An Ideal Family | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

An Ideal Family — The Hidden Story of Āl ʿImrān

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته — dear brothers and sisters and fellow viewers, welcome back to our Hidden Stories of the Qur'an series where we share with everyone a story that we are reflecting upon — a story that many people have perhaps heard about but haven't understood the details of. In this week's session, inshāAllah, we will be speaking about a specific story that is near to my heart. InshāAllah I hope that all of you can benefit, understand, and also reflect upon for yourselves and your families.

Hopefully everyone is doing well and inshāAllah you've already prayed your Maghrib salah for those that are in the EST time zone.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَصَلِّ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْكَرِيمِ، أَمَّا بَعْد — Allah says in His noble Book, after seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan:

Sadaqallāhul Azeem. Dear brothers and sisters, in the Holy Qur'an we find Allah speaking about many families — families amongst which there are Prophets, where the head of those families are Prophets and the children of those families are Prophets.

But in all of these examples of families that Allah refers to in the Qur'an, we find that there are some members of the family who don't believe in Allah. We have the example of the family of Ibrāhīm, but then comes the struggle of Ibrāhīm and his father. We have the example of the family of Mūsā عليه السلام, and there comes the struggle of Mūsā with Fir'awn. We have the family of Nūh عليه السلام, and there comes the struggle of Nūh and his son. We have the family of Lūt عليه السلام, and then comes the struggle of Lūt and his wife. There are multiple families that Allah refers to in the Qur'an, but each of these families has their own inner struggle, and amongst those family members there are some that don't believe in Allah.

Allah specifies two specific families who become the ideal, supreme example for all of mankind. And as we are living in our homes, quarantined with our family members, I found it to be relatable if we speak about one of those two families — a family that can become a mainstream ideal and a mainstream example for us while we are sitting and living with our family members. What should our family look like?

Allah uses the example of Āl ʿImrān — آل عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ — that He has given preference and a special rank to the family of ʿImrān over all other families. We know the family of Nūh, we know the family of Ibrāhīm, we know the family of Mūsā, we know the family of the Prophet ﷺ — but who is this family? Who is Āl ʿImrān that an entire chapter has been dedicated to this man who was not even a prophet — he wasn't a messenger, he did not receive divine revelation? So who was this family, and what is this sūrah speaking about, and what are some hidden gems that we can take from it?

The Relationship Between Sūrah al-Baqarah and Sūrah Āl ʿImrān

Āl ʿImrān in the order of the Qur'an comes right after Sūrah al-Baqarah. Both Sūrah al-Baqarah and Sūrah Āl ʿImrān are Madani sūrahs. In Sūrah al-Baqarah, Allah speaks about some of the challenges that believers face in order to protect their īmān within their hearts. Allah speaks about the heart in Sūrah al-Baqarah. Allah says:

That in the hearts of the munāfiqūn there is a sickness, and Allah increases their sickness. Allah says:

That their hearts became so hard that they became harder than rocks. Allah says:

That if we want to believe, believe like those that came before us — referring to the Sahābah, رضي الله عنهم أجمعين. So in Sūrah al-Baqarah we find the challenge of having īmān in our hearts and making sure that that īmān has become solid within us. In Sūrah Āl ʿImrān, Allah transitions that to the next level — to externalize that īmān. And that is what we call Islām: all of the actions that we do with our body parts, all the physical actions that come from having īmān. When a person does not have īmān, there is absolutely no Islām that is found in his actions.

So Allah in Sūrah Āl ʿImrān shifts gears to externalizing that īmān, and Allah says:

That the deen of Allah is Islām. And once we externalize what we believe internally, that is where the challenges come — and this is why Allah brings the stories of Badr and Uhud in Sūrah Āl ʿImrān, explaining to us that the challenges of our societies don't come when we hide our īmān, but rather the challenges come when we make sure people know that we are believers, and we're not shy to show that. We're not shy to perform salah in public, we're not shy because of our names or our identities, but rather we are proud of that which we hold internally, so we are able to exemplify it externally. That is what Sūrah Āl ʿImrān speaks about.

And at the nucleus of this sūrah, of this transition, Allah brings the story of Āl ʿImrān — the family of ʿImrān. Who were they and what did they do that was so special that Allah dedicated an entire chapter to this man who was not even a prophet?

Who Was ʿImrān?

While we're living at home with our children — as mothers and fathers and as children alike — we have an example for each and every one of us in this family. Ibn Kathīr explains that ʿImrān was the Imam of Bayt al-Maqdis; he was the imam of the masjid of Bayt al-Maqdis. He was a very elderly man living at the time of Zakariyyā عليه السلام, who was the prophet of that time among Banī Isrā'īl. This man and his beloved wife had no children, and for years both were asking Allah for a child. His wife's name was Ḥannah — in some narrations without a shaddah and in some with a shaddah on the nūn — the mother of Maryam.

The Vow of Ḥannah — Mother of Maryam

One day, at an old age, hoping for a child — and for many youngsters and many elders who have not had children, the stories in this sūrah will really give hope, inshāAllah — Ḥannah was outside of her home and she saw a bird come and bring food for her chicks. As the mother bird gave food to the baby bird from her mouth, a strong wind blew, and the mother bird spread her wing to cover and protect her chick — showing her love and protection. By seeing this, Ḥannah's heart melted, and she said to Allah: "Bless me with a righteous child. Allah, please allow me to have a child for Your sake."

And then when she became pregnant, the mother of ʿImrān made a vow to Allah:

"Whatever You have given me in my womb, when this child is born I promise You that this child will be free for the worship of Your masjid." The mothers of that time didn't only dream that their children could earn good money, have great degrees, and drive great cars. The mothers of that time had dreams that their children could serve the deen of Allah and make Allah happy — because if their child makes Allah happy, that means Allah is also pleased with them.

We have mothers amongst us within our homes. While we're staying at home right now and we have our children, we should not only be worried about, "Oh my child's education is falling behind, my child is falling behind in his science project or in his math homework." Yes, those are things that we should be concerned about — but we should also echo these sentiments: "Oh, my son is missing salah in the masjid. When was the last time he opened the Qur'an?" These are sentiments our hearts should be feeling, and our minds and our tongues should be echoing: I care about the Ākhirah.

The Birth of Maryam

She makes this dua, and a child is born. But before the child was born, ʿImrān — the father — passes away. Imagine: years of waiting for a child, and before the child is born the father is gone, and the mother is left alone to give birth. We find in our prophetic history that some of the greatest people who rose to the heights of this world and the Ākhirah were raised by single mothers — like none other than our Ḥabīb ﷺ, who was an orphan.

The great Imam al-Shāfiʿī was raised by his mother, but her aspiration was also to make him someone great. Imam Mālik's father passed away at a very young age. The great Imam al-Hadith, the man who compiled the prophetic narrations in al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ — Imam al-Bukhāri — he was also raised by a single mother. These are people that were raised by mothers who had the right mindset: I want this child to please Allah. And when they had this mindset, Allah not only took care of them in the Ākhirah but also took care of them in the dunya.

The child is born, ʿImrān has passed away, and when she gives birth she says:

"Oh Allah, I gave birth to a girl." She was thinking that she would fulfill her vow by giving a male child to the temple — because the Imams of the temple were males. Allah responded: "And Allah knows what she delivered, and the male is not like the female." Many people get the tafsir of this āyah wrong. The meaning is not creating a patriarchy in our religion. It means: what you will get from this girl, you would never have gotten from a male. The reward, the benefits, and the blessings that will come to you and your family through this baby girl you will never get from having a boy. And this is why this baby girl became Maryam عليها السلام — and being female and not being a prophet herself, she still received divine revelation from Allah, she still had access to angels, and she was given birth — she was the mother of one of the greatest prophets, ʿĪsā عليه السلام.

And Allah says: وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ — "And I have named her Maryam." Don't even worry about it; I'll take care of you. Āl ʿImrān is such a special family that Allah in the Qur'an has only named two children — and both were from the family of ʿImrān. One is Maryam, the daughter of Ḥannah and ʿImrān, and the second is Yaḥyā, the son of Zakariyyā.

The Extended Family: Zakariyyā and Alīshabaʿ

The wife of Zakariyyā عليه السلام — the majority of the mufassirūn give her name as Alīshabaʿ, and another name mentioned is Alīshā, though Alīshabaʿ is the name the mufassirūn inclined toward. Alīshabaʿ and Ḥannah were sisters. So ʿImrān and Zakariyyā were actually brothers-in-law. Nonetheless, Allah gave Maryam to this family, and Ḥannah had to fulfill her vow — she wrapped Maryam up and placed her in the temple.

Now, who would take care of this child? Everyone wanted to — so they had to draw lots. Allah refers to this drawing of lots:

They put their pens into a case and had a child pull one out. Whoever's name was on the pen would become the guardian of Maryam. The first time, the pen of Zakariyyā was pulled out. They said, "No, let's redo it." The second time, they placed the pens in running water and the pen that went against the stream would be the guardian — and only the pen of Zakariyyā flowed against the stream. Again they said, "Let's do it again." The third time, whichever pen flowed with the stream would be the guardian — and naturally all pens should have flowed with the stream, but by the plan and grace of Allah, all pens started flowing against the stream, and the only pen that flowed with the stream was the pen of Zakariyyā عليه السلام. And Allah says:

Allah accepted this dua to such an extent that it was not limited to one life — وَأَنبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا — but generations to come were to benefit from this dua. And that is where ʿĪsā عليه السلام came from.

Maryam in the Miḥrāb — Miracles of Provision

Every single time Zakariyyā would enter the miḥrāb — Maryam was given this safe haven, this sanctuary inside the masjid in a miḥrāb, which is a small room. The miḥrāb comes from the root letters of ḥarb, meaning war. In this context, it meant a place where an individual wages war against his own desires — protecting himself from all of his desires and cravings and committing himself to Allah.

Imam al-Ālūsī رحمه الله mentions in his tafsir that whenever Zakariyyā would walk in and visit this young girl, he would often find her praying Tahajjud, performing dhikr of Allah, reciting the prophetic scriptures of that time — all she was doing was ibādah. A very special girl in the eyes of Allah.

And here is a lesson for us: let us make our homes our miḥrāb. If we are at home for the next few weeks — or however long it may be — let's dedicate at least one hour in the day where every single person in the household is doing something recognized as ibādah. One person doing dhikr, another reading Qur'an, another doing istighfār, another making dua — everyone involved in some form of worship. Do we think that if this is the household — in America or wherever we're watching from — do we think Allah's mercy will not descend upon us? Of course it will, because we have an ideal household.

Every single time Zakariyyā would come to her sanctuary, he would find food from the opposite seasons — so in the off-season of that fruit, somehow Maryam would have it. This shows us that if we become people who commit ourselves to Allah in difficult times, not only will Allah bring peace to us and grant pious offspring, but Allah will also take care of our sustenance — just as Maryam's sustenance was taken care of by Allah, even though Zakariyyā was technically responsible for it.

He would come to her and say, "Oh Maryam, where do you get this food? How is it possible that the world is searching for this, but you have it?" And this young girl gave Zakariyyā — the Prophet of Allah — a life lesson. She said: هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ — "It is from Allah. It is not complicated. It comes directly from Allah."

The Dua of Zakariyyā — A Lesson in Persistence

When Zakariyyā heard this, he realized: if Allah can bless Maryam with fruits from the opposite seasons, can Allah not bless me — even though I am old and cannot have children — with a child? So right then and there, he made dua. And Allah speaks about this very vividly in Sūrah Maryam:

When I first read this āyah it was so difficult to understand, because in the Arabic language نادى means to call out loudly, to call upon someone aloud in front of everyone — and خَفِيًّا means to do it quietly and hidden. How does that make sense? We find a way to reconcile these two descriptions by saying that he would speak aloud to Allah, but no one else was hearing — it was only him and Allah. And Allah brings the same type of emphasis through the construction of the Arabic, showing that he continued and continued making dua to Allah, and it was hidden — no one knew about it.

"Oh Allah, I have absolutely no chance of having a child because my bones have become weak, and my hair — I have become old by every definition. But oh Allah, I have not become hopeless of making dua to You, because I just saw the miracle You gave Maryam — why can't You give me the same? I have not become hopeless of that dua."

He is speaking to Allah about his own weakness — and this is the manner of dua. The Prophet ﷺ after Ṭā'if made his own beautiful dua of complaint to Allah about his own weakness:

"Oh Allah, I complain to You of my weakness." Today we are also in a position to complain to Allah about the world's weakness — no one has found a formula to cure this virus, everyone is struggling. And we turn to Allah saying: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ — "I am the oppressor in your court." That is how the dua is made.

They say that at this juncture of his life, Zakariyyā عليه السلام was 120 years old and his wife was 98 years old — and in some narrations 98 and 92 respectively. Regardless, both at a very elderly age, having never had children before, and Allah says: "I've got you. I will give you a child — and such a child, whose name I have already given: Yaḥyā." Yaḥyā — meaning one who is alive — came alive from a couple who thought they could never give birth.

And how did the answer come? Allah tells us:

The angels called upon him while he was standing and praying salah. He made the dua, and he continued to pray to Allah — he didn't just raise his hands and say "Oh Allah, please give me a child" and close the book. He went back to the masjid and stood in prayer. He did not stop praying until he received a response from Allah. And that is a sign of true dua — that we continue asking Allah until Allah responds.

Consider the dua of Yaʿqūb for Yūsuf to return to him — he continued making dua for 40 years. His eyes became blind. Finally, one night with his head in sajdah, he said:

"Oh Allah, will You not show mercy to my elderly age? Will You not show mercy to the weakness of my limbs? Will You not show mercy to my poverty and how impoverished I am?" And the response came from Allah that had Yūsuf been dead, because of his beautiful dua and dedication, Allah would have brought him back to life. The very next day the news came to Yaʿqūb that Yūsuf was alive.

Lessons from the Family of ʿImrān

Being consistent in our dua and not losing hope — that is the lesson. And from the story of this ideal prophetic family, we can take the following lessons:

First — the entire family was committed to Allah. Not one individual of the family was turned away. Every individual — from the top to the bottom — was dedicated in their approach to making Allah happy. This is why Allah didn't say the story of ʿImrān; Allah said the story of Āl ʿImrān — the entire family of ʿImrān. So the first lesson: dedicating our entire family towards this.

Second — isolation for the sake of worship, not only for the sake of sins. We seek isolation that allows us to put more time and energy into the actions of goodness than we do in public — because we understand that the acts of isolation are the ones that truly count. They leave an effect. They leave a legacy — like how Hājar's effort left a legacy, like how Maryam's effort left a legacy. Doing it when no one is watching creates a legacy.

One of the scholars said about al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله: he never saw any single person whose statements were more in line with his actions — that whatever he said, he made an effort to act upon. May Allah make us amongst those people who don't only speak about these things but actually become ambassadors and people that act upon these lessons.

The Birth of ʿĪsā — A Miracle of Miracles

The story of the family continues. Now Allah speaks about another miracle — the greatest of all: the miracle of Maryam giving birth to ʿĪsā عليه السلام. Her story doesn't stop at وَأَنبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا — Allah truly meant it by every definition, that He would continue blessing this family.

Imam al-Ālūsī mentions that she was 12 years old, and Ibn Kathīr mentions 15 — nonetheless a very young girl by any measure. She went out towards the east and would find some time alone away from the miḥrāb during a specific time — she left the isolated masjid and went into even greater isolation. That is where this miracle of ʿĪsā took place. Allah says:

"We are giving you the glad tidings of ʿĪsā, who will also be a prophet." She said: "Oh Allah, how can it be possible that I give birth —"

"And no man has ever touched me." There was such ḥayā' in that time — such modesty, such shyness. And it is important for us to realize where the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 4019)

That immodesty and fahishah does not become the norm of an era, nor do people become insensitive towards it, except that because of it Allah brings upon those people plagues, pandemics, epidemics — and sicknesses and diseases that were never there before them. And this happens because of open immodesty. Modesty is not only in the way we dress — it's in the way we speak, it's what's in our heart, it's in the way we walk, it's in the way we look at our elders, it's in the way we sit in front of our elders. All of that is hayā'.

Allah says:

"This is how Allah wants it to happen, and it will happen." Jibrīl عليه السلام came to her, and she said:

"I seek refuge in Allah from you — don't come closer." And the angel Jibrīl said: "Don't worry, I am an angel of Allah, coming to bless you with a child." The narration goes that he blew inside of her sleeve, and with that breath — this is why ʿĪsā is known as رُوحُ اللَّهِ — Jibrīl, with the permission of Allah, blew inside the sleeve of Maryam, and from this she was made pregnant.

The majority of the mufassirūn say that she did not have a nine-month pregnancy; rather, over a very short period of time, she gave birth. And when she gave birth to ʿĪsā, she said:

"Oh, how I wish I had died before this day." These were people who were not looking for recognition in this world. They were looking for recognition in the court of Allah. الأخفياء في الأرض — hidden in the eyes of the world, but recognized in the courts of Allah.

One day ʿUmar رضي الله عنه walked by Muʿādh ibn Jabal and asked him, "Why are you crying, ya Muʿādh?" He said: "Something that I remember that I heard from the Prophet ﷺ." And he said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2965)

"Verily Allah loves those who are pious, those who are God-fearing, and الأخفياء — those whom nobody knows about. They are hidden in the eyes of the world, but recognized in the courts of Allah." The more we make an effort to be recognized in the courts of Allah, the more Allah will make sure that the people who need to know about us will know about us.

ʿĪsā Speaks from the Cradle

She comes back to her community holding a child. They look at her and say:

"Your father was not a wretched person, nor was your mother a sinful woman — what is this?" She doesn't speak — she had made a vow to fast from speech. Allah says:

She points towards the child. Imagine: a young girl at the age of 12, 13, 14, 15 having to bear the burden of a child without a job, without a husband, without a house — and all of us today are thinking about who's going to support us, who's going to provide for us. We've forgotten about:

But Allah is the Razzāq. And in a beautiful hadith qudsi, Allah says:

"O son of Ādam, do not fear any person of authority as long as My authority remains — and My authority will never perish. O son of Ādam, do not fear the tightness of rizq as long as My treasures remain — and My treasures will never be exhausted."

She pointed toward the child, and the miracles of the family of ʿImrān continue through ʿĪsā عليه السلام. Allah says about this child:

He will speak while in the cradle, and he will speak at an elderly age — and we believe, from the statements of our Prophet ﷺ in our tradition, that ʿĪsā will return. Nonetheless, ʿĪsā عليه السلام looks at the people and says:

"I am a servant of Allah." He didn't start by saying "I am a doctor," "I am an engineer," "I am a mufti," "I am a scholar." He said: إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ — I am a servant of Allah. He has given me the Book and made me a prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I am, and He has enjoined upon me salah and zakāh as long as I am alive. He has made me dutiful to my mother — وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي — regardless of what happens in this world, the greatest ibādah a child can do outside of praying salah is taking care of his mother or her parents.

The Prophet ﷺ says in a sahih authentic narration:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2551)

"May this person's face be rubbed in the dirt — may this person's face be rubbed in the dirt — may this person's face be rubbed in the dirt." They asked: "Who is this, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "A person who finds his parents — one or both of them — alive at an elderly age, but somehow still fails to enter into Jannah." What a wretched person — because the doors of Jannah have already been opened for him; all he has to do is push it open.

Yaḥyā and ʿĪsā — Carrying the Legacy Forward

Now the story of Yaḥyā and ʿĪsā begins. They were only three years apart, both prophets calling towards Allah. Yaḥyā was a few years older. Allah says:

"O Yaḥyā, take this book with strength." And some narrations mention that he memorized the entire Torah in three days, others in seven — because Zakariyyā put him towards it. And we gave him prophethood at a very young age. It is reported about Yaḥyā عليه السلام that he would go out as a young child — 9, 10, 11 years old — and start speaking about the Torah, its stories, and its lessons, and people would start crying because he was able to shake their hearts and make them remember Allah. This is Yaḥyā growing up.

The family's journey didn't stop with one generation. It wasn't that one generation's effort ended and things stopped — rather, one generation ended and the next generation continued and progressed. Like how a child takes the business of a father and moves it forward. These parents understood that they had to make effort so their children could follow them and continue that effort. It wasn't "I don't pray salah but hopefully my child will pray." It was: whatever we have to do to please Allah, so our children can become mirror images of us — if not better and greater.

It is narrated by Ibn Kathīr that one day Yaḥyā عليه السلام stood up in Bayt al-Maqdis and called the entire family of Banī Isrā'īl — حَتَّى إِذَا امْتَلَأَ الْمَسْجِدُ — until the masjid became full and people were standing in the balconies to hear from him. And he said: Allah has given me a few commands, and I want everyone to act upon them.

Number one: Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him — لَا أَنْ تَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا. He gave an analogy: imagine a person who buys a slave and gives him money to work and harvest crops, but when the time of the harvest comes, the slave takes all those crops and gives them to somebody else. He said this is the same example as us — if Allah has given us everything and made us as His ʿibād, and we take our talents and blessings and direct them towards anything other than the deen of Allah, we are like that slave.

Number two: Establish your prayer — وَأَنْ تُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ.

Number three: Give charity — وَأَنْ تُقِيمُوا الصَّدَقَةَ. He gave an analogy of charity as well: imagine a person caught and being led to execution, a chain tied around his neck. As he is being taken, he says, "I'll give this much money in ransom," and keeps increasing the number until finally the people say, "Let's accept this and set him free." Similarly, if we continue giving charity in the path of Allah, Allah will free us from the fire of Jahannam.

The Reward of Giving in Difficult Times

Dear brothers and sisters, now is a time when there are people in this world who don't have food because of this coronavirus. This is the time for us to open our hearts and give — and that giving has a different sweetness when it is difficult. People are scared for their jobs, they are not secure — and yet giving in the path of Allah now carries a greater reward.

The Prophet ﷺ says: if a person learns the Qur'an and finds it easy, he'll be given one reward — and a person who struggles will be given double the reward. The same Qur'an, the same āyah, the same sūrah — but double the reward, because it was more difficult for them to do it. When it is more difficult for us, it becomes more rewarding.

The Sahābah asked the Prophet ﷺ: what is the best sadaqah? And the Prophet ﷺ responded:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1419; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1032)

"That you give charity while you are healthy and you have a desire and a greed towards the money — that is the best charity." Because you want it also. That is the time to give. And the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Al-Bayhaqī, Shuʿab al-Īmān, Hadith 10047)

"Whosoever brings back to life a sunnah of mine at a difficult time gets the reward of a hundred shuhadā." It's not about the ʿamal itself — it's about how difficult the ʿamal is for me to do. The more difficult it is, the more rewarding it becomes in the eyes of Allah. This is why Allah does not say وَالَّذِينَ يَعْبُدُونَ فِينَا — but rather:

Those who struggle in our path — it's not easy for them, but they continue putting their foot on the pedal until they make it through. The reward of that ʿamal, when it is difficult, is not the same as the reward when it is easy. Do we think the salah that we perform easily and the salah that people perform fearing for their lives carry the same reward? It is a different salah — because for them it was more difficult to pray.

Summary — Making Our Families Like the Family of ʿImrān

Dear brothers and sisters, as a summary of today's session from the Hidden Stories of the Qur'an, we studied the story of Āl ʿImrān, and we should aim and attempt to make our family like the family of ʿImrān — a family that did not speak too much because they were busy worshipping Allah; a family that spoke to Allah more than they spoke to people; a family that connected themselves to Allah through isolation — just as we are right now — and that spent at least one hour in the day where every single person in the household is doing something of ibādah: dhikr, tilāwah, dua — whatever it may be.

A family through which miracles came because they understood that the people of the world could not help them — only Allah could help them.

May Allah allow us to understand not only the greatness of this family but allow us to take their practices and implement them in our houses — right now, in this time, immediately — so that we can also see those miracles take place. That the child who was disobedient now becomes obedient, because the mother started praying Tahajjud. That the daughter who was disobeying Allah now starts obeying Allah, because the father started making dua in the middle of the night on the sajjādah.

It was known about ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz رحمه الله that wherever he would pray Tahajjud at night, it was like a puddle was there — because of how much he would cry in Tahajjud. So this is the time for parents to take a serious step forward in the progression of their children's deen — not by pushing them, but by pushing themselves. Hājar pushed herself and Ismāʿīl was just sitting there, not even moving, and the water came. But Hājar — the mother — did the pushing, did the running. Maryam struggled and ʿĪsā came. Zakariyyā struggled and Yaḥyā came. And they continued their legacy because they understood what their parents stood for was important, and they made sure they also became reflections of that.

May Allah allow us to become like these people, allow us to take lessons from their lives, and allow us to understand the depth of the Qur'an and these stories. May Allah bless all of you. Jazākumullāhu khayran for tuning in, and inshāAllah we will see you next week.

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ