Shall I give birth while I am an old woman and this, my husband, is an old man? Indeed, this is a strange and wondrous thing! They said, “Do you wonder at the Decree of Allah? May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Honorable.” [Hud: 72-73] When angels came to visit Ibrahim (as), they gave their greetings of peace, but then they turned to Ibrahim’s wife and gave her some good news. After being barren and unable to bear children for so long, they told her that she will give birth to Ishaq, and after him will come Ya’qub. When she heard this, she became ecstatic and responded with an opposing argument, as you naturally do when you’re in sheer delight and disbelief at such news. How can she give birth in her old age, married to an old man, she cried! This is ‘ajeeb, she said. And here, Allah `azza wa jall teaches us something through the message of those angels. When good and wonderful things come to the slave – and they will come often insha’Allah – do not be so caught up in amazement and stunned thought. Your Lord is able to do anything. The Command and Decree of Allah is not a surprise for the slave who knows the Power and Capability of Allah. This is why the angels exclaimed back, ‘Do you wonder at the Decree of Allah? May the mercy of Allah be upon you…’ See, at the point when you recognise a great ni’mah (blessing) of Allah, there is a blessed moment in which your initial reaction is recorded with heaviness on the scale. What is required of you at that point is immediate gratitude, and for you to praise Allah, and exalt Him without delay. This is just one of the reasons why the verse ends with ‘Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Honorable’ – Allah is reminding us (through the words of his angels) about our actions at such a moment. He is effectively teaching us,
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:53:47 +0000