Free

Hannah, the mother of Maryam (Mary) is SUCH an admirable woman. One of the female role models in the Quran, the story of Propher Isa (Jesus) begins with her and a little, yet mighty, prayer she made to Allah:

Behold! When the wife of Imran said "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto thee what is in my womb for thy special service so accept this of me for thou hearest and knowest all things" (3:35)

Jesus's grandmother, Hannah was a devout woman. As a barren woman, blessed with a child, she doesn't indulge in worldly ambition rather she turns her dedication to God. She looks to the one who blessed her with the child and prays that her child works in His service. She prays that her child be a special server of Allah. Most times, while engrossed in the Dunya we lose sight of Allah. Many parents deter their children from dedicating to Him. Children are encouraged to only focus on being a professional, i.e doctor, or lawyer or engineer. Some are reprimanded for doing "too much" or changing their ways. But here is a strong woman, who acknowledges the importance of her child living its life in the service of Allah. Masha Allah, it is a behavior to emulate, to enact.

Specifically, Hannah prays that her child is a مُحَرَّرًا which comes from the root word Harra حَرَّ. Harra means to be free. A free person.

Hannah was neither a slave or forced into any sort of indentured servitude, so it might seem strange that she prayed for a free child. However, the freedom Hannah was referring to was freedom of the mind. She prayed that her child would not be a slave to the Dunya. As culture and religion interplay, one can get lost in the maze that it creates. We lose our ability to fight off the culture and focus on Allah. Hannah knew this too well from living in society. Hannah wanted a child who was a free thinker, who would be free from the shackles that culture places on the soul. She wanted her child to be able to know Allah and submit solely to Allah. And Allah granted that prayer.


I read about Hannah and I know that I have to be better. With each blessing I receive, my dedication should be to the one who blessed me with it. Trust me, I don't do it often. Carried away with the pace of life and satiated in the Dunya, I forget to dedicate each blessing however small to the creator. Reading about this strong, devoted woman who was able to be above it, inspires me to be BETTER.


How do we acknowledge our blessings from Allah? How do we use them?