had mercy on them and reminded us of them. After their generation, another generation came which deviated from the right path and left the prayer. They will enter Hellfire, but out of Allah's mercy, He opened the door of repentance. If you believe and do good deeds, your reward will be Paradise, and Paradise is one of the greatest impacts of the mercy of Allah.

- The Descending of the Angels and the Revelation of the Qur'an;- impacts of the mercy of Allah 

- Doubts of the Disbelievers and Refutations Against Them

- The Hereafter 

Comparisons between Surah Maryam and Surah Al-Kahf 

There is a link between all the Surahs in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is like a tree with branches, each branch having offshoots - everything is connected. 

#1 - Musa عليه السلام was mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf and in Surah Maryam. In Surah Kahf Allah mentions his story with al-Khidr, while in Surah Maryam, Allah praises him.

#2 -  End of Surah Al-Kahf (Verse 110):

"Say (O Muhammad): "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God i.e. Allah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."'

Surah Maryam (Verse 30)

"He ['Iesa (Jesus)] said: Verily! I am a slave of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet;"

In Surah Kahf, Allah informs us of that the Prophet ﷺ is a human being. In Surah Maryam, the first thing that Jesus عليه السلام said is that he is a mere slave of Allah. He is not the son of God and does not possess attributes of divinity. All the Prophets are human beings and all of them are slaves of Allah.

#3 - Beginning of Surah Al-Kahf (Verse 1):

"All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad) the Book (the Quran), and has not placed therein any crookedness."

Beginning of Surah Maryam (Verse 1):

"(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya (Zachariah)."

In the beginning of Surah Al-Kahf, Allah honoured the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by calling him "عبده" (His slave). In the beginning of Surah Maryam, Allah honours Zakariya عليه السلام by calling him "عبده" (His slave). The more you are a slave to Allah, the higher your rank with Him will be.

#4 - Beginning of Surah Al-Kahf (Verse 2): 

"(He has made it) Straight to give warning (to the disbelievers) of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a fair reward (i.e. Paradise)."

End of Surah Maryam (Verse 97): 

"So We have made this (the Quran) easy in your own tongue (O Muhammad), only that you may give glad tidings to the Muttaqun (pious and righteous persons), and warn with it the Ludda (most quarrelsome) people."

Allah tells us the wisdom behind the revelation of the Quran in the beginning of Surah Al-Kahf and at the end of Surah Maryam.

#5 - End of Surah Al-Kahf (Verses 107 and 108):

"Verily! Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous deeds, shall have the Gardens of Al-Firdaus (the Paradise) for their entertainment."

"Wherein they shall dwell (forever). No desire will they have to be removed therefrom."

End of Surah Maryam (Verse 96):

"Verily, those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger (Muhammad)] and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Beneficent (Allah) will bestow love for them (in the hearts of the believers)."

Allah ended both Surah Al-Kahf and Maryam with the reward of the believers.

#6 - Allah mentioned the story of the people of the cave in Surah Al-Kahf. Their story is one of the miracles of Allah. Allah also mentioned stories of miraculous events in Surah Maryam - the birth of Yahya and 'Isa عليهما السلام.

#7 - Beginning of Surah Al-Kahf (Verse 4):

"And to warn those (Jews, Christians, and pagans) who say, "Allah has begotten a son (or offspring or children)."

Allah warned those who attribute a son to Him in the beginning of Surah Al-Kahf, and the whole of Surah Maryam is a refutation against those who attribute a son to Allah (e.g. The story of the birth of Jesus عليه السلام). 

#8 - In Surah Al-Kahf Allah mentions the story of the man with the two gardens (Verse 32) and how he was self-conceited and amazed with himself and his gardens. He thought that because Allah gave him riches in this life, Allah is pleased with him and will give him better in the Hereafter. Allah refutes this scale of judgement in Surah Maryam (Verse 77-80):

"Have you seen him who disbelieved in Our Ayat (this Quran and Muhammad) and (yet) says: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children [if I will be alive (again)],"

"Has he known the unseen or has he taken a covenant from the Most Beneficent (Allah)?"

"Nay! We shall record what he says, and We shall increase his torment (in the Hell);"

"And We shall inherit from him (at his death) all that he talks of (i.e. wealth and children which We have bestowed upon him in this world), and he shall come to Us alone."

The Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يُعْطِي الْمَالَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ وَمَنْ لاَ يُحِبُّ، وَلاَ يُعْطِي الإِيمَانَ إِلاَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّ

Allah Almighty bestows wealth on those He loves and those He does not love. He only gives faith to those He loves. [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]

#9 - Allah mentions His mercy in both Surah al-Kahf and Surah Maryam

In Surah Al-Kahf:

a) Verse 10:

"(Remember) when the young men fled for refuge (from their disbelieving folk) to the Cave, they said: "Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!""

b) Verse 16:

"(The young men said to one another): "And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair (i.e. will give you what you will need of provision, dwelling, etc.).""

c) Verse 65:

"Then they found one of Our slaves, unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us."

d) Verse 81:

"So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy."

Allah described the killing of the child as a mercy. Imagine being a mother and losing a child who is 7 or 8 years old. Yet here, Allah described it as a mercy - because Allah knew that if he grew old he would be a wicked man and a means of torture for the parents. Allah decreed that he would die young and enter Paradise, because children of Muslim parents who die before the age of puberty will enter Paradise (Scholars differ about the children of non-Muslim parents).

The Prophet ﷺ said, 

إِذَا مَاتَ وَلَدُ الْعَبْدِ قَالَ اللَّهُ لِمَلاَئِكَتِهِ قَبَضْتُمْ وَلَدَ عَبْدِي ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُونَ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ قَبَضْتُمْ ثَمَرَةَ فُؤَادِهِ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُونَ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا قَالَ عَبْدِي فَيَقُولُونَ حَمِدَكَ وَاسْتَرْجَعَ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ ابْنُوا لِعَبْدِي بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَسَمُّوهُ بَيْتَ الْحَمْدِ ‏"

 'When a child of a man dies, Allah ask angels, 'Did you take the soul of My slave's child?' They reply, 'Yes.' He asks them, 'Did you take away the apple of his eye?' and they reply, 'Yes.' Then He asks, 'What did My slave say?' They tell Him, 'He praised You and said To Allah we belong and to him is our return.' Allah says, 'Build a house for him in Paradise and call it Bait al-hamd (the house of praise).'" [At-Tirmithi]

Know that in life, you are a slave of Allah. Allah does what He wants - out of His mercy, knowledge, and wisdom. He chooses what is best for you. So say الحمد لله whenever a calamity happens. You are not blamed if your heart is broken because of a calamity, but know that Allah did the best for you, and it is out of His mercy. Ask Allah to grant you patience. If you lost your child have hope that you will be reunited with them in Paradise, because our real life and home is in the hereafter. And the greatest calamity is losing your family forever in the hereafter. Allah said in Surah Ash-Shura [42:45]:

"And you will see them brought forward to it (Hell) made humble by disgrace , (and) looking with stealthy glance. And those who believe will say: "Verily, the losers are they who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, the Zalimun [i.e. Al-Kafirun (disbelievers in Allah, in His Oneness and in His Messenger , polytheists, wrong-doers, etc.)] will be in a lasting torment."

عن أبي حسان قال : قلتُ لِأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ : إنَّه قَدْ مَاتَ لِي ابنانِ ، فَمَا أَنْتَ مُحَدِّثِي عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ بِحَدِيْثٍ تُطَيِّبُ بِهِ أَنْفُسَنَا عَنْ مَوْتَانَا ؟ قالَ : نَعَمْ ، صِغَارُهُم دَعَامِيْصُ الجَنَّةِ ، يَتَلَقَّى أَحَدُهُم أَبَاهُ - أَوْ قَالَ أَبَوَيْهِ - فَيَأْخُذُ بِثَوْبِهِ ، - أَوْ قَالَ بِيَدِهِ - كَمَا آخُذُ أَنَا بِصَنَفَةِ ثَوْبِكَ هذا ، فَلَا يَتَنَاهَى حتى يُدخِلَه اللهُ وَأَبَاهُ الجَنَّةَ . 

It was narrated that Abu Hassaan said: I said to Abu Hurayrah: Two of my sons have died. Can you narrate to me any hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which will console us for our loss? He said: Yes: “Their little ones are the little ones (da’aamees) of Paradise. When one of them meets his father – or his parents – he takes hold of his garment – or his hand – as I am taking told of the hem of your garment, and he does not let go until Allaah admits him and his father to Paradise.” [Muslim, 2635]

When you pray the funeral prayer for a child, you ask Allah to accept his intercession for his parents. 

Apply this to every calamity in your life - every calamity that befalls you is a mercy from Allah. If it is not good for you Dunya-wise, it is good for your faith and reliance on Allah. Do not occupy yourself thinking of solutions, the entire matter is between the Hands of Allah. اللهم أنت الملك لا إله إلا أنت (O Allah you are the King, there is no one worthy of worship except you) Allah is the King; He owns everything. He owns the people, the means, the time, the place - He is the only one who runs affairs. He will run your affairs according to the exact time and in the exact way. The more you have Tawakkul (reliance of Allah), the more faith you will have. And the more faith you have, the more Tawakkul you will have.

e) Verse 82:

"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience."

f) Verse 98:

"(Dhul-Qarnain) said: "This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.!