Remember Me, I will remember you.
Give ear, listen to the words: “Keep My covenant,”
so that “I will keep your covenant” may come to you from the Friend.
What is our covenant and loan, O sorrowful one?
It is like sowing a dry seed in the earth. . . .
Bury deep, then, the dry prayer of words, O fortunate one,
for a tree requires the sowing of seed.

Even if you have no seed, God will bestow on you a palm tree,
because of your prayer, saying, “How well did she labor!”
Like Mary: she had heartfelt pain, but no seed:
the Artful One made green that withered palm tree for her sake;
because that noble Lady was devoted to God,
without desire on her part, God fulfilled for her a hundred desires.

[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi V: 1182–84; 1189–92]

Remember Me1—I remember you [Surah al-Baqarah 2:152]. It is thus encouraged that in the wholehearted loving remembrance of our Divine Source, we are re-membered, restored, found. In the Quran, Beloved Mary, blessed mother of Jesus, is alone during the throes of labor, and reaches out to a palm tree for support; this gentle woman is tested to the edge of endurance, both physically and emotionally as, unsure of what is to come, she struggles, alone, and yet supported by the emerging strength of the palm. The Quranic and Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus differ in their details, but both recount the event with honor and sensitivity as resplendent with God’s Grace and attendance by angels. Within the Islamic tradition, it is understood that it was an angel who calls to her to look down and see the spring that has surfaced beneath her. Whether she was alone or in the company of her betrothed, she was reliant upon her Lord, even in the midst of difficulty, trusting in the Breath of knowingness through which she had matured, now witnessing the fulfillment of the Word. Through her most intimate surrender, great blessing poured.

By the sun of July, old winter’s chill transforms to heat;
by Mary’s burning sighs a dry branch becomes a fruitful palm tree.

[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi VI: 1290]

Hold fast to the rope of God.

[Surah al-‘Imran 3:103]

For Muslims, Beloved Mary is a pre-eminent example of one who stayed true to her original, pure nature, through prayer and sacrifice, “making sacred” every act and word, devoted, surrendered in Love. Through her example we, also, can learn to turn to be with the “breath” of God in every moment, aligned, surrendered, within Truth, as we were created, bil Haqq.2

And keep your connection and remain conscious of God, that you might attain felicity.

[Surah al-‘Imran 3:200]

Surely, Prophet Muhammad took great inspiration from the example of Hazrati Maryam, as he, himself, opened in receptivity to the “Word” of God, surrendered through Love. The angels are carrying this heritage of Love towards us, continually. Mary was of those who bowed in recognition (ar-raaki‘een), immersing in the tranquility of that remembrance and devotion (qanitah, wholeheartedly devout), a radiant heart honoring that covenant of Love.3 As it is conveyed through the heart of Prophet Muhammad in Surah al-Baqarah,

True righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the East or the West.
Truly righteous is one who trusts in God,
in the Day of the Hereafter, and the angels, and Revelation, and the exalted prophets;
one who spends of what has been given to one—out of love for Him—
upon one’s near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer,
and those who beg, and for the freeing of human beings from slavery;
and is steadfast in prayer, and offers purifying charity;
they who keep their promises whenever they promise,
and are patient in suffering and in difficulty, and in time of danger;
it is they who have proved themselves true,
and it is they, they who are conscious of God.

[Surah al-Baqarah 2:177]

And if My servants ask you about Me—truly, I am near.
I respond to the one who calls Me whenever he or she calls Me;
let them then respond to Me, and trust in Me,
that they might follow the well-guided way.

[Surah al-Baqarah 2:186]

Islamic mystics recommend this practice: “Keep God as your companion in every state”—so that through the Light of the Beloved’s Presence we might be guided aright, and that within the Presence of the Beloved we might rest “content,” returning, moment by moment, into that Presence, pleased [radiyah] and well-pleasing [mardiyah]. In the writings of St. Bridget of the Christian tradition, we find an intimate meditation on the Virgin Mary, “Our Lady,” as the Mystic Rose, Rosa Mystica;4 St. Bridget (Brigid) relates how there was a time when she was quite downcast because the enemies of Spirit seemed so powerful, and Mary came to her and told her to remember the rose among thorns:

“The rose,” Mary told her, “gives a fragrant odor; it is beautiful to the sight, and tender to the touch, and yet it grows among thorns—inimical to that beauty and tenderness. So may, also, those who are mild, patient, and beautiful in virtue, be put to the test among adversaries.”

St. Bridget could see that though the rose has such a welcoming fragrance, is beautiful to gaze upon, and is so soft to the touch, yet it grows and flourishes among prickly thorns with no pleasing scent. She understood from Mary’s instruction that the good and virtuous, even though they may be gentle in their patience, beautiful in their virtues, and sweetly fragrant in their good efforts, still, cannot become perfected except amid difficulties.5

Al-Qushayri, commenting on Mary’s state said: “God (al-Haqq), all glory be to Him in His pre-eminent wisdom, has emancipated this one from the bondage of being preoccupied with all appearances (wujuh) and states (ahwal).”6 In the Islamic tradition, sakinah, the Arabic equivalent of shekhinah of the Jewish tradition, similarly signifies the Peace inspiring Presence of God. In the Quran it is spoken of as being sent by God in support for the heart, bringing illumination. This felt Presence, conveying “tranquility” is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Surah at-Tawbah and Surah al-Fath.7 Through continual immersion in prayer, one might say, Mary was suffused with sakinah and guarded within herself the sirr al-rubiibiyya (the secret of divine Godhead).

As we are reminded in Surah ar-Rad:

He guides to Himself all who turn to Him—
those who have faith
and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of God—
truly, in the remembrance of God, hearts find tranquility
[alaa bi zhikrillahi tatma‘innul qulub].

[Surah ar-Rad 13:28]

The Annunciation to Mary of the Divine gift of a blessed child calls us to recognize that the creative action of God is limitless. The Gospel account of Luke also affirms this: “For with God nothing is impossible.” Surah al-Imran, likewise, affirms this:

She said, “O my Sustainer! How can I have a son when no man has touched me?”
He said, “Just like that Allah creates what He wills!
When He wills something, He but says to it: ‘Be!’—and it is.”

[Surah al-‘Imran 3:47]

In the book of Isaiah of the Bible, Immanuel (understood by Christians to refer to Jesus) is spoken of as the future savior of his people. “Immanuel” has the meaning of “God with us,” which is indicative of the Holy Breath of God received by Mary in her utmost purity, this breath of Spirit that engendered the holy infant Jesus, who was such an inspirer of faith. Through his radiant being, he continually reminded those around him that “God is always with us,” that no matter in what state we may find ourselves, the Beloved is near, even as we are, also, reminded through the Quran:

And He/She is with you wherever you may be.

[Surah al-Hadid 57:4]

It is that awareness of the Presence of God—of the Beneficent Divine Reality—holding us as we surrender, that can “save us,” rejuvenating us with Love. Mary relied so much upon the Word of God that the Annunciation message from her Lord was quickly welcomed with courage and deep faith, even in the midst of her trembling. She did not question further, but accepted and surrendered in devotion, as the servant of God. Even as her name indicated, she was a “Sea of Grace,” one who loved God devotedly and treasured that Companionship. As Mevlana Rumi indicates to us:

The Universal Soul met a separate soul and placed a pearl upon her breast.
Through that touch the soul, like Mary,
became pregnant with a heart-entrancing Messiah.
Not the Messiah of land and sea,
but the Messiah beyond all measured space.
So when the soul has been made pregnant by the Soul of souls,
by such a soul, the world, itself, is impregnated.
Then the world gives birth to another world,
and reveals to the congregated people
a place of enlivened congregation.
Though I should speak of this until the Resurrection,
I lack the power to describe such a Resurrection.
These words of mine, really are an “O Lord,”
a prayer, a call for the breath of a sweet-lipped One.
How should one who seeks an answer fail to pray?
How can he or she be silent,
when “Here am I” always comes in response to our “O Lord!”
It is a “Here am I” you cannot hear,
but can wholly taste from head to foot, rejoicing.

[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi II: 1183–91]8

The contemporary Christian mystic, Thomas Merton, speaks of seeking in contemplative prayer a “point vierge” at the center of his being, “a point untouched by illusion, a point of pure truth . . . which belongs entirely to God, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point . . . of absolute poverty,” he wrote, “is the pure glory of God in us.”9 Intimating a similar effort for us, and the accompanying surrender to God’s workings within us, Rumi continues to encourage us:

Dig a well in the earth of this body,
or even before the well is dug,
let God draw the water up.
Be always at work scraping the dirt from the well.
To everyone who suffers,
perseverance brings good fortune.
The Prophet has said that each prostration of prayer
is a knock on heaven’s door.
When anyone continues to knock,
felicity shows its smiling face.

[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi V: 2044–49]10

It is related that, knowing well the power of intention and of devotion, Beloved Maryam would continually set an example for those around her of one turned and attuned completely to her Sustainer, through every moment, every action, every breath of her life. Surely, she kept her heart free from any ill-will, and taught those around her, even as had her son, the value of kindness and reconciliation, of doing our best to see and quickly heal difficulties that may arise among us.

Earlier in his Mathnawi, Rumi reminds us:

The secrets of the Divine Majesty
are drunk by the ear
of one who like the lily
has a hundred tongues
and is speechless.
The grace of God bestows
a throat on the earth,
so that it might drink water
and make a hundred plants grow green. . . .
God bestows a throat on the body and the spirit.

[Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi III: 21–22; 18]

Demonstrating for us the adab of surrender, the example of Beloved Mary’s devotion and receptivity helps to keep those waters of blessing pouring, continually assisting in the greening of our world, our hearts, and drawing us, also, into the Presence of the Beloved.

And whomever God wills to guide,
his or her chest He opens to self-surrender.

Faman yuridi Allahu an yahdiyahu
yashrah sadrahu lil-islam.

[Surah al-An‘am 6:125]

The major miracle of Christianity is the birth of Jesus; the major miracle of Islam is the birthing of the Quran. Continually over twenty-three years Muhammad was birthing this Beauty, as it is said in the Quran, it was revealed in stages, little by little, in order to strengthen your heart.11 Every word of the Quran had to pass through the purified being of Muhammad; through his heart it was received, the “Word” of God in another form, another language, another gift and guidance for humanity from Divine Reality. The intensity of the transmission is related in a hadith: “[When] revelation came down to him—he underwent the agony that used to seize him (on such occasions) with sweat emerging like pearls from him, even though it was a winter’s day, because of the heavy burden of the revelation that came down upon him.”12 As though emerging from the throes of birthing, the Prophet Muhammad conveyed the pure milk of the Quran to nourish souls awaiting like thirsty children.

For all those who listen to God and the Messenger
are among those on whom God has bestowed His blessings:
the prophets, and those who never deviated from the truth,
and those who with their lives bore witness to the truth, and the righteous ones;
and what a beautiful friendship this is.
Such is the abundance of God—and it suffices that God is All-Knowing.

[Surah an-Nisa 4:69–70]

Continually we are invited to re-examine our intentions and to seek to be in clear connection with our Sustainer, moment by moment, in all our activities and our rest. Whether standing, sitting, or lying down (Surah an-Nisa 4:103), our remembrance and our intention may be held with the Ultimate Reality, seeing, being seen. Rumi’s mentor and beloved friend, Shams of Tabriz, encourages us to keep turning towards the heart to find that One who finds us—even as beloved Mary must have done in the moments when she had lost her son—and in that process to be willing to undergo the trials that expand the heart, that we might be able to encompass more and more fully that Presence:

Seek the heart, not instincts! Where is the place of the heart? The heart is hidden. . . . The moment the bright light of the Truth reflects upon the heart, the heart becomes joyful. Then in a moment, that light disappears, but many times it happens like this so that the heart might become a heart. It burns, and many times the heart gets broken, until it melts and only God remains.13

Truly those who have faith (those who trust in Divine Beneficence
and their connection with their Sustainer),
and do the deeds of wholeness and reconciliation,
the Infinitely Compassionate will endow with Love.

[Surah Maryam 19:96]

Through all the tribulations of our lives we keep learning, through nights of difficulty and days of renewal. God alternates the night and the day [Surah an-Nur 24:44]. As Hazrati Shams continues:

Again and again the light of day is drowned in the sea of darkness, and over and over again the sea of darkness is burned away within the rays of light. Do people think that they will be saved by saying, “We have faith,” and be left to themselves without being tested? (Surah al-Ankabut 29:2). What is there in the world that is accepted without passing through a test, or rejected without being tested? But if God wills, the work is corrected in the end, and you go along the right way, and then you understand who you are!14

With the blessing of the example of Hazrati Maryam, Hazrati Muhammad, Hazrati Shams, and Hazrati Mevlana, peace and blessings be upon them all, may we, also, be drawn to the Truth of surrender; may we Bow in worship and draw near (Surah al-‘Alaq 96:19), into the loving embrace of God’s Presence. May we partake of and share the blessing of that sustaining abundance, the Love that is the reality of who we really are.

O humankind!
There has come to you a direction from your Sustainer
and a healing for your hearts
and for those who have faith, guidance and grace.
Say: “In the abundance of God and in His grace,
in that let them rejoice.”

[Surah Yunus, “Jonah,” 10:57–58]

Subhanallah! Ya Rabb al-‘Alameen!

[1] Zhikr (remembrance) “mentioning God,” refers to the invocation of the Divine Names or of the beloved qualities of the traditional Ninety-Nine Names of God, in repeated recitation, whether chanted aloud (zhikr of the tongue) or silently (zhikr of the heart, fikr) or deep within, opening to the Mystery, without words (zhikr of the secret, fikr as-sirr). May we remember with our hearts, our tongues, our actions, and Be “remembered.”
[2] See Quran, Surah al-An‘am 6:73.
[3] See Quran, Surah al-Maida 5:75 and Surah al-Imran 3:43, and The Way of Mary: Maryam, Beloved of God, Camille Hamilton Adams Helminski, Sweet Lady Press 2021, p.28.
[4] See The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden, Book 1, Chapter 22.
[5] See The Way of Mary: Maryam, Beloved of God, op. cit., p.17.
[6] Al-Qushayri, Lata’if al isharat, (Cairo: Dar al Kutub al ‘Arabi 1968–71) vol I, p.249, as cited by Kristin Zahra Sands, Sufi Commentaries on the Quran in Classical Islam, p.98, as cited in The Way of Mary, Maryam Beloved of God, op. cit., p.20.
[7] See Quran 2:248, 9:26, 9:40, 48:4, 48:18, 48:26.
[8] The Way of Mary: Maryam, Beloved of God, op. cit., pp.44-45.
[9] Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (New York: IMAGE 2014), pp.153–156.
[10] The Way of Mary: Maryam, Beloved of God, op. cit., p.47.
[11] See Surah al-Furqan 25:32. See, also, Surah an-Nahl (The Bee) 16:102: Say: “The spirit of holiness (ruh al-qudus) has brought it down from your Sustainer by stages, within Truth (bil Haqq), so that it might strengthen those who have come to faith, and as a guidance and a glad tiding unto all who have surrendered themselves to God.”
[12] Ibn Kathir, Imam Abu’l-Fida’ Isma’il, The Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Vol. I, p.306, as cited in The Way of Mary: Maryam, Beloved of God, op. cit., p.97.
[13] See Rumi’s Sun, The Teachings of Shams of Tabriz, (Selections from the Maqalat of Shams of Tabriz), translated by Refik Algan and Camille Helminski, “Be a Person of Heart,” p.402.
[14]  Ibid, see “Surely You Will Be Tested,” p.403.