Servitude for Allah only, neither for lust, nor for any human being, is the utmost freedom. Freedom is a very crucial word in the Qur'an, but many of us pass over it carelessly.

It is ordinary for a woman to yearn for having boys in order to gladden her heart, and she starts to have many dreams built on that boy; but who can say I would like my son to be a martyr for the sake of Allah?

I want you to be free; I want you to enjoy freedom in the restrictions imposed upon us by Allah; veil is freedom; and avoiding sins is freedom. So, the West is not free, but the believer is the one who is free.

I know a couple who have been childless for ten years, and then they were given a child. On that day, the husband asked his wife what they could desire from this child, and she replied that she would like him to be a martyr for Palestine. So, they agreed upon bringing him up in a religious atmosphere, so that he grows up to find a balanced relationship between his parents, in a house where Allah is worshipped, where money is Halal (well-gotten), so that he is well brought up morally & physically until he grows up and becomes ready to serve Islam and achieve what they agreed upon. Their story is like that of Imran’s family.

Do our youths dream of having offspring like that of Imran’s? When Imran's wife said “God, accept this from me” she has not had given birth to her child yet, but she was praying to Allah to accept her neyya (intention).

If you want Allah to grant you a certain wish, make your intention that if your wish is granted, you shall use it to serve Islam, asking Allah to accept your work. So, Allah will grant you and accept from you, as we are going to see.

In verse 34 Allah says what can be translated as, “Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower” and verse 35 “You are the All-Hearer, All-Knower”, Imran's wife is sure that Allah hears her and knows her intention.

“When she gave birth to her she said: God, I gave birth to a female child (So she gets shocked when her dream is broken, as she wished for a boy, so she becomes depressed and thinks that her intention was not sincere) and Allah knew better what she brought forth, - and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mariam.” (TMQ, Mariam:36) (1). Here are some nice remarks; the great wish is to be achieved after twenty years, the joy is overwhelming, the intention is to make religion triumph, but the child is a girl, not a boy, so all dreams are broken.

As you shall see, my aim is not to tell stories, but to teach the morality behind them. You could have a very good intention, to seek Allah's satisfaction and to avoid sins. After a while, you find out that your prayer has not been answered, and your great wish hasn’t been fulfilled. In that case, don’t give up, but Allah might prepare it another way so that your prayer is answered as long as you prayed to Him sincerely, your prayer will surely be answered. This is exemplified in that woman.

Sometimes we give up every hope, and wonder why Allah did not answer our prayer. You might say “I wanted to obey Him, but He did not want it.” Look at that woman's ambition and strong will, these are the signs of selection by Allah. She does not know despair, and she is always confident in Allah. When she was communing with Allah, saying she has given birth to a daughter, she was so depressed, but suddenly she got back her confidence in Allah, and said she was going to name her (Mariam). As she is not a boy, she wants her at least to be a worshiper of Allah, as (Mariam) in their language means (worshipper of Allah). She starts to regain her confidence in Allah, and she says what can be translated as, “I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast”, (TMQ, Mariam:36) which means although she is a girl, she wishes her to beget men who devote their lives for Allah.

This invocation, “I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast” has many nice connotations; the Prophet says “Every child born is tinged by Satan”, which means that Satan gives him a touch of rancor, resulting the cry of the child, except (Mariam) and (Isa), thanks to the prayer of Imran's wife.

You see the importance of prayer? The prayer of that woman, being sincere, was eternalized. Everyone is going to have a Satanic tinge except Mariam and her son.

The Hadith of sexual intercourse “ The Prophet said, “If anyone of you on having sexual relations with his wife said, “In the name of Allah. O Allah! Protect us from Satan and also protect what you bestow upon us (i.e. the coming offspring) from Satan, and if it is destined that they should have a child then, Satan will never be able to harm that offspring.” Thus, one grants that the child turns out to be a believer who obeys Allah.

The Prophet in every situation teaches us to say a certain prayer or zekr. Thus, this invocation, which the Prophet taught us, is the means by which our children can be weaned on the faith in Allah. “ So her Lord accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner “(TMQ, Al-Imran:37).

As previously stated, she wished for a boy, but she gave birth to a girl, and Allah answered her prayer. This situation has two nice meanings:

- First, it is as if Allah says to Imran's wife: “Who says that only men are the ones who make religion triumph? Couldn’t Al-Aqsa Mosque be liberated except by men?” It could be liberated by women as well. In order to implant this meaning in the minds of the whole nation, the birth of the girl Mariam will represent the beginning of the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque is going to be a girl, Mariam. Look at Islam and its respect for women, for a woman could make Islam triumph as much as men could do. Imran's wife has wished for a boy and prayed to Allah, and Allah answered her prayer, giving her a girl who is going to do what men cannot do; her child is the one who is going to make religion triumph.

- Second, which is very nice, Allah wants to teach us that every thing comes gradually. Imran's wife wants to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque, but this generation is not the one who can perform such a job; the hope is in the coming generation, as Mariam is going to give birth to Isa, so be patient.

We shouldn’t be rash if our prayer wasn’t answered at once. Allah has his own ways of managing the affairs of our world, and the change should take place gradually. Imran's wife had a wish, so Allah fulfilled her wish in a better way than she had dreamt, as the grandchild is the dearest of all children.

Thus, we can learn patience, as that was not the right time for the birth of this child nor to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque. This girl is going to beget a prophet (Isa), one of the greatest prophets of the world, who id going to change history. Her wish is going to be fulfilled, and the grandson is the one who is going to fulfill it.

Thus, we get to know about the wisdom of Allah. What we think to be neglect of the prayer turns out to be the answer of prayer, and to entail unimagined happiness.

Back to Qur’anic verses and the beauty of communion with Allah. Look at what that woman says, as if she is conversing with Allah in colloquial Arabic. She says what can be translated as, “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.” (TMQ, Al-Imran:35). When praying to Allah we always say, “Oh God, I ask you to do so and so”, but Mariam's mother teaches us a new way of prayer called communion, such as saying, “God, are you satisfied or not? Do you forgive me or not? If you forgive me this sin I'll do so and so…”. Can you commune with Allah in that simple way as if you were conversing with each other? It is a lovely way of worshiping Allah, because you feel as if you are asking him and he is answering you.

By the way, I know a guy who said once when we were playing football and laughing, and unaware that I heard him, he said “God, just as you made me laugh in this world, make me laugh in the other world (Heaven).” He said it in colloquial Arabic. You see how near is he from Allah? This shows that he is close to Allah every moment in his life.

Try to converse with Allah, and you are going to feel this closeness, that he loves you and that you are near to him. Some people perform Qiyam (night prayer), but they are not as near to Allah as you when you commune with him.

Another guy also tells me that he got used to communing with Allah everyday on his way to the faculty. He asks Allah if He is satisfied with him, whether He forgives him, and tells Him that he has no one else to resort to, and that whenever he gives up a certain sin he commits it again, and asks Him to help him as he cannot stand His anger.

Listen to the communion of Imran's wife in what can be translated as, “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.” (TMQ, Al-Imran:35). After she gives birth, she continues her worship to Allah and her communion with Him. She says “God, I gave birth to a girl, I'm going to call her Mariam” until she says “I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast”. Being very sincere, and having nothing in her intention but serving Allah, the girl grew up to be Mariam. You know how was this girl brought up? Since her first moments in life, and immediately after she was weaned, her mother took her to Al-Aqsa Mosque. As she wanted to fulfill her vow (while many of us vow but do not fulfill their vows).

At that time, Zakariya was the Imam of the Mosque. She told him about her vow which she wants to fulfill, and she asked him to let Mariam live inside Al-Aqsa Mosque to serve it. You see how Allah selects the faithful ones who live for religion and their aim is satisfying Allah? These are the ones protected and chosen by Allah, and they are the means of guidance to others.

So, Zakariya gathered all the Imams and the ones responsible for the Mosque. The case was a difficult one, especially as she is a girl, and there should be a mihrab (sanctuary) built specially for her where she can worship Allah. When they saw the girl's angelic face, they began to fight with each other, each wants to keep her. As mentioned in the verse that can be translated as, “You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mariam; nor were you with them when they disputed.” (TMQ, Al-Imran:44).

Each one wanted to be her guardian, as they expected her to be a blessed child. So, every one, including Zakariya, brought his pen and threw it in the river. These were the pens used in writing the Torah. All of them ran with the tide, except Zakariya’s pen which remained still on the surface of the water. So, Zakariya became her guardian.

Lady Mariam grew up in the custody of Zakariya who was her brother-in-law. He was mentioned seven times in the holy Qur’an, the most important of which are in Surat Al-Imran and Surat Mariam.

The prophet (PBUH) says “Prophet Zakariya was a carpenter and he earned his living by manual work.” Why does the Prophet say so? What difference does it make for us if he was a carpenter, a blacksmith, etc… ? The Prophet (PBUH) wants to highlight an important fact - all the prophets had manual jobs; their job was not only calling to religion, but all of them earned their living by manual work. Some youth care only for calling to religion, which negatively affects their practical life. There should be a balance between working for religion and practical life, so that people would not think that being religious means failure in worldly affairs. In that Hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) says that all prophets, including Zakariya, had their own jobs; they were not idle and dependent on their societies.

This is a call for youth to work in the summer holidays, so that they follow in the footsteps of prophets. Instead of taking daily pocket money from your parents, you can learn any job. This Hadith, narrated by Muslim, is very important. At the same time, it is a Sunnah, so why don’t we follow it?

Thus, Mariam grew up in the custody of Zakariya. He noticed many wonders about her; whenever he went to her he found her praying. As Allah says what can be translated as, “Every time he entered Al-Mihrab to visit her…” (TMQ, Al-Imran:37). ; she was a true worshiper of Allah.

Women worship Allah, pray at night and read Qur’an more frequently than men, may be because they have more spare time and they are more passionate. May our women follow in the footsteps of Lady Mariam. “And (remember) when the angels said: “O Mariam! Verily, Allah has chosen you, purified you (from polytheism and disbelief), and chosen you above the women of the ‘Alamin (mankind and jinn) (of her lifetime).” (TMQ, Al-Imran:42). Note that the word chosen is mentioned twice between them comes the word “purified”. This Surah speaks about the sahaba (companions) who were selected by Allah in the battle of Badr, then they committed a great mistake in the battle of Uhud, and then they were selected again after the battle of Uhud. The same order of selection and purifying applies to Lady Mariam.

I want to show you this meaning. Every one of us is selected by Allah twice; the first time is a blessing from Allah which you may not be able to appreciate, so you commit sins, such as being far away from Allah after you had been close to Him, or wearing the veil and then taking it off, or committing a Kabira (major sin) then comes the second selection, Allah shows you that the first selection was a gift from him, after which you committed sins. If you return to Allah, he will select you again and again, provided that you intend to repent giving up this sin forever. All this shows Allah's generosity as he gives us one chance after another. So, the word “purified” was mentioned in the verse between the twice mentioned “chosen”. This does not mean that Lady Mariam has committed a sin, but it is a message for us, as after the first selection one gets to relax a little bit, but Allah wants us to exert efforts so that he would select us again. Look at the following verse that can be translated as, “O Mary! “Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allah, by worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and Irka‘i (bow down) along with Ar-Raki‘un (those who bow down).” (TMQ, Al-Imran:43). This verse means that if you would like to be selected by Allah, pray for him and worship him truly. In order to make sure that you are not going to commit sins, perform your worship continuously and try to exert more effort in worship, such as prayer, night prayer, Umrah, Pilgrimage, giving alms and so on. Thus, you are selected by Allah all your life.

Thus, Lady Mariam became the first lady of the world and she is the best woman on earth. How did she reach this status?

Scholars have two different opinions:

1. First due to her worship to Allah.
2. Second due to her chastity “Mariam, the daughter of Imran, who preserved her chastity”.

These conditions, worship and chastity, are necessary for the person to be selected by Allah . When the angel told Lady Mariam that she is going to have a boy, she said what can be translated as, “How shall I have a son when no man has touched me.” (TMQ, Al-Imran:47) then she said what can be translated as, “Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!” (TMQ, Mariam:23). Her chastity takes her far away from any path which could lead to sins. This chastity is not found in many societies; there is a lot of misbehavior, girls allow guys to have contact with them, either with a touch or a kiss, or adultery and orfi (unregistered) marriage, etc…

So, the non-maintenance of chastity is the main reason for not being selected by Allah. Allah conceals people's secrets except in the case of adultery when His protection is gone. As Allah says what can be translated as, “let a party of the believers witness their punishment.” (Surat An-Nour:2). Although Allah is merciful, when it comes to adultery He says what can be translated as, “Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allah “ (TMQ, An-Nour:2).

The Prophet (PBUH) says: “It is better for you to be hit by an iron rod than touch a stranger woman in a lustful way” (Authentic Hadith narrated by At-Tabarani).

What happened nowadays? Did lust obsess our youths to that extent? How can our girls accept such a situation? There is a great difference between a girl who worships Allah, reads Qur’an and performs the Qiyam, and another girl whose time is occupied in talking to a guy on the phone. The first cries as she feels the awe of Allah, while the second cries because her boyfriend fell in love with another girl. So, there are people who preserve their chastity and others who waste it.

Chastity means not only avoiding adultery, but also it includes keeping one's tongue from saying vile and wicked things, even if they were jokes, it also includes preserving one's limbs, one's eyes, and one's heart from yearning to adultery. As mentioned before, it is chastity which qualifies one to be selected by Allah. This selection comes to an end when chastity is lost. The ones who lose their chastity are the most ignored by Allah.

Even animals preserve their chastity, such as the female pigeon which turns to a monster if any other than her male tried to touch her.

It seems to be that the main concern of Satan is to destroy chastity in the world, as he knows that selection by Allah is based on chastity.

So, we find the two traits in Lady Mariam: chastity, and worship of Allah.

Consider also the chastity of the companions of the Prophet. When Prophet Muhammad once visited his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali Ibn Abu-Taleb, their door was ajar. He knocked the door, and Ali gave him the permission to enter. They were sitting in their bed, so Fatima hid her face with the bed sheet, she was embarrassed because her father saw her just sitting next to her husband.

On the day of Al-Bay'a (the Pledge), the Prophet said to the women: “you should promise me that you will not associate anything in worship with Allah, that you will not steal, that they will not utter slander”, until he said “that you will not commit adultery. So, most of the women hid their faces, they were embarrassed on hearing the word “adultery”.

Nowadays, the girl marries Orfi marriage (unregistered), and then she goes and tells her parents. My advice is not only directed to girls but also to guys, but we concentrate on the girl, as she has a very important kind of chastity, that of the eye. We also see the unrestricted relationships in the work between married men and married women as well.

Where is Lady Mariam's chastity which made her a model to follow and the best woman in the world. As Allah says what can be translated as, “Allah has set forth an example for those who believe … Mariam, the daughter of ‘Imran who guarded her chastity.” (TMQ, At-Tahrim:11,12).

An old, black and plain woman came to the Prophet (PBUH) and told him “I am an epileptic. When the epilepsy fit comes, my body is exposed, so pray for me so that I recover.” He replied, “If you wish, you can endure and Heaven will be your reward, or I can pray for you.” She said, “I prefer to endure and be rewarded by Heaven.” So, she went and then she returned back to him saying “but my body is exposed, pray for me so that my body is not exposed again”, and he agreed. After he prayed for her, she had fits of epilepsy but her body was never exposed again.

Back to Prophet Zakariya, he wanted to have a boy who can be a Prophet after him and make the people of Israel triumph. As Allah says what can be translated as, “Who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya‘qub (Jacob) “ (TMQ, Mariam:6).

Before getting into details, I would like to go back to the main aim of this lecture, the conditions of selection by Allah, which can be summed up as follows:

1. Much worship: you can attend a religious lesson, read Qur’an, remember Allah always, and give alms. As long as you are able to commit more righteous deeds, do them as much as you can.

2. Chastity: it is one of the most important conditions. There are women who will be happy on the judgment day as they preserved their chastity and nobody touched them except their husbands. Others who lost their chastity, even with a kiss; woe to them! Only tawba (repentance) can restore this lost chastity. Those who fell into sin then regretted become chaste again. The conditions of repentance are: regret, giving up the sin, and intending not to commit this sin again. The Prophet says: “On the judgment day, the unfaithful are stigmatized in front of her husband and her family by a sign written on it: “This woman was unfaithful to her husband”

3. Being sincere to Allah (like Imran's wife), directing the neyya always towards Allah

4. Accepting one's fate as it comes from Allah

5. Choosing one's husband / wife carefully.

Scholars say that these five conditions make you special to Allah all your life.

1) TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.