The Story of Maryam

by Jamil Momand

Once there was a woman named Hannah who was married to a man named Imran. They were
good people and faithful servants to Allah.

One day Hannah found out she was going to have a baby. She made a special prayer to Allah
and dedicated her unborn child to His service.

When Hannah delivered her baby girl she named her Maryam. Allah answered Hannah's
prayer and Maryam grew up to be a very beautiful, righteous and good person.

Maryam's uncle, Zakariya, was a priest in the Jewish Temple. Since Maryam had dedicated
her life to the service of Allah Zakariya took care of her. Sometimes Zakariya would go to
Maryam's room to see her.

One time he went in and found her eating some food. Zakariya was puzzled because he knew
that no one had brought her food recently. He said, "O Maryam! How did you get this food?"

"From Allah," Maryam answered, "For Allah provides sustenance without measure to whom
He pleases."

One day when Maryam was grown up, she went away from her family to be alone for many
days. She would sit and think about Allah.

Once Allah sent to her an angel disguised as a man. She was frightened at first but the angel
said,

"I am here to give you news that you will give birth to a holy son. His name will be Isa. Isa
will be an important prophet for Allah and will be honored in this world and in the Hereafter.
Isa will be able to talk even as a baby."

Maryam was perplexed and confused. She asked the angel how she could have a son without
a husband.
The angel replied, "Allah creates as He wills. When He makes a plan all Allah has to do is to
say "Be" and the plan works." After saying this, the angel walked away.

Maryam went back home, packed up a few of her belongings and left her family and her city
to have baby Isa. She knew that no one would understand her situation. To have a baby
without a husband was a very serious offense.

"(Remember) when the wife of Imran said: "O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child
that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve
Your Place of worship), so accept this, from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-
Knowing."
[Surah ali' Imran; 3: 35]
A few months later, when the baby was ready to be born, Maryam began to feel labor pains.
She saw a palm tree that cast a long cool shadow that was sure to be comforting in the heat of
the day. She made her way to the tree and laid down to rest herself. It was very hard to have a
baby alone in the desert. She became sad and lonely and wished she had never been born.

From out of the ground there came a voice! It said, "Don't be sad, for your Lord has provided
you with a little stream to help you."

When she looked down, she saw a little stream of water trickling beside her. The water was
cold and pure. She could use it to clean herself and quench her thirst.

Then the voice told her to shake the tree. When she did, fresh dates fell. With the water and
the dates Maryam felt better and the pains of childbirth lessened for a time.

The voice then told Maryam to make a promise to Allah not to talk to anyone. Maryam
promised and the voice became silent.

Maryam gave birth to baby Isa all alone. When she had regained her strength, she gathered
the baby in her arms and walked with him toward the city. The people saw her for the first
time in many months and crowded around her. They thought that Maryam had committed a
crime because she had a baby without a husband. They started to became angry with her and
said that her parents were righteous people and feared Allah. They said that she had
dishonored her parents and all the rest of her people.

Maryam wanted to tell the people that she was innocent and had committed no crime but,
instead, she remembered her promise to Allah not to talk to anyone. She prayed silently to
Allah to help her.

Meanwhile more and more people gathered around her shouting at her and asking how she
got the baby. Finally, she laid baby Isa down in a cradle and pointed at him.

The people laughed and said, "How can we talk to a baby in the cradle?"

Prophet Isa (alayhis salam) looked out over the people. Then he opened his mouth and said,
"I am indeed a servant of Allah. He has given me revelation and made me a prophet and He
has blessed me wherever I may go and has instructed me to give prayer and charity as long as
I live. Allah has made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable. Therefore,
there is peace on me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I shall be raised to life
again on the Day of Judgment."

After that there was complete silence. Everyone realized that a miracle had taken place and
that Isa was a prophet from Allah. Isa was a prophet from the day he was born. He
performed, many miracles with Allah's permission and tried to show the people the right
path. But the people turned away from Isa (alayhis salam) just as they had turned away from
other prophets.

This was the story of one of the most righteous woman of all time, Maryam.
Her life was devoted to serving Allah. Allah protected her from the people and helped her
through many hardships. He performed a great miracle by giving Maryam a son that was a
prophet.

May peace and blessings be showered upon Maryam for all her righteous deeds.
Ameen.

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "The superiority of 'Aisha to other ladies is like
the superiority of Tharid (i.e. meat and bread dish) to other meals. Many men reached the
level of perfection, but no woman reached such a level except Mary, the daughter of Imran
and Asia, the wife of Pharaoh."
[Sahih al-Bukhari 4.643]
Terjemahan
Pernah ada seorang wanita bernama Hannah dan menikahi seorang pria bernama Imran.
Mereka adalah orang baik dan hamba yang setia kepada Allah.

Suatu hari Hannah tahu dia akan punya bayi. Dia membuat doa khusus kepada Allah dan
mendedikasikan anaknya yang belum lahir untuk melayani-Nya.

Saat Hannah melahirkan bayi perempuannya, dia menamainya Maryam. Allah menjawab doa
Hannah dan Maryam tumbuh menjadi orang yang sangat cantik, benar dan baik.

Paman Maryam, Zakariya, adalah seorang imam di Bait Suci Yahudi. Karena Maryam telah
mengabdikan hidupnya untuk melayani Allah, Zakariya pun merawatnya. Kadang Zakariya
pergi ke kamar Maryam untuk menemuinya.

Suatu ketika dia masuk dan menemukannya makan beberapa makanan. Zakariya bingung
karena dia tahu tidak ada yang membawakan makanannya baru-baru ini. Dia berkata,
"Maryam, bagaimana kamu mendapatkan makanan ini?"

"Dari Allah," Maryam menjawab, "Karena Allah memberikan rezeki tanpa batas kepada
siapa yang dikehendaki-Nya."

Suatu hari ketika Maryam telah dewasa, dia pergi dari keluarganya untuk menyendiri selama
beberapa hari. Dia akan duduk dan memikirkan Allah.

Begitu Allah mengiriminya malaikat yang menyamar sebagai manusia. Awalnya dia takut
tapi malaikat itu berkata,

"Saya di sini untuk memberi kabar bahwa Anda akan melahirkan seorang anak yang kudus,
namanya akan Isa. Isa akan menjadi nabi bagi Allah dan akan dihormati di dunia ini dan di
akhirat. Isa akan dapat berbicara bahkan seperti bayi. "

Maryam bingung. Dia bertanya kepada malaikat bagaimana dia bisa memiliki seorang putra
tanpa suami.
Malaikat itu menjawab, "Allah menciptakan apa yang dikehendaki-Nya. Bila Dia membuat
rencana, semua yang harus dilakukan Allah adalah mengatakan" Jadilah "dan rencananya
akan berhasil." Setelah mengatakan ini, malaikat itu pergi.

Maryam kembali ke rumah, mengemasi beberapa barangnya dan meninggalkan keluarganya

serta kotanya untuk melahirkan bayi Isa. Dia tahu tidak ada yang bisa memahami situasinya.
Memiliki bayi tanpa suami adalah pelanggaran yang sangat serius.

"(Ingat) ketika istri Imran berkata:" Ya Tuhanku! Sesungguhnya aku bernazar kepadaMu, apa
(janin) dalam kandunganku (kelak) menjadi hamba yang mengabdi (kepada Mu), maka
terimalah (nazar itu) dariku. Sesungguhnya engkau maha mendengar lagi maha mengetahui "
[Surah ali 'Imran; 3: 35]

Beberapa bulan kemudian, saat bayi itu siap dilahirkan, Maryam mulai merasa sakit kerja.
Dia melihat pohon palem yang memancarkan bayangan dingin yang panjang yang pasti akan
terasa nyaman di hari yang panas. Dia berjalan ke pohon dan berbaring untuk beristirahat.
Sangat sulit untuk memiliki bayi sendiri di padang pasir. Dia menjadi sedih dan kesepian dan
berharap dia tidak pernah dilahirkan.

Dari luar terdengar suara! Dikatakan, "Jangan sedih, karena Tuhanmu telah memberimu
sedikit air untuk membantu mu."

Saat dia melihat ke bawah, dia melihat sedikit aliran air mengalir di sampingnya. Airnya
dingin dan murni. Dia bisa menggunakannya untuk membersihkan dirinya dan memuaskan
rasa hausnya.

Lalu suaranya menyuruhnya menggoyang pohon itu. Saat dia melakukannya, kurma segar
jatuh. Dengan air dan kurma Maryam merasa lebih baik dan rasa sakit persalinan berkurang
untuk sementara waktu.

Suara itu kemudian menyuruh Maryam berjanji pada Allah untuk tidak berbicara dengan
siapapun. Maryam berjanji dan dia diam.

Maryam melahirkan bayi Isa sendirian. Ketika dia mendapatkan kembali kekuatannya, dia
mengumpulkan bayi itu di pelukannya dan berjalan bersamanya ke arah kota. Orang-orang
melihatnya untuk pertama kalinya dalam beberapa bulan dan berkerumun di sekitarnya.
Mereka mengira Maryam telah melakukan kejahatan karena dia melahirkan tanpa suami.
Mereka mulai menjadi marah padanya dan mengatakan bahwa orang tuanya adalah orang
benar dan takut kepada Allah. Mereka mengatakan bahwa dia telah menghina orang tuanya
dan seluruh rakyatnya.

Maryam ingin mengatakan kepada orang-orang bahwa dia tidak bersalah dan tidak
melakukan kejahatan, tapi dia malah mengingat janjinya kepada Allah agar tidak berbicara
dengan siapapun. Dia berdoa diam-diam kepada Allah untuk membantunya.

Sementara semakin banyak orang berkumpul di sekelilingnya sambil berteriak padanya dan
bertanya bagaimana dia mendapatkan bayinya. Akhirnya, dia meletakkan bayi Isa di buaian
dan menunjuknya.

Orang-orang tertawa dan berkata, "Bagaimana kita bisa berbicara dengan bayi di buaian?"

Nabi Isa (alayhis salam) melihat sekelilingnya . Kemudian dia membuka mulutnya dan
berkata, "Saya memang seorang hamba Allah. Dia telah memberi saya wahyu dan
menjadikan saya seorang nabi dan Dia telah memberkati saya kemanapun saya pergi dan
telah menyuruh saya untuk selalu doa dan beramal selama saya hidup. Allah telah membuat
saya baik kepada ibu saya dan tidak sombong atau sengsara. Oleh karena itu, ada kedamaian
bagiku pada hari kelahiranku, pada hari aku mati, dan pada hari aku akan dihidupkan kembali
pada hari kiamat. "

Setelah itu semua menjadi hening. Semua orang menyadari bahwa sebuah keajaiban telah
terjadi dan bahwa Isa adalah seorang nabi dari Allah. Isa adalah seorang nabi sejak dia
dilahirkan. Dia melakukan banyak keajaiban dengan izin Allah dan mencoba menunjukkan
jalan yang benar kepada umat manusia. Tapi orang-orang berpaling dari Isa (alayhis salam)
sama seperti mereka telah berpaling dari para nabi lainnya.
Inilah kisah salah satu wanita paling saleh sepanjang masa, Maryam.
Hidupnya dikhususkan untuk melayani Allah. Allah melindunginya dari orang-orang dan
membantunya melewati banyak kesulitan. Dia melakukan mukjizat besar dengan memberi
Maryam anak laki-laki yang adalah seorang nabi.

Semoga kedamaian dan rahmat ditanggungkan atas Maryam atas semua perbuatannya yang
saleh.
Ameen.

Nabi (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) berkata, "Keunggulan 'Aisha bagi wanita lain adalah seperti
keunggulan Tharid (yaitu hidangan daging dan roti) untuk makanan lain. Banyak pria
mencapai tingkat kesempurnaan, namun tidak ada wanita yang mencapai tingkat seperti itu.
kecuali Maria, anak perempuan Imran dan Asia, istri Firaun. "
[Sahih al-Bukhari 4.643]