Barren Women

The Quran gives us a glimpse into the lives and troubles of Ibrahim and his wife Sara, and Zakariya and his wife Ishba, when providing accounts of female infertility.

In both of these accounts the husbands remained true to their wives. The women were by no means viewed as incomplete and never hassled, ignored, divorced or replaced. Muslims are urged to accept what Allah has created, remain faithful and understand that creation brings with it some hard lessons and some matters serve as a great test to us.

“He makes barren whom He pleases”             (Quran 42:50)

The Quran goes on to address the matter of misplaced guilt. Sara, the wife of Ibrahim is burdened by a great and overwhelming sense of guilt for denying her husband the gift of children. She gives up all hope of ever conceiving a child and offers her trusted had maiden, Hagar, to Ibraham to be joined in marriage so that he may finally have the child that she was unable produce due to her barren condition and advanced age. She accepts her physical condition and the Qadar (fate) that Allah has set for her. Years later, to Sara’s wonder and utter surprise, she was blessed with a child, the boy is named Ishaq, and her age at that time is placed at about ninety years old. For her it was all but a matter of time and acceptance of the great divine.

Sara’s shock and bewilderment is recorded in scripture as a lesson to the wise that at some point in our lives we must all accept what must be accepted, and move on.

There are wonders to behold ahead of us, but we need first to move on. ‘And they (angels) gave him (Ibrahim) glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge. But his wife came forward clamoring, she struck her forehead and said: “A barren old woman!” They said.“Even so has thy Lord spoken and He is full of wisdom and knowledge"         

(Quran 51:28-30)