The Household of 'Imran

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
The Household of ‘Imrān
‘Imrān was a man of God, pious and noble, a servant of Allah the Exalted who dedicated his life in the service of God. He is honoured in the Quran alongside Prophets and Messengers. Allah the Exalted says, “Verily Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ‘Imrān above all people [3:33].” He was a man of noble lineage, from the lineage of Prophets Solomon and David all the way up to Abraham [Ibn Kathīr].
‘Imrān was married to a pious woman named Hannah, she invoked Allah the Exalted to bestow upon her a child whom she could consecrate to the church, a boy who be dedicated into a lifelong servitude to the church. “‘Imrān’s wife said, my Lord I have dedicated what is in my womb entirely to you, so accept it from me, verily you hear all and you know all [3:35].” Hannah anticipated that she would be given a boy, and traditionally it was a boy that was consecrated to the church. However, Hannah gave birth to a girl, “So when she delivered the child, she said, my Lord verily I have delivered a female, it is Allah who is All Knowing as to what she had delivered, a male is not like a female, she said verily I have named her Mary, and indeed I seek refuge in you from Satan the accursed [3:36].” Hannah had given birth to Mary, confused as to how she would go about dedicating her child to the church, Allah the Exalted comforted her by informing her that a boy is not like girl, indicating that Mary had a role to play, a role that no boy could fulfil. The promise of Allah the Exalted to Hannah would actualise, as Mary was indeed dedicated for a higher purpose. Angels were sent to Mary to comfort her and convey the message of Allah the Exalted, “Allah, has chosen you and made you pure, he has truly chosen you above all women. Mary, be devout to your Lord, prostrate yourself in worship and bow down with those who pray [3:42-43].” Hannah took Mary, whilst she was still a baby, and placed her in the care of the church. The priests drew lots to decide who would be responsible for her. Eventually Mary was placed in the care of the high priest, Zachariah.
“And her Lord graciously accepted her and made her grow in goodness, and He placed her in the care of Zachariah… [3:37].” Zachariah was a knowledgeable man, a religiously trained scholar and a Prophet of Allah the Exalted. “Zachariah, John, Jesus and Elias, all of them were righteous [6:85]”. He was married to Elizabeth who was the sister of Hannah, thus Zachariah was the maternal uncle of Mary.  Allah the Exalted begins the Chapter of Mary with the mention of Zachariah, “This is an account of your Lords mercy towards his servant, Zachariah [19:2].” Zachariah had reached an old age and his wife was barren, unable to have children, yet he invoked Allah the Exalted to bestow upon him a child. His prayers were answered and he was given the glad tidings of a boy. “Zachariah verily we give you glad tidings of a boy, whose name will be John, we have chosen this name for non-before him [19:7].” Amazed, Zachariah implored his Lord for a sign, “…your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, so he came out to his people from the prayer chamber and signalled to them to glorify their Lord morning and evening [19:10-11].” John would also be a Prophet, and at a young age he would display his good-judgment and carry the scripture to call his people to the worship of Allah the exalted. “John, hold onto the scripture firmly! While he was still a young boy, We granted him wisdom, affection from us and purity. He was god-conscious, dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobeying tyrant. Peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive [19:12-15].” “Verily… John, will be noble and chaste, a prophet, one of the righteous [3:39].”  
“…Whenever Zachariah entered to see Mary in her prayer chamber, he found her supplied with provisions. He said, Mary, how is it you have these provisions? She replied, they are from Allah, verily Allah sustains who He wills, without account [3:37].” Eventually when Mary was of age, angels appeared before her and said, “Mary, Allah gives you news of a word from Him, he will be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next… he will speak to people in his infancy and in his adulthood, he will be one of the righteous [3:45-46].” News of a son came as a great surprise to Mary, for she was a virgin and no man had ever touched her. “She said, my Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me? This is how Allah creates what He wills, when He ordains something he merely says Be, and it is [3:47].” And Allah the Exalted says, “…so We blew into her garment through our angel Gabriel, and we made her and her son a sign for the worlds [21:91].” Thus, Mary conceived Jesus. “So, she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place, and the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, Oh I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten [19:23-24].” Even as a child, Jesus performed miracles, he spoke to his mother offering words of comfort, “he called her from below her, do not grieve, your Lord has provided beneath you a stream, and shake toward you the trunk of the tree, it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So, eat and drink, and be contented. And if you see anyone, say, indeed, I have vowed to the most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to anyone [19:24-26].”
Mary came forth with her miraculous child, born of virgin birth, honoured by the Lord himself. Upon seeing Jesus in the arms of Mary, her people assumed the worst and said, “you have certainly done a thing unprecedented [19:27].” Mary was daughter to righteous parents and her people could not envisage that such a person could commit an act unprecedented in her family. “Your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste! [19:28].” Remembering the miracle of her son and what he had said to her, she merely pointed to Jesus and he said, “Verily, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the scripture and made me a Prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and alms so long as I remain alive. And made me dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive [19:30-33].” Such was the character of the noble prophet Jesus, that even in his infancy, with the permission of Allah he spoke to the people to clear his mother’s name and to honour her when no one else would.
Jesus would grow up to be a prophet and perform miracles with the permission of Allah, that non-before him had done so. He would mould a bird out of clay, breathe into it and watch it come to life and fly away. He would cure the blind and leper, and cause the dead to come back to life. He said to his people, “I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me, and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden [19:50].” Jesus ordered his people to obey Allah the Exalted and to obey him. He would call upon his people to help him, many disbelieved whilst his disciples devoted themselves for the work of God. Thus, Allah the Exalted said, “Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to me, I will purify you of the disbelievers. To the day of resurrection, I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved. Then you will all return to Me and I will judge between you [19:55].”
Allah the Exalted confirms in the Final Testament that Jesus was not the son of God rather His messenger, “It is not befitting Allah to take a son, exalted is He! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it Be, and it is. And Jesus said, verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path [19:35-36].” Allah the Exalted also confirms that Jesus was not crucified, “Regarding their statement, verily we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him. Rather, another was made to resemble him to them. Verily, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except following an assumption. And they did not kill him for certain [4:157].”
The Household of ‘Imrān, is a noble household. The second largest chapter in the Quran is named after it and ‘Imrān and is family members are honoured by Allah the Exalted.
My Allah the Exalted bless the Household of ‘Imrān, reward them and increase them in rank. May Allah the Exalted honour the final Messenger ﷺ and increase him in rank.
All the good in this article is from Allah the Exalted and any mistakes are from me.
May Allah the Exalted reward you and I both.