Happy Women’s Day
‘The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that
she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in
her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love
resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that
she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows and the beauty of a woman only
grows with passing years.’ -Audrey
Hepburn-
Talking about women, us girls
always have someone to gush about. I’m sure this applies to the guys too.
‘She’s so pretty, look at her eyes’.
‘I want to have a body like
hers’
‘Look at her skin, it’s so
flawless, she’s so blessed’
‘She’s pretty and kind. She’s
near perfect’
‘Look at her clothes! They are
to-die-for’
On the other side, we also
tend to have someone to look up to. Be it our beloved mother, a supermodel, a
celebrity, a politician, or anyone really, there’s always a person who we
regard as a role model.
But, do you know who Allah
says, is the greatest woman in the universe?
Tadaaaa~~~
And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah
has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.
(3:42)
Yes! She is Mary, the
mother of Jesus (Isa). She also has a
whole chapter in the Quran to her name, chapter 19 to be exact. She is the
daughter of Imran, who is among those families Allah considers as above all
mankind. (3:33)
So, in conjunction with
women’s day, lets take a glimpse at the life of the best women in the universe
and take a thing or two that we could learn from.
1) Preserve your Iman
and seek refuge only from Allah.
‘And she took, in
seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he
represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. She said,
"Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if
you should be fearing of Allah." (19:17-18)
Here,
when Mary found herself approached by a man with well-defined proportions and
features, she immediately prayed to Allah for protection.
Ask
ourselves if we would have been able to do the same as Mary did? Would we have
asked Allah for protection or would we instead fawn upon the handsome
well-proportioned lad? Or perhaps we’d steal a glance or two before doing
anything. Perhaps we should do a self-reflection here, you and me.
2) Allah has powers well
beyond our reach.
When Allah told her she was going to have a
son, she thought is was impossible. She’s never been touched before, so how is
it possible?
So Allah said:
He said,
"Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make
him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already]
decreed.' "(19:21)
Allah emphasizes that
nothing is impossible for Him. He is the Al-Mighty. His powers are well beyond
our reach. What’s impossible for us isn’t the same for Him.
The first thing we can relate to from this is that in real life, I’m sure we’ve
faced a time when everything seemed so out of reached. Probably a teacher too strict
to let you pass an exam, someone who’s so hard to please, or a situation too
much too bear. And probably it is at that moment you think to yourself, ‘I’ll
never get over this’, ‘It’s over’. But bear in mind, Allah holds the key to
everything. He controls everything and He knows what’s best for you, so pray to
Him, ask Him for help and guidance, and I’m sure He will reach out to you in
ways you never would imagine. Trust me; never look down on the power of a
prayer.
As
we all know, the story goes that as Mary grew up, she became pregnant and had
Jesus when she was a virgin. And according to science nowadays, one ovum by
itself can’t possibly make a baby. It
takes two to tangle. So people talked and talked about her. ‘How can she have a
baby?’ Isn’t she supposed to be a virgin?’ *whisper* *whisper* (This is
what I imagine the dialogue is like). They gossiped about her. And I am sure it
must’ve hurt. Gossiping about others might seem fun, but to be the subject of
it itself, is a different story. Furthermore, if what is being said is untrue,
than, it is now a fitna, and that is a huge sin, my friend!
4) Complaining
isn’t a totally bad attribute.
‘And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a
palm tree. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in
oblivion, forgotten." (19:23)
Complaining. Yes, even Mary,
who is the greatest women ever, moaned when she was in pain. I believe this is
to show that it’s natural for us, for human beings, to lament in times of
difficulties. If something doesn’t satisfy our need, when we’re in pain or when
facing hardships, we make a lot of fuss about it. However, we shouldn’t just laze back, whine,
grumble, and complain without trying to make amends. We shouldn’t wait while
doing nothing. Go and pray. Talk to Him, pour out your feelings, and pray a lot
to Allah because only He holds the definite remedy.
5) Every tiny-miny effort
counts!
As if she wasn’t already
having a hard enough time; being pregnant though still a virgin and being the
center of gossiping, she was also in extreme labor pain. However, instead of
giving her instant relief, Allah told her to stand up, go to the date tree,
shake it until the fruit falls, and eat the fruit.
Now, what can we learn from
this? That He purposely wanted to torture Mary? NO! Then, what hidden lesson does Allah want to
tell us?
One word.
EFFORT
Yes, effort matters a lot to
Allah. He could just make things happen
for us; we could just laze around but still earn money. But remember, the
ticket to heaven is very expensive, and it requires effort to earn it. Implying
this to our life, don’t give up when you encounter an obstacle. When you don’t
get good grades even when you’ve tried your best, don’t be sad and think that
your world has fallen apart. Instead lift your head high, and remember that all
those efforts you made, even the tiniest one, is seen and rewarded by Allah.
All in all, ladies and
gentlemen, a perfect figure or an outstanding look doesn’t define beauty. Long
eyelashes, perfect hair, porcelain skin doesn’t either. Let’s learn from Mary,
she was a great figure, and Allah valued her highly if not the highest. She was
strong inside and out, a true believer, loved her child unconditionally, a
great mother, and an awesome daughter. That, I believe, makes her beautiful! She trusted Allah, and in return Allah empowered
baby Jesus with the power of speech to stand up for his mother. Allah also praised Mary in the Quran,
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who
guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she
believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly
obedient. (66:12)
and He gave Mary as an great example for us, who she
was indeed, a true believer J
Let’s try to instill some of her values to us, shall we? :)
Hud_hud
Medical University of Warsaw
