Part 87

Ibrahim did not answer her and went on walking. She repeated what she said but he remained silent. Eventually, she realized that he did not do this of his own accord. She asked-him, "Did Allah command you to do so?" Ibrahim replied, "Yes." She, at once, said, "We are not "going to be lost since Allah, who has commanded you is with us."

Ibrahim walked until he was hidden from them by a mountain. There he raised his hand skyward and started praying to Allah,

‘Qouted from the bible

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¢O Our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by the sacred House; in order, O our Lord! That they may establish regular prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits; so that they may give thanks. ? (Ibrahim: 37)

Ibrahim left his wife and his son in the desert and went home to go on calling people to Allah. Hajar nursed her son, Ismail and felt thirthy. The sun was scorching hot and invited thirst. After a period of time, all what she had of water was finished. The mother's milk was dry, and both mother and son were thirst. Moreover, the food was finished and the situation seemed very difficult and critical.

Ismail began to cry out of thirst, so his mother left him to search for water. She walked hurriedly until she reached a hill called "Safa" She climbed the hill and put her hands on her forehead to protect her eyes from the sun, narrowing her eyes she Jooked for a well, a man, a caravan or anything else. However, there was nothing to be seen.

She came down from Safa hurriedly until she reached the valley where she kept searching. Then she came upon a hill called "Marwa" She climbed it and looked around to see if anybody was in view. Unfortunately, there was nobody at her sight. She returned to her baby who was about to die out of thirst. She had nothing to do but to return again to the Safa Hill. From there, she hurried to Marwa Hill.

All her endeavors were of no avail. She went to and fro between the two hills seven times, For this reason, pilgrims walked between Safa

and Marwa seven time, commemorating the memory of Hajar and the Prophet Isma‘il.

Hajar returned after the seventh time tired and exhausted to find the water gushing from beneath Islam‘i's feet. Water overflowed and the life of the mother and child were saved. The mother and child were saved. The mother cupped her hand and filled it with water as she gave thanks to Allah.

Afterwards, life began to thrive in this area. Caravans began to settle around the water which overflowed from Zamzam.

At that time, a caravan was passing westward towards Syria. When they noticed some flocks of birds flying over Makka, they realized that there must be water.

Instantly they went to Hajar and asked her permission to live beside her. Many people were attracted by that new well of water and the place began to be inhabited by people.

There was a tyrant Pharaoh in Egypt. He and his clique were intoxicated with pride of race and pride of material civilization, and grievously oppressed the Israelites. He saw an odious dream. He invited the soothsayers to interpret his dream. They told him that one of Israel's sons would dethrone the pharaoh of Egypt.

Pharaoh in fear decreed that all male sons born to his Israelite subjects should be killed, and the femals kept alive for the pleasure of the Egyptians.

After pharaoh carried out his new policy he found out that to kill all male sons of Israelites might lead to the annihilation of Israelites as a whole.

As a result he might lose the output of those who worked for him,

those who he enslaved, and their women whom he exploited. Therefore, he issued a command that all males should be slaughtered every other year.

Musa was born in the year in which males were to be slain. Musa's mother was afraid he would be slain. The Egyptian midwives had orders to kill male babies of Israelites. Musa was saved from them, and his mother nursed the infant at her breast herself.

But when the danger of discovery was imminent, she put him into a chest or basket, and floated him on the river Nile. Allah the Almighty said,

@o we sent this inspiration to the mother of Moses: "Suckle (thy child), but when thou hast fear about him, cast him into the river, but fear not nor grieve: For We shall restore him to thee, and We

shall make him one of Our Messenger. (Al-Qasas: 7)

No sooner was the Divine revelation completed than Musa's mother obeyed this sacred and wise call. Her motherly heart was filled with pain as she threw her son into the river Nile. However, she knew that Allah was much more merciful to her baby than she was.

Barely did she cast Musa into the Nile than she felt that she had cast her heart as well. Here heart became broken and consumed by

grief. Allah the Almighty said,

And the heart of the mother of Moses became void: She was going almost to disclose his (case), had we not strengthened her heart with faith), so that she might remain a (firm) believer.

The mother's heart felt the gaping void at parting from her son; but her faith in Allah's providence kept her from betraying herself. All what she did was to ask her daughter, Musa's sister to pursue calmly the chest.

Amazingly, the waves delivered the chest to pharaoh's palace. When the ladies of pharaoh's wife saw the chest, they carried it to her. Musa was a darling to look at, and pharaoh had apparently no son, but only a daughter. Pharaoh's wife loved the baby as Allah willed. Allah

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¢The wife of pharaoh said, "Here is) a Joy of the eye, for me and for me and for thee: Slay him not. If may be that he will be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son.' And they perceived not (what

they were doing)! (AI-Qasa: 9)

This was the plan of providence : that the wicked might cast a net round themselves by fostering the man who was to bring them to naught and be the instrument of their punishment, or (looking at it from the other side) that Musa Might learn all the wisdom of the Egyptians in order to expose all that was hollow and wicked im it.

Allah the Almighty said,

own weapons. Not only is it defeated, but it actually, though unwittingly, advances the cause of Good!

No sooner did pharach respond to his wife than he saw her face became radiant with joy. Pharaoh brought him nurse but he refused. Many nurses were brought in and Musa still rejected each one of them. Pharaoh's wife began to weep because of Musa's cries. She did not know what she could do.

All of sudden, Musa's sister went calmly and softly and heard the entire story she went to pharaoh's guards and said, ae he BEE re hee eke eee ci al & SUI fe HE Te Eel ace Ei ep

[VY :paailly QO) Ae A EIA @Shall I point out to you the people of a house that will nourish and bring him up for you and take

care of him? (Al-Qasas: 12)

In this way, Musa was restored to his mother Musa got the benefit of his mother's milk as well as the prestige and the opportunities of being brought up in the royal family. In addition, There was the comfort of his mother. Allah Almighty said,

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is true: but most of them do not know. } (Al-Qasas: 13)

She is Maryam bint ‘Imran, the daughter of the priest ‘Imran and his wife Hanna, who when pregnant with Maryam, vowed to dedicate the child she bore to the service of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and at her birth accordingly named her Maryam, meaning "servant of her Lord." Allah the Almighty said,

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The mother of Maryam expected a male child) Was she disappointed that it was a female child? No, for she had Faith, and she knew that Allah's Fate was better than any wishes of hers. Maryam was no ordinary girl: only Allah knew what it was that her mother brought forth.

Maryam grew under Allah's special protection. Her sustenance, under which we may include both her physical needs and her spiritual food, came from Allah, and her growth was indeed a ‘goodly growth".

Some aprocryphal Christian writings say that she was brought up in the Temple to the age of twelve like a dove, and that she was fed by angels.

The purest of womankind, she was a great-faithed one, and miraculously conceived the Prophet ‘Isa (pbuh). Allah the Almighty said,

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