The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Maryam (mary)
Section 2 : Mary and Jesus Commentary : Verse 16.17
The Angel informs Mary about her giving birth to Jesus-The Miraculous Birth of Jesus as a sign of Allah-Jesus announces his Apostleship from the cradle itself
16- وَاذْكُرْ فِى الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَاناً شَرْقِيّاً
17- فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِن دُونِهِمْ حِجَاباً فَاَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَراً سَوِيّاً
" And mention in the Book about Mary when she withdrew from her family to an eastern place."
" So she took a veil (to screen herself) apart from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit (Holy Spirit) that presented himself to her a perfect man."
Commentary:
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said that Mary was one of the four typical godly women.
The Arabic term /nabaoa/ means: 'to throw away something inattentively', while the Qur'anic word /'intibao/ is used for 'seeking retirement from people'. Since Mary was dedicated to 'The Remote Mosque', she had chosen a corner in the east of the mosque for herself.
After the statement of the explanation about Yahya (John), through these holy verses, the Qur'an refers to the story of Jesus (a.s.) and his mother's fate, because there is a close connection between these two occurrence.
The birth of Yahya (John) to an aged father and a barren mother, was a wonderful thing, but the birth of Jesus, from a mother without a father, was something even more marvelous.
It is surprising, of course, for a person be given wisdom and prophethood in childhood, but it is more surprising than that that he, as a baby, speaks in cradle concerning the Book and prophecy.
However, both of them are signs of the Power of Allah, the Exalted, and, they both concerned people who had a very close blood relationship with each other, because John's mother was Mary's maternal aunt both of whom were barren and longed for a righteous child. The verse says:
" And mention in the Book about Mary when she withdrew from her family to an eastern place."
In fact she humbly and anonymously withdrew from her family and went to a place in the temple free from any disturbance in order to pray and to tell her secrets to Allah.
At this time, Mary put a veil between herself and those people to screen herself away from them so that her private place could be suitable for worship and away from the prying eyes of people. The verse says:
" So she took a veil (to screen herself) apart from them. …"
Then one of the great angels (Holy Spirit), in the form of a perfect handsome man, without any defect, presented himself to Mary and, by the might of Allah, fulfilled his mission. It was just as Allah, the Most High, in the Qur'an says:
"Blessed be He in Whose hand is Domination; and He is All-Powerful over everything."(1)
The verse under discussion continues saying:
" …Then We sent unto her Our Spirit (Holy Spirit) that presented himself to her a perfect man."
1- Sura Al-Mulk, No. 67, verse 1
Commentary : Verse 18.19.20
18- قَالَتْ إِنّـِى أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ مِنكَ إِن كُنتَ تَقِيّاً
19- قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ رَسُولُ رَبّـِكِ لاَهَبَ لَكِ غُلاَماً زَكِيّاً
20- قَالَتْ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِى غُلامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِى بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيّاً
" She said: 'Verily I take refuge in the Beneficent (Allah) from you! if you are God-fearing."
" He (the angel) said: 'Verily I am only a messenger of your Lord that I bestow on you a pure son'."
" She said: 'How shall there be for me a son while no man has touched me, neither have I been unchaste."
Commentary:
One of the recommendations of Allah to His Messengers is that they should take refuge in Allah. Therefore, this state has been the moral life of the prophets and the saints of Allah, and that is why when the pious persons feel the probability of committing sin, they tremble in fear and take refuge in Allah, The Beneficent.
It is evident that, at that time, a great fear overcame her when this pious woman saw that a handsome foreigner had entered her sanctuary, therefore, she immediately said:
" 'Verily I take refuge in the Beneficent (Allah) from you! if you are God-fearing."
Her Mentioning the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, and qualifying Him by His general mercy, on the one hand and encouraging the man to piety and being God-fearing, on the other, were all intended to deter that unfamiliar man if he had intended something evil.
By saying these words, Mary was expecting a reaction from the stranger, an expectation laden with fear and abundant anxiety. But this situation did not last very long, and the stranger spoke and stated his great mission:
" He (the angel) said: 'Verily I am only a messenger of your Lord …"
This statement comforted Mary's pure heart, as if water was poured over a fire.
But this relief did not last long, because immediately after that he added that he had come to bestow on her a son who would be pure from the point of temper, manner, body, and spirit. The verse continues saying:
"…that I bestow on you a pure son'."
However, the term /zakiyy/, used in the verse, is derived from /zakat/ in the sense of: 'purity, growth, and blessing', while the word /baqyan/, here, means 'a prostitute'.
In this Sura the subject of being granted a child from Allah has been mentioned several times: the bestowal of Jesus to Mary in verse 19; that of Isaac and Jacob to Abraham in verse 49. Moreover the remittal of Aaron to Moses in verse 53; and the glad tidings of a child to Zechariah in verse 7 are among them.
Having a child is something of great value, but greater than this is the purity of the child.
By hearing these word, Mary was seized with a severe trembling and again she became very worried. In that situation, and only thinking about the natural means of having a child, she wondered and:
" She said: 'How shall there be for me a son while no man has touched me, neither have I been unchaste."
Commentary : Verse 21.22.23
21- قَالَ كَذَلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيّـِنٌ وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ ءَايَةً لّـِلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مّـِنَّا وَكَانَ أَمْراً مقْضِيّاً
22- فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانتَبَذَتْ بِهِ مَكَاناً قَصِيّاً
23- فَاَجَآءَهَا الْمَـخَاضُ إِلَى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِى مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْياً مَنْسِيّاً
" He said: 'So (it will be)'. Your Lord says: 'It is easy for Me, and that We will make him a Sign (miracle) unto the people and a Mercy from Us, and it is a matter decreed.
" So she conceived him (Jesus) and withdrew with him to a distance place."
" And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She said: 'Would I had died ere this, and had been a thing forgotten'."
Commentary:
The Divine angel, in the guise of a man, appeared before Mary and blew on her so that she became pregnant. Then, Mary went to a distant place for she was worried about the accusation of people who did not know of the matter, or because a pregnant woman needs comfort and a quiet environment.
The opinions recorded in most commentaries are divided and abundant about the place and that how Mary became pregnant, or who was the first person that was informed of the matter, but since the Qur'an has not stated anything in this regard, we, too, do not offer any discussion concerning these subjects, because they are not so functional in the development of our understanding.
Some of the difficulties and hardships that Mary tolerated are as follows:
A. The accusation and suspicion of people.
B. Pregnancy and childbirth in solitude and isolation.
C. The lack of a resting place and taking refuge beside a palm tree.
D. Maintaining a child with no father and being among some people who looked at her with revulsion.
However, when the angel saw Mary's surprise at hearing that glad tidings, he told her that Allah's command was exactly what he had said to her, and that her Lord announced that creating a child out of a virgin was not difficult for Him. Allah intended for that extraordinary occurrence to be evidence of the child's prophethood and a proof of the immunity of his mother, and that it might also be a bounty from Him upon mankind for their guidance by means of this prophet. The verse says:
" He said: 'So (it will be)'. Your Lord says: 'It is easy for Me, and that We will make him a Sign (miracle) unto the people and a Mercy from Us, and it is a matter decreed.
The creation of Jesus with no father, of course, is a special event that occurred by the Will of Allah. Finally, at the higest spiritual point Mary experienced the most intense experience of the divine in her life, to receive the spirit of a prophet in her womb. Mary conceived and that promised child was settled in her pure womb. Most of the commentators have said that Gabriel blew into her collar and at the same moment she felt the stirrings of pregnancy.
It has also been narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that Gabriel blew into Mary's collar and at the same moment Jesus existed in mother's womb,(1) while, in the wombs of other women, the creation and growth of a child usually extends to about nine months.
Mary came out with her abdomen grown big and heavy, and when her maternal aunt saw her, she became quite upset, seeing her niece in that status. Mary was always bashful and deferential with her maternal aunt, so because of this, and the fear of being accused of immoral conduct, she chose not to stay among the people and went to a far off place.
She spent in seclusion relying on hope in her Lord, with a state of anxiety, mixed with happiness. It was her Lord Who had wrought this great miracle upon her, and only He could silence the accusing fingers and voices that could not accept that a woman could conceive without a man. What could she do with that accusation?
But, in the other hand, she felt that this child was the promised Divine prophet, a great heavenly gift. She thought how the Lord, Who had given her the glad tidings of that child, and had created him with that miraculous quality, would leave her alone?
Accounts vary concerning the length of Mary's pregnancy. Some have said that it lasted one hour, while some others believe that it took a longer time. Ibn 'Abbas says that one hour after that she went to that distant place, the child was born, because Allah has not mentioned any length of time for between Mary's departure for that place and the birth of the child.
1- Majma'-ul-Bayan, Al-Burhan, As-Safi, and some other commentaries
It is said that when Mary was ten years old, she became pregnant in one hour, and the body of the child was formed in that very hour, and in that very hour the child was born. The birth of the child occurred when the sun was setting in the horizon.
It has also been narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that Mary's pregnancy lasted nine hours.(1)
Whatever the duration of her pregnancy was, the time come for the birth of the child. Women, in such a state, usually seek the help and refuge of their kindred that they might help them in the birth of their child. But Mary's situation was an exceptional one, she did not want anyone to witness her delivery, and as soon as the pain began, she set out toward the desert. The verse says:
" So she conceived him (Jesus) and withdrew with him to a distance place."
In this regard the Qur'an implies that the pain of childbirth drove her to the stump of a withered palm-tree from which only that trunk had remained; i.e. it was a dry tree. The verse says:
" And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. …"
In that condition, a storm of sadness and grief came over her pure being. This storm was so turbulent, and the burden on her shoulder was so heavy, that, as the verse says:
"…She said: 'Would I had died ere this, and had been a thing forgotten'."
It is evident that it was not only the fear of future accusations that was pressing upon Mary's heart, there were also other problems such as delivering a child alone in the
1- The Commentary of Majma'-ul-Bayan, as well as Al-Burhan and As-Safi desert with no midwife or friend as a helper. There was no place to rest, nor water to drink, there was no food to eat, nor any means to take care of the child with what was available in the environment. These were all the discomforts that Mary had to tolerate.
Imam Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) said: "The best clothing of the religion is modesty." (Qurar-ul-Hikam, vol. 2, p. 398).
Ali-ibn-Abitalib (a.s.) said: "Verily modesty and chastity are among the specialties of Faith, and both of them are the epithets of the noble and the method of the righteous." (Muntakhab-ul-Qurar, p. 159)
Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) said: "The modesty of a man with himself is the fruit of Faith." (Qurar-ul-Hikam, vol. 1, p. 386)
Hadrat Ali (a.s.) said: "Modesty is from Allah, the Pure, it protects (one) from the punishment of Hell Fire." (Qurar-ul-Hikam, vol. 2, p. 143)