Poetry
The womb,
Acting like the hands of God,
Shaping and molding.
Each woman like Maryam,
Her body constructing a beautiful form,
A gift from God.
As God breathed life into Maryam,
God breathes life into us all,
Through our mothers.
My inspiration came from our Week 3 reading of Sells’ “Approaching the Qur’an.” Sells highlights references throughout the Qur’an to the different stages of a woman bearing child. A particular comparison that I made was between God and the body of Maryam. God shapes Adam and breathes life into him. God breathes life into Maryam and she conceives Jesus. It seems to me that Maryam’s body shapes Jesus similar to how God shaped Adam. Maryam could not have had the miraculous conception without God breathing life into her, but once that was done her body acted like the hands of God; molding the body of Jesus.
Maternal influence is important across almost every culture. In many parts of the world, mothers are the backbone of their society. My mom is extremely important to me and I love to show my gratitude to her, since I often view my life through the context of her struggles to provide for me and bring me into this world. Much of what we have read, listened to, talked about, and watched has shown how in the Muslim faith God is everywhere, especially in everyday life. So, what better way to view God as everywhere than by imagining God in every person? My poem strives to pull together the analogies in the Qur’an to the womb with the often under-appreciated importance of mothers and God’s constant presence.