Ali 'Imran · Madani · ayah 43 of 200

Ali 'Imran 3:43

يَـٰمَرْيَمُ ٱقْنُتِى لِرَبِّكِ وَٱسْجُدِى وَٱرْكَعِى مَعَ ٱلرَّٰكِعِينَ

“O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Having told Maryam of her honour, the angels told her what to do with it: stand before her Lord, prostrate and bow.

A reflection

After the praise, the practice

A swimmer wins the national championship on a Saturday night. On Monday at six in the morning, her coach finds her already in the pool, doing lengths. 'You won,' he says. 'I know,' she says. 'That's why I'm here'.

The angels had just told Maryam the greatest thing ever said to a woman: chosen, purified, chosen above the women of the worlds. The very next words are instructions. 'Maryam, stand devoutly before your Lord, prostrate, and bow with those who bow.' A classical commentator explains the order. The angels had told her of her high rank and nearness to Allah. Then they urged her to guard her prayer, so that she would not slacken.

That is the opposite of how honour usually works. Praise tends to make people relax: I have arrived, I can ease off. The angels treated Maryam's honour as a reason to pray more, not less. An early report says that when she was told this, she stood in prayer until her ankles swelled.

Allah needs none of her prayer, or ours. He is free of all need (35:15). Whoever strives does so for himself (29:6). Her standing was for her. And this answers a modern restlessness. Many people reach a goal and feel strangely empty the next day, because the achievement was the end of the road. For the believer, every gift opens a new reason to turn to the Giver.

'Truly, in the remembrance of Allah hearts find rest' (13:28). The rest is not in the trophy. It is in the One you turn to after it.

The swimmer in the pool on Monday morning has understood something. Honour is not a place to stop. It is a reason to keep going.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.