Page 310 - Christians Must Heed Jesus
P. 310

Christians Must Heed
                                              Jesus




                   Muslims are advised in the Koran to respect their parents and
               treat them well. But mothers are shown a particular respect. As God
               reveals in verses:
                   We have instructed man concerning his parents. Bearing him
                   caused his mother great debility and the period of his weaning
                   was two years: "Give thanks to Me and to your parents. I am your
                   final destination." (Koran, 31:14)

                   We have instructed man to be good to his parents. His mother
                   bore him with difficulty and with difficulty gave birth to him;
                   and his bearing and weaning take thirty months. Then when he
                   achieves his full strength and reaches forty, he says, "My Lord,
                   keep me thankful for the blessing You bestowed on me and on
                   my parents, and keep me acting rightly, pleasing You. And make
                   my descendants righteous. I have repented to You and I am truly
                   one of the Muslims." (Koran, 46:15)

                   Every mother makes great sacrifices for months in order to bring
               her child into the world, and that is simply the matter of pregnancy; it
               goes without saying that every mother makes great sacrifice for her
               child throughout her life. As God reveals in the verse, she carries her ba-
               by inside her, putting up with immense difficulties, and then brings it
               into the world with more great difficulty. Then afterward she engages
               in more great self-sacrifice to ensure its comfort in all respects and to en-
               sure that it is protected. Moreover, she expects no reward for doing all
               this, and relegates her own needs to a secondary status. God reminds us
               of these truths and tells us that mothers are highly valuable people.
                   Even though the importance and value placed on women in the

               Koran is made clear with such explicit statements, and even though
               women are protected in all ways, some Christians still presume to
               claim that women are despised in Islam and to criticize those true
               Muslims who live by the Koran by pointing to evidence from those
               who fabricate nonsense. What these people need to do is to read these



                                              308
   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315