فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنثَىٰ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنثَىٰ ۖ وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
But when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female.” And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, “And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah ].”
[Surah Ale Imran: 36]
The wife of Imran expected a boy.
But when she delivered a girl, she was surprised. And she was also very anxious that her vow had not been accepted. So in a way, it’s as though she is apologizing to her Lord, presenting a reason as to why she could not fulfill her vow. (Read previous blog post here)
But Allah was more knowing of what she delivered. He Knew that it was going to be a girl.
وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنثَىٰ
“And the male is not like the female.”
One of the problems we have in our society is that, many times, people perceive men and women to be equal in all aspects.
But that is impossible, because we are completely different to each other. We are different physically, biologically, psychologically. We are different in our very nature! Allah Himself says: “And the male is not like the female.”
Unfortunately, the popular notion in many parts of the world is that women can be successful, only if they act and behave like men.
But this is simply not true!
We need to accept ourselves for who we are.
We need to embrace the fact that Allah has created us as women, with our own rights, responsibilities, talents, skills and abilities. There are certain things that a woman can do, that a man simply cannot. And vice versa.
Our history is full of examples of women, who effected change in their societies, who excelled in different disciplines, who worked for the Deen and propagated the word of Allah…all while embracing their true feminine self.
Remember, changing our nature and trying to be someone else, will never help us reach our full potential.
If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid.
Albert Einstein
So be yourself!
In the sight of Allah, it is not one’s gender, or race, or wealth, or power or fame that makes one better. Rather it is Taqwa.
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.
(Surah al Hujuraat: 13)
And this is what we should all aim for, regardless of whether we are men or women.
