Anna and Hagar: The Invisible Strength of Women – Faith, Resilience, and the Light that Transforms Pain into Power

The narratives of Anna and Hagar, though emerging from distinct religious and cultural traditions, offer universal paradigms of resilience, hope, and unwavering trust in God, with profound relevance for women today. Anna, known as Hannah (חַנָּה, Ḥannāh) in the Hebrew Bible, lived in a socio-cultural context where motherhood was central to a woman’s dignity and social standing. Sterile and subjected to derision, she confronted marginalization and ridicule with steadfast faith. Her heartfelt prayer, articulated with complete sincerity and surrender to God, was answered with the birth of Samuel, who would become a prophet¹. The Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) exemplifies the transformative potential of suffering, converting grief into gratitude and solitude into a sacred encounter with the divine. It remains a paradigm of spiritual resilience and trust in divine justice². Scholars of biblical literature note that the Song employs parallelism characteristic of Israelite wisdom poetry, highlighting the centrality of divine justice in overturning human circumstances³.

While Samuel’s mother is not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an, Islamic tradition preserves a parallel figure in Hannah, the mother of Mary (Maryam). The Qur’an underscores the significance of devout prayer and dedication:

“And [mention] when the wife of ‘Imrān said, ‘My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service]; so accept it from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.’” (Qur’an 3:35)⁴

The linguistic structure illustrates the principle of tawakkul, or total reliance on God, emphasizing that devotion and perseverance are universal spiritual virtues.

Hagar, the servant of Sarah and mother of Ishmael, confronted marginalization and abandonment with equal fortitude. In the Hebrew Bible, she is left alone in the wilderness with her child, yet God appears and calls her by name, promising protection and numerous descendants:

“And the angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress and submit to her; I will greatly increase your offspring.’” (Genesis 16:9-10, Hebrew)⁵

Hagar names God El Roi (אֵל רֳאִי), “The God Who Sees Me”⁶, embodying the assurance that the divine observes and sustains those who are marginalized. Rabbinic commentaries, including Rashi and Ibn Ezra, interpret Hagar’s experience as a demonstration of divine providence for the disenfranchised⁷.

In Islamic tradition, Hājar (هاجر, Hājar), mother of the prophet Ismā‘īl, symbolizes tawakkul. Her endurance in the desert and her search between Safa and Marwa for water culminate in the miraculous spring of Zamzam⁸. Qur’anic passages (14:37, 2:158) emphasize the integration of active trust in God with diligent effort, underscoring the interplay of faith and action in Islamic theology. This narrative, commemorated during the Hajj and Umrah, serves as a potent metaphor for resilience: even in the harshest and most arid circumstances, divine providence provides sustenance and unforeseen opportunities.

Anna and Hagar exemplify universal archetypes of female strength and spiritual resilience. Anna demonstrates that internal suffering can be transfigured into prayer and purposeful action, while Hagar teaches that material adversity and isolation need not deter; they can become sources of empowerment and hope. In societies that often measure women’s worth by external judgments, their narratives remind us that authentic recognition derives from faith, perseverance, and the courage to face challenges and solitude.

For contemporary women, these figures provide actionable lessons: patience is an active choice rather than passive resignation; solitude can catalyze growth; and obstacles are fertile ground for the emergence of inner light. The experiences of Anna and Hagar affirm that suffering does not mark the conclusion of a journey but its inception, and that spiritual light cultivated through reliance on God can become indestructible. Even amid isolation, disappointment, or abandonment, a woman may recognize her latent potential, transmute pain into growth, convert silence into attentive listening, and transform the desert into a locus of opportunity.

Footnotes

1.     1 Samuel 1:11, Hebrew text: וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל חַנָּה אֶל ה’ (“And Hannah prayed to the Lord”), New Revised Standard Version.

2.     1 Samuel 2:1-10, Song of Hannah, NRSV.

3.     Rashi, Commentarius in 1 Samuel, on the Song of Hannah; Ibn Ezra, Perush 1 Samuel.

4.     Qur’an 3:35, transliteration: Wa dhikri imra’at ‘Imran iz qalat…, translation by Yusuf Ali.

5.     Genesis 16:9-10, Hebrew text: וַיּאֹמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ ה’… 

6.     Genesis 16:13, El Roi = “The God Who Sees Me,” NRSV.