Saturday, August 4, 2007

The Slander Hurled Against Maryam (As)

Harun Yahya

And those who abuse believing men and women, when they have not merited it, bear the weight of slander and clear wrongdoing. (Surah Al-Ahzab, 58)


In the Qur’an, we see that Muslims are usually confronted by accusations directed in the matters they are most sensitive. One of the most serious allegations believers encounter has to do with their chastity. As we saw earlier, Yusuf (as) was accused of being unchaste even though he did everything possible to protect his chastity. The subject of this slander, so contrary to his superior character, was intended to discredit him in the eyes of others. Nevertheless, Allah cleared his name and made his innocence public.

A similar accusation has been hurled at Muslim women in the past. Maryam (as) was a devout woman chosen by Allah to serve as an example for all women because of her faith, sincerity, purity, chastity, and superior morality. Allah reveals how the angels informed her of her son’s birth:

And when the angels said: “Maryam, Allah has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you over all other women.” (Surah Al-‘Imran, 42)

Maryam (as) left her family and went toward the east, where she met Jibril (as) (whom Allah had sent to deliver His word to her) in the form of a handsome man. The Qur’an relates:

Mention Maryam in the Book, how she withdrew from her people to an eastern place and concealed herself from them. Then We sent Our Spirit to her in the form of a handsome, well-built man. She said: “I seek refuge from you with the All-Merciful, if you guard against evil.” He replied: “I am only your Lord’s messenger so that He can give you a pure boy.” She asked: “How can I have a boy, when no man has touched me and I am not an unchaste woman?” He said: “It will be so! Your Lord says: ‘That is easy for Me. It is so that We can make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.’ It is a matter already decreed.” (Surah Maryam, 16-21)

By the will of Allah, Maryam (as) gave birth to a child without a father. When she returned to her people, she was received with great resentment and accusations of adultery:

She brought him to her people, carrying him. They exclaimed “Maryam! You have done an unthinkable thing! O sister of Harun, your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman!” (Surah Maryam, 27-28)

However, despite her people’s slanders, accusations, and resentful behavior, she did not compromise her reliance upon Allah and so remained patient and acted in the knowledge that Allah was with her at all times. As commanded by Allah, she did not talk with them. Instead, her son ‘Isa (as) miraculously spoke from the cradle with Allah’s permission.

In reality, Maryam’s (as) people knew that she was a chaste woman, but they disliked her for not being a follower of their false beliefs. ‘Isa (as) revealed that he was a prophet while still in the cradle, and, as his mother, she was exposed to the people’s mockery, gossip, and slander. All of those who had wronged her with their tongues have received the just return that their actions merited, both on Earth as well as in the Hereafter. Their slanderous accusations came to nothing, and they could not harm either her or her son. Allah cleared their names before the people and honored her in the Qur’an. Today, people of all religious denominations regard Maryam (as) highly. For example:

And Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity—We breathed Our Spirit into her and she confirmed the Words of her Lord and His Book and was one of the obedient. (Surah At-Tahrim, 12)

However, it is important to know the fate waiting for those who have slandered Maryam (as). Many irreligious people since her time have spoken wrongly of her and her chastity. As a result:

Since they broke their covenant, rejected Allah’s signs, killed the Prophets without any right to do so, and said: “Our hearts are covered,” Allah has stamped them for their unbelief so that only a very few of them will believe. And on account of their unbelief, their utterance of a monstrous slander against Maryam, and their saying: “We killed the Messiah, ‘Isa son of Maryam, messenger of Allah.” (Surah An-Nisa’, 155-157)

Believers Accused Of Adultery

Slanderous attacks against Muslims regarding their chastity continued during the time of Prophet Muhammad (saas) and were not so different from the accusations faced by Maryam (as) and Yusuf (as).

A group of hypocrites wronged themselves by slandering a female believer. Although it is very easy for unbelievers to slander or lie about another person, the punishment for doing so is very harsh. Usually, unbelievers are unaware of this punishment. Even if they are aware of it, they consider it to be only a remote possibility. Given the fact that Allah does not forget even one word, those who casually try to discredit pure, chaste, and honorable people will experience irreversible regret and unspeakable pain when they are reminded of their crimes and shown the suffering waiting for them in the Hereafter. Allah reveals what will happen to those who slander pure female believers:

Those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware [of the evil], are cursed both in this world and in the Hereafter. They will have a terrible punishment on the Day when their tongues, hands, and feet will testify against them about what they were doing. On that Day, Allah will pay them in full what is due to them, and they will know that He is the Clear Truth. (Surah An-Nur, 23-25)

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