Maryam and the birth of ISA
Allah fully supported
Maryam throughout her pregnancy. It is very difficult for a woman to
give birth, a potentially life-threatening experience, all alone,
without medical equipment or a midwife's assistance. Nevertheless,
Maryam overcame all of these difficulties by placing her complete trust
in Allah. Allah helped her with revelations while she was struggling
toward a date tree in the full throes of labor pains. Allah told her not
to grieve, that He had placed a stream at her feet, and that she should
shake the date tree in order to get freshly ripe dates to eat. He also
told her to drink and to delight her eyes. As a result, she gave birth
in the best possible circumstances. Allah reveals her situation:
The pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She exclaimed: "Oh, if only I had died before this time and was something discarded and forgotten!" A voice called out to her from under her: "Do not grieve. Your Lord has placed a small stream at your feet. Shake the trunk of the palm toward you, and fresh, ripe dates will drop down to you. Eat and drink, and delight your eyes. If you should see anyone at all, just say: 'I have made a vow of abstinence to the All-Merciful, and [so] today I will not speak to any human being.'" (Surah Maryam: 23-26)
Maryam withdrew from her society
so that she could be in a psychologically peaceful environment and away
from the hurtful behavior of people who could not comprehend her
miraculous situation. Allah told her not to grieve and bestowed His
grace and protection upon her. No doubt, there was much wisdom in this
advice, just as there was in Maryam's withdrawal to a distant place.
Muslims must not surrender to sadness; rather, they are to trust in
Allah and feel the peace of mind that comes with knowing that Allah will
always help them.
This attitude, which is required
of all believers, has been confirmed by modern medicine, for doctors
tell women, both during their pregnancy and while they are giving birth,
to maintain a positive attitude and avoid any sadness and stress. His
advice to delight her eyes means not to surrender to sadness and to
enjoy the news of Allah's gift.
Eat Dates:
Allah advised Maryam to eat
freshly ripened dates. Today, such dates are considered to be food and
medicine. Scientists now know that dates contain more than ten
substances considered essential for the human body's well-being and
continuing health.
Dates contain plenty of the easily
digested and absorbed sugars that give the human body its energy for
heat and movement. More importantly, these sugars are of the fructose
type and not of the glucose type, which quickly raises the blood-sugar
levels. Dates provide energy, help muscle tissues and nerve cells
develop, and are especially beneficial for people weakened by illness or
those suffering from exhaustion, because of their high caloric value.
For example, 100 grams of dates contain 1.5 grams of protein and 50
grams of carbohydrates. In addition, their caloric value is 225 kcal.
Fresh dates have a 60-65 percent sugar content and a 2 percent protein
content.
Modern medical findings suggest
that dates benefit women who are almost ready to give birth. Doctors now
advise pregnant women to take fructose-containing foods on their due
dates, for such foods provide energy used by the weakened body to
revitalize itself, have a trigger effect on the milk hormones and thus
help the woman's body produce milk, and also increase the volume of that
milk.
This information reveals some of
the wisdom inherent in Allah's advice to Maryam. Another matter worth
reflecting upon is the little stream created by Allah and His advice for
her to eat and drink. Now, scientists inform us that people can survive
on dates and water for years, because they contain all of the necessary
essentials for human life. In fact, one renowned expert on the subject,
V. H. W. Dowson, suggests that one glass of milk and one date per day
provides a person's daily nutritional requirements.
Dates contain various vitamins
(e.g., A, beta-carotene, B1, B2, B3, and B6) and minerals, (e.g.,
sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, iron, sulphur, phosphorus,
and chlorine) and are also rich in fiber, fats, and proteins. Some of
the ensuing benefits are as follows:
A date's nutritional value is
based on the balance between its minerals. During the prolonged period
of morning sickness and the altering physiognomy, a shortage of
potassium occurs and needs to be supplemented. This fruit's high
potassium content is certainly welcome here, as its role in preserving
the body's water levels.
Iron controls the red blood cells'
synthesis of hemoglobin, which prevents anemia during pregnancy and
also regulates the blood's RBC balance, which is so crucial for the
baby's development. Due to its high iron content, one-and-a-half dates
can meet the body's total iron requirement and thus prevent all
complaints caused by a lack of iron.
Calcium and phosphorus are very
important elements in developing and balancing the skeleton and the bone
structures. Dates protect the body from anemia and weak bones, and thus
reduce the risk of such illnesses with their high nutritional value and
high phosphorus, calcium, and iron content.
Scientists point out that dates
can reduce stress and tension levels. Research done at Berkeley
University revealed that dates are rich in vitamin B1 (the "nerve
vitamin") and magnesium (essential for muscle functions), both of which
are essential for a strong nervous system. Magnesium is also very
important for the kidneys, and two or three dates per day are enough to
meet all of the human body's magnesium requirements.
Dates also contain folic acid
(vitamin B9), which is essential for pregnant women, due to its
important role in forming new blood cells, producing amino acids, and
developing new cells. As a result, a pregnant woman needs double the
usual daily amount of folic acid. If the body's folic acid levels fall
below the required amount, bigger but less functional red blood cells
are formed and anemia occurs.
Folic acid, which is crucial to
developing the cell's genetic makeup and division, is the only substance
that must be doubled during pregnancy. Dates are very rich in folic
acid.
During pregnancy, a woman's daily
vitamin A requirement increases to 800 ug. Dates are very rich in the
foremost vitamin A: beta-carotene.
Most other fruits are protein-poor, but dates have good protein content.
Oxytocin is used in modern
medicine to accelerate labor and is often referred as "rapid birth." It
also increases the level of milk production following birth.
Our Prophet (P.B.U.H) pointed out the
benefits of dates in the following hadith: A family that has dates will
not be hungry. This is a piece of very good advice.
All of our current information on
dates reveals Allah's infinite wisdom and grace upon Maryam, who,
inspired by Allah, satisfied all of her nutritional needs by eating
dates and thereby eased her child's birth. (Allah knows best.)
Allah Creates a Stream:
Allah told Maryam that He had placed a stream by her feet to eat, drink, and delight her eyes.
Water, like dates, eases labor
pains and regulates muscle tension. In fact, some modern birth clinics
have pools in which the delivery takes place.
Water, which is necessary for life
and one's physical well-being, plays an important role in regulating
the body's temperature, transporting nutritional elements and oxygen,
and removing waste matter from the body's cells. It also ensures the
healthy movement of joints, skin moisture and elasticity, the digestive
system, and protects tissues and organs. Water is becoming more widely
used in therapy by the day. Contact with water stimulates the immune
system, increases anti-stress hormone production, reduces pain, and
stimulates blood circulation and metabolism.
Water is important during
pregnancy for several reasons. At that time, water intake is especially
necessary because the volume of blood increases and because of the
developing baby's needs. Women who choose to breast-feed need plenty of
water to produce the necessary amount of milk. Considering that 87
percent of this milk is water, we can see how important this production
is.
Water also maintains the
electrolyte balances in the blood of the mother and the child. Hormones
released during pregnancy alter the way various body fluids are used.
Toward the end of the woman's pregnancy, blood volume increases 150
percent, and the loss of water through breathing is much greater. The
amnion fluid, in which the baby grows, is renewed every three hours.
However, it can decrease, as in the case of dehydration caused by
insufficient water intake.
Maryam Shakes the Date Tree:
Allah tells Maryam to shake the date tree toward her when she was headed toward it in her labor pains. (Surah Maryam: 25)
Doctors say that pulling something
toward oneself during labor can have a positive effect on the muscles.
In order to ease labor pains and help bring about a safe delivery, women
are advised to do certain exercises that reduce pressure in the body
and, therefore, the risk of complications during delivery. They are also
thought to quicken the process of giving birth.
Doctors suggest that in the second
stage of labor, the woman's head should be slightly raised to take
advantage of gravity. Thus, hospital delivery rooms have beds with
suitably placed handles and footrests that enable pregnant women to give
birth in the most comfortable position.
Other practitioners advise their
patients to squat or sit on specially adapted birth chairs. Before
recent technological developments, some birth rooms featured a rope
hanging from the ceiling, which the expectant mother was to use to try
and pull herself up, thus helping the birth process. All of these
methods are theoretically and logically helpful. Perhaps this is why
Allah told Maryam to pull and shake the date tree. (Allah knows best.)
REFERENCES
http://www.harunyahya.com/en/Articles/8190/maryam-and-the-birth-of
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