Hagar: Why did we pick this name?

Please check out an excerpt from Dr Din’s Book which is dedicated to and donated entirely to Hagar’s foundation for Single Mothers.

“ Who was Hagar? There are various religious stories about her origin but everyone agrees that she was an Egyptian and was given to Prophet Abraham to serve as his wife Sarah’s handmaiden. Hagar was very beautiful and also quite resourceful. Muslims believe that she was married to the Prophet Abraham while acting as a surrogate to bear a son for him, Ishmael. Sarah was anxious about her own aging and she was worried that the prophecy of giving Abraham a son might not happen, so she fixed things up for Abraham with Hagar. But a few years later, Sarah too became pregnant and had Isaac. Both ladies started disliking each other and Sarah asked her husband to let Hagar go. (This is not the first time two strong women fought over a man, where one of them won and the other one had to move on.)

So Abraham left Hagar and her son to the wilderness with just some food and water. Once their meager supplies were gone, Hagar searched for water and became truly desperate as she feared for her son’s safety. Suddenly a reservoir of water appeared miraculously in her vision, which had been close by all along, but with in her anxiety, she had not seen. She eventually calmed herself down and reconciled to God’s will that Abraham would never return. She settled down with her son, whom she eventually married to a very beautiful girl. It is stated that through her progeny Prophet Muhammed was born. Hagar is recognized in all of the Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Arabs call her Hajjara and during Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are supposed to complete at least once in their lifetimes, they are required to retrace her steps as they rush through the valleys of Safa and Marva seven times to honor Hagar’s desperate search for water, and to relive her hunger and anxiety. They consider the reservoir she found a source of Holy water and it is an essential part of their pilgrimage as the Prophet Muhammed instructed, since he had a revelation that he was Ha’s descendant.

The soul of Hagar’s story resonates with my own life’s journey. Although I no longer consider myself a single mother, over the years I have come to truly empathize with the burdens, toil, vulnerability and angst of single motherhood. And for this reason I have chosen to dedicate my first book to
Hagar and to change the name of my foundation from Juvanni to Hagar’s Foundation for Single Mothers. The proceeds of this book go entirely to Hagar’s Foundation to provide a reservoir of support and help to single mothers. And just like she was a Believer in the divine light and mercy of the Almighty, I will seek to follow her light.

One of Hagar’s Foundation’s first programs is a job interview preparation package. Single mothers often struggle to enter the workforce and advance professionally. We will provide resume building and interview coaching services as well as pre-employment hair and makeup, and even fresh dry cleaned clothes. We are also planning Life coaching programs, such as financial literacy, health and wellness, and meditation workshops. These are the skills that women need in general, but especially women who have to fend for themselves financially in complex societies. I hope you will decide to purchase this book because you are curious about the approach it offers to rethinking the relationship between medicine, anti-aging and well-being, but also feel good that the proceeds go to making services like these available to at least some of those who need them but cannot otherwise afford them.