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| Birth of Jesus, Isa Eesa (as) |
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| Kathy |
| 12/14/03 at 13:19:31 |
| [slm] I took some time to process this story, it was taken from different sources. With the coming of Christmas, I thought it would be good to educate our kids about the birth of Isa (sa). I read it last night to the kids at the masjid and they had alot of questions... Alhumdullillah, just proved my point again, that we can not look the other way when everyone around us is celebrating their holiday and not address it with our own kids. It frightened me, to what candor and knowledge they had about the Christian version and no clue to what really happened. I will post it, in case you want to read it to your kids: There are some typos and spellings... forgive me.. I am sooo busy... Birth of Eesa, Isa (as) I want to tell you of a story that happened a long time ago. It is all about the Messiah ’Eesa (alaihi’s salaam] the son of Maryam. Do you know what the Christians call them? Jesus and Mary. It is the time of year when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, so I thought we would tell you what really happened according to Prophet Muhammad saw and Allah swt. Have you heard about Prophet Zakariyah? (pbuh) His sister-in-law had a daughter named Hannah. Hannah and Imraan were Maryam’s parents. Maryam was Eesa’s (alaihi’s salaam] mom. She was married to Imraan. Imraan was a leader of the Israelites. For many years, the couple did not have any children. Even tho Hannah was an old woman, when she saw another woman with a child, she wanted a baby of her own. She never lost hope and believed that one day Allah would give her with a child. One day she saw a bird feeding her babies and she prayed to Allah swt to give her a child. She said she would give the child to the temple of Jerusalem and the child would serve Allah swt. Allah answered her prayers. She became pregnant and she was the happiest woman alive. Imraan and Hannah thanked Allah swt for the baby. Alas, Imraan did not live to see their child be born, he had died. Hannah cried a lot. She gave birth to a girl, and again turned to Allah in prayer: "O my Lord, I have delivered a female child," ... and I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and her offspring from Satan,..." (~3:36 ) Hannah had a big problem because she promised Allah that she would give Maryam to the temple and females were not allowed there. She was very worried. Prophet Zakariyah pbuh, comforted her, saying that Allah knew this. She wrapped the baby in a shawl and handed it over to the temple elders. Because the baby was a girl, the question of who was going to take care of her was a problem for the men. Everyone wanted to take care of her. She was the daughter of their great leader. Prophet Zakariyah pbuh said to the elders: ‘I her nearest relative in the temple; therefore, I will be more mindful of her than all of you.’ It was their custom to solve disagreements by throwing reeds into the river. Each one was given a reed and they agreed that whoever's reed remained afloat, they would get to take care of Maryam. All the reeds sank to the bottom except Prophet Zakariyah pbuh's. To make sure that no one could get to and bother Maryam, Prophet Zakariyah pbuh built a separate room on the upper level, for her, in the temple. (alaihi’s salaam] she grew up, she spent her time worshiping Allah. Prophet Zakariyah pbuh visited her every day to see if she needed anything for many years. One day, he was surprised to find fresh fruit, which was out of the season, in her room. He asked her how the fruit got there. She replied that they were from Allah. Allah gives to whom He wills. During the summer there were winter fruits and during the winter there were summer fruits. Prophet Zakariyah pbuh then realized that Allah had raised Maryam's status above that of other women. Prophet Zakariyah pbuh spent more time with her, teaching and guiding her. Maryam grew to be a pious and righteous woman. She was an example of purity, serenity and devotion. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The best of the world's women is Maryam (in her lifetime), and the best of the world's women is Khadijah (in her lifetime)." (Bukhari) Abu Musa Al-Ashari also narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Many among men attained perfection but among women none attained perfection except Maryam the daughter of Imraan, and Asiya the wife of Pharaoh, and the superiority of Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid (an Arabic dish) to other meals. She strove hard in worship until she had no peers in matters of worship. The angels gave her the glad tidings that Allah had chosen her: ‘the angels said:’O Maryam! Allah has purified you from idol worship and disbelief, and chosen you above thewomen mankind and jinn of (her lifetime). O Maryam!’Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord and prostrate yourself, and bow down along with those who bow down’[~ 3:42-43} While Maryam was praying in her temple, of a man appeared before her. She did not know this man was really Angel Jibreal. Filled with terror, she tried to flee, praying: ‘Verily! I seek refuge with Allah- from you, if you do fear Allah." The angel said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, to announce to you the gift of a righteous son." She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I have always been chaste?’ Angel Jibreal assured her and said: ‘So it will be, your Lord said: "That is easy for me- Allah:’ (~19:18) When Jibreel told her that, she submitted to the will of Allah, and Jibreel breathed into the sleeves of her garment. She became pregnant. One day Maryam went to visit her aunt. Her aunt said that she felt that she was pregnant. Maryam in said that she, too, was feeling pregnant. Then her aunt said: "I can see what is in my womb prostrating to what is in your womb." It was said that Joseph the Carpenter was greatly surprised when he knew the story, so he asked Maryam: "Can a tree come to grow without a seed?" She said: "Yes, the one which Allah created for the first time." He asked her again: ‘Is it possible to bear a child without a man?’ She said: "Yes, Allah, created Adam without male or female!" Maryam went to a Bethlehem valley, about four to six miles from Jerusalem. Soon, she felt the baby kicking inside her. With a heavy heart, because she was alone and afraid of what people would say, she left the temple and went to Nazareth, the city in which she had been born where she settled in a simple farm house to avoid the public. Maryam was very anxious and got more so the months went by. What would people say about her not having a husband and being pregnant? But fear and anxiety did not leave her. She was from a good and pious family. Her father and mother were good people. How could she stop people from gossiping about her? After some months, she could not bear it any longer. Her stomach had gotten very big so she left Nazareth, not knowing where to go, just to be away from the depressing atmosphere. She had not gone far, when she started to have the baby! The pain hurt her so much that she could not even stand anymore. She collapsed under the trunk of a date tree. She said "I wish I had died before this happened. and had vanished into nothingness!" ( jazak Allahu Khirun to the Muslims who sent me the beautiful scene to use) 8) She was all alone. She was sad and hungry. She was sad and hungry. There was no one to help her (hint hint) The palm tree was dry and there was no water. It was here, not a manger, where she gave birth to her son. Looking at her beautiful baby, she was sad that he was without a father. Suddenly, she heard a voice from under the palm tree: saying: ‘Grieve not! Your Lord has provided you a water stream under you; and shake the trunk of this tree, it will let fresh ripe dates will fall. So eat and drink, and cool your eye, and regain the strength you have lost; and be glad, for what you see is the power of Allah, Who made the dry palm tree regain life, in order to provide food for you.’~19:24 ‘If you see any human being, say: 'I have vowed a fast unto Allah so I will not speak to anyone being this day.' Maryam was comforted by Allah's miracle, for it was a sure sign of her innocence and purity. This child’s name was the Messiah ’Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary)... He would be held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and he would be a Messenger to the Children of Israel... He would teach the Book and Wisdom, and the Tawraat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel) ... And he would have miracles that no one else would have. Then she carried her son back to her village. They said: "O Maryam! Indeed you have brought an amazing monstrous thing. O sister of Haroun (Aaron)! Your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother indecent." Because of the fast, she did not answer them, she just pointed to the baby (alaihi’s salaam] if to say “ask him!” They said: "How can we talk to a baby?" Eesa (alaihi’s salaam] said: "Verily! I am a slave of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined me prayer, and Zakat, as long as I live, and dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest. And Salam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!" ~19:30 Never before had an infant spoken from his cradle. The people stopped accusing Maryam. They agreed the baby was very special. They were astounded and believed that it was a miracle. The Jewish priests felt Jesus was dangerous, because they felt that the people would turn their worship to Allah instead of their ways. So, they kept the miracle of Jesus's speech as a baby a secret and accused Maryam of a great misdeed. Jesus said: ‘And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him alone. That is the Straight Path.’ Some people have given Isa (alaihi’s salaam] the name Jesus. They say Allah swt is the father of Jesus. We know that this is not true. Even Isa (alaihi’s salaam] said he is only a Prophet of Allah swt. Allah has no sons, daughters, only human beings have sons and daughters. In the Qur’an there is a Sura in which Allah swt tells us not to believe them. It is a major Sura and by saying this it is like saying one third of the Qur’an. Does anyone know what it is? Allah tells us the rest of the glad tidings of the angels to Maryam of her son ’Eesa (peace be upon him), and of the honor of ’Eesa, and how He would support him with miracles: “And He (Allah) will teach him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel). And will make him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying):’I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, a figure like that of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by Allah’s Leave. And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you believe. And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Tawraat (Torah), and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allah and obey me. Truly, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path’[Aal’Imraan 3:48-51] |
| 12/14/03 at 13:20:46 |
| Kathy |
| Re: Birth of Jesus, Isa Eesa (as) |
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| Aurora |
| 12/14/03 at 21:28:41 |
| [slm] JazakAllah Sister Kathy, that was beautifully compiled. |
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