As-Salâmu `Alaykum Wa Rahmatullâhi Wa Barakâtuh,
The sister of Prophet Zechariah's (peace and blessings be upon him) wife had a daughter called Hannah. She was married to a man named Imran, who was a leader of the Israelites. For years the couple remained childless. Hannah's longing for a baby increased whenever she saw another woman with a child, and even though years had passed, she never lost hope. She had faith that one day, Allâh, the Almighty and Sublime, would bless her with a child on whom she would shower all her motherly love.
Hannah turned to the Lord of the Universe and begged Him for a child. She would offer the child in the service of the Temple of Jerusalem. Finally, Almighty Allâh granted her request. When she was aware that she was pregnant, she was probably the happiest woman alive, and both, her and her overjoyed husband, Imran, thanked Allâh the Almighty for His gift. Unfortunately, Hannah's husband died while she was pregnant, causing her to weep bitterly.
She gave birth to a girl, then turned to Allâh, the Most Glorified and Exalted, in prayer saying, "O my Lord, I have delivered a female child," and the male is not like the female, "and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You (Allâh) for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast." [3:36]
Hannah faced a major problem in reference to her promise to Allâh, for females were not accepted into the temple, causing her to be extremely worried. Her sister's husband, Zechariah (peace and blessings be upon him), comforted her, saying that Almighty Allâh knew best of what she had delivered and appreciated fully what she had to offer in His service. So she wrapped the baby in a shawl and handed it over to the temple elders. As the baby was a female, the question of her guardianship posed a big problem for the elders. This was not any child, but the child of their late and beloved leader, hence they were all eager to take care of her. Prophet Zechariah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the temple elders, "I am the husband of her maternal aunt and her nearest relation in the temple. Therefore, I will be more mindful of her than all of you." As it was their custom at the time to draw lots to solve disagreements, they followed this course. Each of them was given a reed to cast into the river. They had agreed together that whoever's reed remained afloat would be granted guardianship of the girl. Amazingly all the reeds sank to the bottom except the one belonging to Zechariah (peace and blessings be upon him). With this sign, they all surrendered to the will of Almighty Allâh and made him the guardian of Mary. Almighty Allâh narrates, "That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]. And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary. Nor were you with them when they disputed." [3:44]
To ensure that no one else had access to Mary, Zechariah (peace an blessings be upon them both) had built a separate room for her in the temple. As she grew up, she spent her time in devotion to Allâh, the Almighty and Sublime, and Zechariah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pay a visit to her daily to see to her needs. One day, he was amazed to find fresh fruit which was out of season in her room. As he was the only person who had access to enter her room, he asked her how the fruit got there. Mary (peace and blessings be upon her) then replied that these provisions were from Allâh, the Almighty, as He gives to whom He wills. Allâh, the Most Glorified and Exalted, narrates, "So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, "O Mary, from where is this [coming] to you?" She said, "It is from Allâh. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account." [3:37]
Prophet Zechariah (peace and blessings be upon him) had then noticed by this that Almighty Allâh had raised her status above that of other women. Thereafter, Prophet Zechariah (peace and blessings be upon him) spent more time teaching her. Mary (peace and blessings be upon her) grew up to be a devotee of Allâh, glorifying Him day and night.
