Appearance
Verses 35–41
إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرَانَ رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ٣٥ فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنْثَىٰ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنْثَىٰ ۖ وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ٣٦ فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنْبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا ۖ قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَٰذَا ۖ قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ٣٧ هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ ٣٨ فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ٣٩ قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَقَدْ بَلَغَنِيَ الْكِبَرُ وَامْرَأَتِي عَاقِرٌ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ ٤٠ قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ لِي آيَةً ۖ قَالَ آيَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًا ۗ وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحْ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ ٤١
- When the woman of ʿImrān said: My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted [to Thy service]; accept therefore from me; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.
- So when she brought her forth, she said: My Lord! surely I have brought it forth a female—and Allah knew best what she brought forth, and the male is not like the female—and I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Satan.
- So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zachariah; whenever Zachariah entered the sanctuary to [see] her, he found with her food. He said: O Mary! whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure.
- There did Zachariah pray to his Lord; he said: My Lord! grant me from Thee good offspring; surely Thou art the Hearer of prayer.
- Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of John verifying a word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet, from among the good ones.
- He said: My Lord! How shall there be a son [born] to me, and old age has already come upon me, and my wife is barren? He said: Even thus does Allah what He pleases.
- He said: My Lord! appoint a sign for me. Said He: Your sign is that you would not speak to men for three days except by signs; and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning.
Commentary
إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرَانَ رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ٣٥
(3:35) When the woman of ʿImrān said: My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (muḥarraran) [to Thy service]: accept therefore from me; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.
When a man makes a vow (al-nadhr), he in effect binds himself to do something which hitherto was not compulsory for him. al-Taḥrīr is to release from a bond; that is why emancipation of slave is called al-taḥrīr; the same word is used for writing, probably because writing releases the ideas from the repository of mind and memory. al-Taqabbul is to accept willingly and gladly, for example, accepting a gift, accepting a prayer and so on.
The words, When the woman of ʿImrān said: My Lord ! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted [to Thy service], clearly show that she made this vow during her pregnancy, and that she was pregnant from ʿImrān. It also implies that ʿImrān was not alive at that time; otherwise, she could not make the vow so independently to release her child for Divine worship. The same idea is implied in the verse: … and you were not with them when they cast their pens [to decide] which of them should have Mary in his charge … ().
Obviously, when the parents release the child, it does not mean that they emancipate it from any slavery. What the said release amounts to is that the child is freed from the bonds of parental guardianship; the parents undertake not to train or use the child for their own benefit, nor to demand from it their various rights like obedience and so on. Such a release liberates the child from the authority of the parents. If the child has been released for the service of God, it is taken under Divine protection and guardianship, and devotes its time to the service of God, that is, serving in synagogues, churches and other places reserved for Divine worship. This would continue up to the period the child would otherwise have remained under parental guardianship. Reportedly they used to release the child for the service of God; the parents did not use the child in their work, or for their benefit. He was put in the synagogue, to clean it and serve in it. This continued till he reached the age of puberty; then he was free to remain therein or to go away; if he decided to continue, he stayed therein; and if he liked to go away, he did so.
The verse shows that she firmly believed the child in her womb to be a male, not a female. It is remarkable how confidently she made the vow with her Lord, in full certainty, without attaching any proviso; she said: My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted [to Thy service], without saying, for example, “if he is a male child.” And she used the masculine form muḥarraran (released; translated here as, devoted) referring to what was in her womb. Of course, according to its syntactical position it may be construed as showing the state of the relative pronoun mā (what [is in my womb]), which may be used for either gender. But undoubtedly her choice of word was based on her belief that she carried a male child in her womb. Otherwise, if she had taken a vow to release whatever was in her womb, be it a boy or a girl, she would not have shown such a disappointment when she delivered a girl: My Lord! surely I have brought it forth a female; nor was there any reason for the Divine comment, and the male is not like the female.
One thing more. God quotes (without any adverse comment) her words showing her firm belief. It implies that her conviction was not without a reason; nor was it based on her keen observations which give some such indications to experienced women. After all, such things are mere conjectures; and surely conjecture does not avail against the truth at all. And it is a habit of the Qur’an that whenever it quotes a false idea, it invariably always points to its falsehood. God says: Allah knows what every female bears, and that of which the wombs fall short of completion and that in which they increase (); Surely Allah is He with Whom is the knowledge of the hour, and He sends down the rain and He knows what is in the wombs (). The verses clearly say that the knowledge of “what is in the wombs” is one of the unseen, exclusively reserved for God. And God says: The Knower of the unseen! so He does not reveal His secrets to any, except to him whom He chooses of an apostle (). It means that others may know the unseen only through Divine revelation. In this background, when God quotes her as saying something confidently about a subject exclusively reserved for God, it means that her belief, (that she was pregnant with a male child) was somehow based on a Divine revelation. That is why she did not lose hope of a male child even when she found her own child a female; instead, she again said with full conviction and certainty: and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Satan. Look at her belief that Mary would have an offspring—obviously such a commendation was beyond her knowledge, if not based on revelation.
… accept therefore from me: She did not mention the object of the verb “accept.” Possibly it could be the afore-mentioned vow, as it was a good deed; but more probably, she was beseeching God to accept her released child. The wording of the next verse [], So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance, clearly supports the latter meaning.
فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنْثَىٰ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنْثَىٰ ۖ وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ٣٦
(3:36) So when she brought her forth, she said: My Lord! surely I have brought it forth a female—and Allah knew best what she brought forth, and the male is not like the female—and I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Satan.
By putting a feminine pronoun in brought her forth, the Qur’an did away with the necessity of a longer description. What this concise sentence actually stands for is this: When she brought forth that which was in her womb and came to know that it was a female, she said: My Lord! I have brought it forth a female. This last sentence, although an informative, was in fact an exclamation to show her disappointment.
… and Allah knew best what she brought forth, and the male is not like the female: These are parenthetic sentences, and the speaker of both is God, not the woman of ʿImrān; even the second sentence is not spoken by her.
There is no doubt that the first sentence is a saying of God, commenting on her sorrowful cry. The words, and Allah knew best what she brought forth, in effect convey the following idea: God knew that she had delivered a female child; but He intended to fulfil through this daughter of hers all her hopes and expectations, in a far better way. Had the wife of ʿImrān know what God’s plans were in making her child a female, she would not have shown any sorrow and disappointment. As the later events showed, the male child she hoped for could not accomplish what God intended this female child to achieve. Suppose, she were given a son, instead of the daughter she got; what could that son achieve? He, like Jesus, could be made a prophet; he could give eyes to the blind and heal the lepers; he could raise a few men from the dead. And this was the utmost he could do. But this female child, which God has given to the wife of ʿImrān, will be a means to complete the word of God; she will bring forth a son without a father; God will make her and her son together a sign for the people; that son will talk with people in his cradle; he will be a spirit and a word of God; his likeness before God will be like Adam; and there will be many manifest signs in giving this daughter, Mary, to the wife of ʿImrān and giving to Mary a son, Jesus, rather than giving a son directly to ʿImrān’s wife.
Now it should be clear that the words, and the male is not like the female, are spoken by God. Had they been uttered by the wife of ʿImrān, she would have said, “and the female is not like the male.” She would not have reversed the syntactic arrangement as the Qur’anic sentence has done. If a man hopes to get a very good thing or to be awarded a very high status, and then he gets an inferior thing or a lower rank, he regretfully says; The thing I got is not what I expected and hoped for. He would never say: The thing I hoped for is not like that which I got.
In view of the above explanation, the definite articles in “the male” and “the female,” (or at least in “the female”) refer to the particular son and daughter spoken about; and the meaning would be as follows: The male she hoped for is not like the female she was given.
Many exegetes have taken the sentence, and the male is not like the female, to be a part of the speech of the woman of ʿImrān. Then they were faced with the difficulty of explaining its apparently reversed syntactic arrangement. They have tried without success to bring about some worthwhile explanation. Any interested reader should consult their books.
… and I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Satan: It is said that Mary in their language means the worshipper and the servant. In that case, it is easy to see why she hastened to name the child soon after delivery and mentioned the name to God.
Apparently, when she found out that the child was not a male (who could easily be released for worship of God and service of the synagogue), she hastened to give the child the name, Mary—thus dedicating her for the said worship and service. The words, and I have named her Mary, implied that she had dedicated that female child to the worship of God and released her for the synagogue’s service. The words were in effect a sort of renewed vow, and that is why God accepted her offering in these words: So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing ().
Thereafter, she commended Mary and her offspring to the protection of God from the accursed Satan, in order that she might dedicate herself for Divine worship and remain devoted to the service of the synagogue, in a way that the name might truly represent the named.
She confidently talks with God about the offspring of Mary, without any condition or proviso. Such words cannot be spoken in presence of God by someone who knows nothing of the future. What the future holds for a man is a part of the unseen and its knowledge is reserved for God. However, she talks here in the same assured way as she did when she made the vow first: “My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted …” This confidence shows that she had the knowledge that she would get from ʿImrān a son of good faith and deed; when she became pregnant and ʿImrān died, she became absolutely sure that what she carried in her womb was the same promised son; when she delivered a daughter and became aware of her mistaken guess, she at once understood that the promise would be fulfilled through that daughter, that she would get that son from the offspring of that daughter. As soon as she realized this fact, she transferred her vow from the son she hoped for to the daughter she was given, named it Mary (that is, one who worships and serves), and entrusted her and her offspring to the protection of God against the accursed Satan.
All these aspects of the story may be understood from meditation on the words of God.
فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنْبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا ۖ قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَٰذَا ۖ قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ٣٧
(3:37) So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zachariah; whenever Zachariah entered the sanctuary to [see] her, he found with her food. He said: O Mary! whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure.
al-Qubūl (acceptance), conjoined by the adjective ḥasan (good), gives exactly the same meaning as al-taqabbul (to accept willingly and gladly). Then why did God choose three words, “with good acceptance,” in place of one, “gladly” or “gracefully”? It was to show that goodness of acceptance was the main theme of the talk; and also because clear mention of “good acceptance” was more ennobling and more edifying.
Mary’s mother had used two sentences in her invocation: and I have named her Mary and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection. The two sentences (in answer to her call) run parallel to them. It is then reasonable to believe that the first sentence, So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance, is a response to her words, and I have named her Mary; and the second sentence, and made her grow up a good growing, is the fulfilment of her second plea, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the accursed Satan. Obviously, accepting a good acceptance does not refer to accepting the vow of ʿImrān’s wife and to giving her the reward in the next life for that good deed of hers; in other words, it was Mary who was accepted, not the vow. Mary was accepted, as she grew up to be a sincere worshipper of God and was freed to serve the sanctuary. In this light, the acceptance implies that she was chosen for this purpose by God. (We have already explained that this selection implies the chosen one’s total surrender to God.)
The words, and made her grow up a good growing, mean that God bestowed on her and her offspring guidance and sanctity, and gave them a purified life free from the whisperings of Satan, untouched by his misleading suggestions. That is what is called “cleanliness,” in the language of Islam.
These two aspects, that is, good acceptance and good growing—which ultimately mean her being chosen and purified, respectively have been referred to in a forthcoming verse: And when the angels said: O Mary! surely Allah has chosen you above the women of the worlds (). We shall further explain this topic under that verse, God willing.
The above discourse makes it clear that it was in answer to her mother’s call that Mary was chosen and purified. Likewise, the fact that she together with her son was made a sign for the nations, was a verification of the Divine words, and the male is not like the female.
… and gave her into the charge of Zachariah: Zachariah got her charge because his name came out in the lot that was drawn. They had disputed among themselves to get the privilege of her custody; then they agreed to decide it by a lot in which Zachariah’s name was drawn. God refers to this episode when He says: … and you were not with them when they cast their pens [to decide] which of them should have Mary in his charge, and you were not with them when they contended one with another ().
… whenever Zachariah entered the sanctuary to [see] her, he found with her food … : al-Miḥrāb means a place in mosque or house, reserved for worship. al-Rāghib has said:
Miḥrāb (that is, niche) of the mosque: It is said that it was given this name because it is the place where one fights against Satan and his desires. Others say that it is because once a man enters it, it is his duty to be al-ḥarīb (wrested away) from worldly deeds and wandering thoughts. Some others have said that originally the foremost portion of the sitting place was called miḥrāb of the house; when the mosques were built, their foremost part was given the same name, miḥrāb. Yet others say that the word miḥrāb was originally used for the niche of the mosque, as it is its most important portion; then the foremost part of a house was also given this name, inasmuch as it resembles the mosque’s niche; and probably this (explanation) is more correct. God has said: They made for him what he pleased of fortresses and images …
Some scholars have said that the word miḥrāb here refers to what the People of the Book call altar; and it is a closest in front of the synagogue, it has a door, to reach which one has to ascend a few steps; anyone inside remains hidden from others present in the synagogue.
Comment: In Islamic world the recess (reserved for the leader of prayers) in a mosque owes its origin to that.
Rizqan (food) in the clause, he found with her food, has been used as a common noun, implying that it was an unexpected and unusual food. It has been said that he used to find with her the fruits of the winter in the summer and those of the summer in the winter.
The common noun may be interpreted differently if we look at the clause in isolation. It may be said that the food was not of unusual kind, yet the word “food,” is used as a common noun to show that Mary’s sanctuary was never without some kind of food; whenever Zachariah went to see her, he always found some food with her. But such an interpretation does not agree with the context. Had the food been of the usual kind, Zachariah could not be satisfied by the reply that it was from God and God gives sustenance to whom He pleases without measure. Such a reply in that context would not remove the possibility that someone from the people of the synagogue visited her, either with good intention or bad.
Moreover, the words There did Zachariah pray to his Lord … show that Zachariah thought the presence of that sustenance to be a miraculous event which could only be attributed to God. That is why he felt irresistible urge to call on God to grant him a good offspring from Himself. It means that the sustenance was of such unusual type as to show the honor of Mary before God.
The sentence, He said: O Mary! whence comes this …, also proves it. This sentence comes after the words, he found with her food; yet the two sentences are not joined by any conjunctive. It means that he did not ask the question more than once. When she gave the reply and he was convinced of her prestige in the eyes of God, he felt it was the time to pray to God to grant him too an unusual prayer and give him a good offspring in his old age.
هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ٣٨
(3:38) There did Zachariah pray to his Lord; he said: My Lord! grant me from Thee good offspring; surely Thou art the Hearer of prayer.
A thing is good (al-ṭayyib), if it is suitable for the purpose it is required for. A good land is suitable for its inhabitants in its water, atmosphere, climate and other necessities of life. God says: And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth [abundantly] by the permission of its Lord (). A good life is the one whose various aspects are in harmony with each other and give satisfaction to the man concerned. By the same reason, a good perfume is called al-ṭīb. Accordingly, a good offspring would mean a child who, in his attributes, qualities and activities, would fulfil the hopes, and satisfy the ambitions of his father. Zachariah prayed to God: My Lord! grant me from Thee good offspring. It happened when he saw the grace of God on Mary and found out how great her prestige was before the Lord. He was so overwhelmed by that experience that he could not refrain from praying to God to bestow on him too a similar bounty. Implied in the adjective “good” was a plea that the said offspring should possess a personality much like that of Mary, and should be granted a similar prestige and honor before God. He was then and there granted all that he had asked for. God gave him a son, John—the prophet most similar to Jesus (peace be on both); he was given all the qualities of perfection and excellence which Jesus and his Truthful mother, Mary, were granted. It was for this reason that God named him John, and sent him to verify a Word from God, and made him honorable and chaste as well as a prophet, from among the good ones. As will be explained later, it was the nearest that any man could resemble Mary and her son Jesus, peace be on them all.
فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ٣٩
(3:39) Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of John verifying a word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet, from among the good ones.
The third and second person pronouns refer to Zachariah. al-Bushrā, al-ibshār and al-tabshīr, all have the same meaning: To give good news, to bring good tidings of what would make the recipient happy.
Allah gives you the good news of John: It shows that it was God who gave him the name, John; some verses in Chapter 19 also indicate the same: O Zachariah! surely We give you good news of a boy whose name shall be John ().
The name, John, and its bestowal from God at the very beginning of the good tidings (before his birth and even conception), support what we have said above, that Zachariah had asked his Lord to give him a child with a prestige in Divine presence similar to that enjoyed by Mary. She and her son, Jesus (peace be on them), were jointly a sign of God, as He says: and We made her and her son a sign for the nations ().
God therefore gave John, to the utmost possible extent, all the qualities and attributes given to Mary and Jesus. The attributes of Mary had fully blossomed in Jesus; and John was made to resemble Jesus as completely and perfectly as was possible. Yet Jesus had precedence of John, because his creation and birth was firmly decreed long before the prayer of Zachariah for John was accepted. That is why Jesus was given superiority over John, and made an ūlū al-ʿazm messenger, bringing a new shariah and a new Book. Apart from such necessary dissimilarities, John and Jesus resembled each other to the maximum possible extent.
For a glimpse of this similarity, look at the stories of John and Jesus as narrated in Chapter 19 (Mary).
About John: O Zachariah! surely We give you good news of a boy whose name shall be John: We have not made before anyone his namesake … O John! take hold of the Book with strength; and We granted him wisdom while yet a child, and tenderness from Us and purity, and he was one who guarded [against evil], and dutiful to his parents, and he was not insolent, disobedient. And peace on him on the day he was born, and on the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life (, 12-15).
Now, compare it with what has immediately been said about Jesus: So she took a curtain [to screen herself] from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well made man … He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I give you a pure boy … He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us; … But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who is a child in the cradle? He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; and He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and zakāt as long as I live; and dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed; and peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life (, 29-33).
The verses of this chapter too point to this similarity of the two prophets.
God named him John; and the son of Mary was called Jesus which reportedly means yaʿīsh (he lives); John was sent to verify a Word from God, that is, Jesus, as God says: … a Word from Him whose name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary (); John too, just like Jesus, was given wisdom and taught the Book while yet a child; he too is praised, like Jesus, to be a tenderness from God and purity, and to be dutiful to his parents, not insolent or disobedient; also much like Jesus peace was sent to him on three junctures of his existence. Also, God made John honorable as Jesus was made worthy of regard; and he was made chaste and a prophet, from among the good ones, as Jesus was. All this was in answer to the prayer of Zachariah, when he asked for a good offspring, to be his heir, and with whom God would be well pleased. As explained earlier, he had prayed to God to this effect when he was overwhelmed by what he saw of the distinction and excellence of Mary before God.
… verifying a Word from Allah: It shows that he was a harbinger of Jesus; “Word” in this context refers to Jesus, as the verse (quoted above) says that Mary was given good news of a Word from God.
… and honorable and chaste: al-Sayyid (chief, head of community); the one who manages the people’s affairs related to their lives and livelihood or concerning a socially accepted virtue; subsequently, it was used with increasing frequency, for honorable and noble, inasmuch as the above-mentioned management of affairs entails honor and excellence—emanating from his authority, wealth or other such virtues.
al-Ḥuṣūr (chaste, one who abstains from women). In the present context it signifies a man who totally abstains from women because he forsakes all the worldly desires and leads a life of asceticism and self-denial.
قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَقَدْ بَلَغَنِيَ الْكِبَرُ وَامْرَأَتِي عَاقِرٌ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ ٤٠
(3:40) He said: My Lord! How shall there be a son [born] to me, and old age has already come upon me, and my wife is barren? He said: Even thus does Allah what He pleases.
The question is a mirror of the awe and the wonder which overwhelmed Zachariah when he heard the good news; he wanted to ascertain how and when this promise would be fulfilled. In no way does this question imply that he thought it unlikely to happen, or too great a boon to come his way. How could he harbour any doubt about it when he was clearly told that God would give him the son he had asked for? Moreover, he had already mentioned these two factors (which are the basis of this question) in his invocation, as God quotes him as saying: My Lord! surely my bones are weakened and my head flares with hoariness, and, my Lord! never have I been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee: and surely I fear my relatives after me; and my wife is barren; therefore grant me from Thyself an heir … ().
Furthermore, the question reflects on an interesting psychological nay, spiritual—ecstasy experienced by Zachariah. No sooner did he look at Mary and the grace of God she enjoyed than he was transported to the plane of ecstasy and felt himself overwhelmed by Divine Mercy and love; while in that state, he asked from his Lord for a good child, and mentioned in that prayer the basic factors—his own old age and his wife’s barrenness—which had contributed to that sorrowful and pitiable condition. When his prayer was granted and he was given the good news of a son, it was as though he woke up from that trance; then he began expressing his joyful astonishment on such a marvelous phenomenon—Oh! Would I beget a son, in spite of my old age, even though my wife is barren! The same factors which in the past had caused him sorrow and distress, now enhanced his happiness and joy.
We may also look at this episode in the following light. Zachariah was assured that his prayer had been accepted; thereupon he started mentioning one snag after the other. Actually, he wanted to ascertain as to how each hindrance would be overcome, how each snag would be removed. He liked to know all the particulars concerning that Divine Grace, in order that his enjoyment would be complete and his happiness perfect. We find the same emotions shown by Abraham when he was given a similar good tidings: And inform them of the guests of Abraham: When they entered upon him, they said, Peace. He said: Surely we are afraid of you. They said: Be not afraid, surely we give you the good news of a boy possessing knowledge. He said: Do you give me good news [of a so] when old age has come upon me? Of what then do you give me good news! They said: We give you good news with truth; therefore be not of the despairing. He said: And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord but the erring ones? () When the angels told him not to despair, he made it clear that his question had not emanated from any despair; how could it be so, when despairing from the mercy of God was an error, a straying, and he was not an erring or straying servant? The angels must surely know that when a master turns with mercy to a slave in a way as to bring the slave nearer to himself, to raise him in rank, and exalt him in prestige, the slave feels so exhilarated, so overjoyed, that he yearns to hear those words over and over again, repeatedly going into all its details, joyously looking at all its aspects!
One may easily see the good manners of the purified servants of God, if one reflects on the words, and old age has already come upon me. What Zachariah alluded to was the fact that he had become too old to have ability, or even desire, to perform sexual act; as for his wife, she suffered from double impediment: Old age and barrenness. The clause, my wife is barren, is expressed, in , in a way as to mean, my wife had been barren. It signifies that she had not become unable to bear children because of the advanced age; that she was barren from the very beginning.
He said: Even so; Allah does what He pleases: The actual replier is God—either directly or through the agency of the angels who had called to Zachariah. But apparently the pronoun in He said refers to the angel; he was the one who said, although the saying is attributable to God as it was conveyed to Zachariah by His command. This interpretation is supported by the verse: He [the Spirit] said: So shall it be; your Lord says: It is easy to Me, and indeed I created you before, when you were nothing ().
The above discourse shows that:
First: Zachariah heard that voice from the same place whence he used to hear the angel’s voice before.
Second: Even so is predicate of a deleted subject; the completed subject would be something like this: The matter is even so. It emphasizes that the Divine Grace, of which he was given the good news, was certain to appear; it was a firmly decreed matter which would surely take place. This reply is similar to the one given by the spirit to Mary: He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me; … and it is a matter which has been decreed ().
Third: Allah does what He pleases, is a separate sentence, explaining the reason of the preceding “Even so.”
قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ لِي آيَةً ۖ قَالَ آيَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًا ۗ وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحْ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ ٤١
(3:41) He said: My Lord! appoint a sign for me. Said He: Your sign is that you would not speak to men for three days except by signs; and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning:
It is written in Majmaʿ al-bayān:
al-Ramz is to make signs with the lips; sometimes it is used for gesturing with eyebrows, eyes and/or hands; but mostly it is used in the first meaning.”
al-ʿAshiyy (evening) indicates the end portion of the day; probably it is derived from al-ʿashwah (dim-sightedness); the evening time was given this name because it merges into the darkness of the night and thus affects the eyesight. al-Ibkār (early morning) originally it meant to make haste, to come early.
The verse throws light on yet another similarity between John and Jesus. Compare it with the advice which Jesus gave to his mother soon after his birth: Then if you see any man, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent Allah, so I shall not speak to any man today. ()
Zachariah asked his Lord to appoint a sign for him. Sign is a symbol that points to another thing or idea. There is a difference of opinion regarding the purpose behind this prayer: Did he want to ascertain, with the help of the sign, that the good news was really from God; that it was an angelic (or a Divine) speech, and not a satanic voice? Or, was it to know the time when his wife would be pregnant, so that he might be sure of the conception?
The context and the framework of the story does not agree very much with the second view. Yet the exegetes are reluctant to accept the first interpretation. They are not inclined to say that Zachariah wanted to be sure of the Divine Origin of that message. The prophets were sinless and protected from errors and mistakes; as such they knew perfectly well the difference between the angelic inspiration and the satanic whispering; the Satan could not interfere in their affairs, nor could he confuse them in a way as to cast doubt about the Divine revelation sent to them.
This observation is correct as far as it goes. But it should be remembered that they knew that difference not by themselves, but because God had given them that knowledge. If so, then what objection can be raised if Zachariah prayed to God to appoint for him a sign to help him ascertain the Divine Origin of that news? Of course, this objection could be entertained had his prayer been rejected—had God refused to appoint for him a sign as he had asked for.
The appointed sign itself—not being able to talk to the people for three days—supports (nay, proves) the first view. Utmost that the Satan can do against the prophets is to touch them with some ailments in their bodies; to put hindrance in their mission; to sabotage their efforts; to mislead the people away from the prophetic path; and to encourage and strengthen their enemies. God says: And remember Our servant Job, when he called upon his Lord: The Satan has afflicted me with toil and torment (); And We did not send before you any apostle or prophet, but when he desired, the Satan made a suggestion respecting his desire; but Allah annuls that which the Satan casts, then does Allah establish His communications … (); … then I forgot the fish, and nothing made me forget to speak of it but the Satan … (). Such touches and afflictions do not go beyond annoying or discomforting the prophet concerned. But the Satan can never get any power over the person of the prophets themselves; they are protected from it. (In previous discussions we have proven the ʿiṣmah of the prophets.) Now we come to the present subject matter. It was the sign appointed by God for Zachariah that he would not speak to the people for three days; he would remain tongue-tied for all kinds of speeches except for the remembrance of God and His glorification. Said He: Your sign is that you would not speak to men for three days except by signs; and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning. It was a sign that affected Zachariah’s person itself and made him tongue-tied. It was such an effect as was absolutely beyond the power of the Satan, because Zachariah was protected by Divine ʿiṣmah. This was, therefore, a sure sign that it was affected by God, and not by the Satan. And such a sign is more in accord with the first view than the second.
Question: It will be difficult, if we take the first view, to explain the verse, He said: My Lord! how shall there be a son [born] to me, and old age has already come upon me, and my wife is barren? He said: Even so; God does what He pleases. This verse clearly says that he spoke to his Lord and asked Him what he wanted to ask, and got an answer to his enquiry. Now, if he harboured any doubt concerning the genuineness of the voice, then why all this dialogue? And if he had no doubt, then why this demand to be given a sign?
Reply: Certainty and belief have many grades, varying in the degrees of intensity. Possibly, Zachariah was sure from the very beginning that it was an angelic voice by the command of the Beneficent God; then he asked his Lord concerning the details of the birth of his promised son, because it was a truly awe-inspiring phenomenon, and again he heard the angel’s voice answering his question and was again sure of its genuineness; then he prayed to his Lord to appoint for him a sign in order that his certainty—that it was a Divine communication—should reach the degree of tranquillity.
The clause, Then the angels called to him, supports this interpretation. al-Nidāʾ means to call from a distance. That is why it is generally used for a shout, a loud utterance—we cannot speak from a distance except in a loud voice—although loudness is not a part of its meaning. For example, God refers to the prayer of Zachariah in these words: When called he (nādā) unto his Lord in a low voice (nidāʾan khafiyyan) (). His prayer was termed as a call from a distance—the distance being the spiritual one between Zachariah’s humility and modesty and the Divine sublimity, might and grandeur; otherwise, it could not be described as “a low voice.” Anyhow, the angels called to him may be taken to mean that Zachariah had only heard the voices of the angels without setting his eyes on them. (And therefore he decided to ask for a sign.)
An exegete has written:
That God gave him a sign of not speaking, means that God forbade him to speak to the people for three days; he was to remain silent and spend the stipulated time in remembrance and glorification of God; it does not mean that he became tongue-tied and could not speak to the people at all … The fact is that Zachariah, being a human being, wanted to know the exact time when the conception would take place, in order that he himself might feel tranquility and could also inform his wife of the great event. That is why he asked what he asked. When his question was answered, he called upon God to prescribe for him a special prayer (in order that he might hasten to show his gratitude to God), which would terminate in fulfilment of his hope. In other words, the end of that period of thanksgiving would indicate that the time of conception had arrived. Thereupon, God told him not to speak to the people for three days, devoting all that time in remembrance and glorification of God; if there arose a need to talk with someone, he was to communicate with him in signs only. When the appointed three days passed, it would be the time to convey the good news to his wife.
Comment: Clearly, no trace of this imaginary narrative can be found in the verses. The Qur’an has nowhere mentioned—either directly or indirectly—any such story. The said writer has given free rein to his fancy when he says that Zachariah asked for a special regimen of worship in order to offer his thanks to God, that the end of that worship period was to lead to the conception, that the termination of that time was a sign for the beginning of the pregnancy, that the words, “you would not speak to men,” were an order to him not to speak, and that he wanted to convey, at the end of the stipulated time the good news to his wife.
Discourse
The discussion “Angelic Inspiration and Satanic Whispering: The Speech of God” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
Examining Narrations
- al-Ṣādiq said about the words of God, When the woman of ʿImrān said…: “Verily God revealed to ʿImrān: ‘I am going to give you a male (child), of sound health and blessed, who shall heal the blind and the leper and raise the dead (to life) by the permission of God; and I’ll appoint him an apostle to the children of Israel.’ ʿImrān informed his wife, Ḥannah, of it—and she is the mother of Mary. When Ḥannah conceived, she thought that she was carrying the same male child. But when she brought it forth, she said: My Lord! surely I have brought it forth a female, and the male is not like the female. (She said it because) a female cannot be an apostle. God says: And Allah knew what she brought forth. Thereafter, when God gave Jesus to Mary, (it was understood that) the good news and promise (which God had given to ʿImrān) were in fact about that (grandson). Therefore, you should not think it strange if we say something about one of us (Ahl al-Bayt) and it appears (not in him, but) in his child or grandchild.” (Tafsīr al-Qummī)
Author’s comment: A nearly similar tradition has been narrated from the same Imam in al-Kāfī, and from al-Bāqir in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī.
- al-Ṣādiq said about the same verse: “A released child lived in the synagogue (and) did not go out. So, when (the wife of ʿImrān) delivered her, she said: ‘My Lord! surely I have brought it forth a female, and the male is not like the female.’ The female has her menstruation, and (therefore she) will (have to) go out of the place of worship, while a released child does not go out of the place of worship.” (al-ʿAyyāshī)
- al-Bāqir or al-Ṣādiq said: “She had vowed what was in her womb to the synagogue for serving the worshippers; and the male is not like the female in service.” Then the Imam said: “Then she grew up; and she served them and looked after them, until she attained maturity. Then Zachariah told her to hide herself behind a screen (away) from the (other) worshippers.” (ibid.)
Author’s comment: As you see, the traditions support what we said in the Commentary. But evidently they take the clause, “and the male is not like the female,” to be a part of the speech of ʿImrān’s wife, not a comment from God. In that case, it will be necessary to explain why “the male” was mentioned before “the female,” against the norms of grammar and eloquence; also, it will be essential to find out a reason as to why she gave her daughter the name she gave, that is, Mary (Released; devoted)—unless it can be shown that there was no correlation between releasing her and making her an attendant of the synagogue.
The first tradition shows that ʿImrān was a prophet who received revelations from God. It is also proved by another tradition narrated by Abū Baṣīr in which he says: “I asked Abū Jaʿfar whether ʿImrān was a prophet. He said: ‘Yes, he was a prophet sent (to his people) …’ ” (Biḥār al-anwār)
That tradition also shows that the wife of ʿImrān was called Ḥannah, as is generally believed. Some other traditions say that her name was Marthār (Martha?). However, it is not an important subject for us to labor on.
The same tradition (quoted from al-Qummī) goes on to say:
“When Mary reached the age of puberty, she entered the sanctuary and put a curtain (on the entrance) to hide herself; and no one entered therein. And Zachariah used to enter the sanctuary; and he used to find with her the fruits of summer in the winter and the fruits of winter in the summer; he used to say: Whence comes this to you? And she used to reply: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives sustenance to whom He pleases without measure.”
- al-Ṣādiq said: “When Zachariah prayed to his Lord to give him a child and the angels called to him as they did, he desired to ascertain that the said voice was (really) from God. Thereupon God revealed to him that it was the sign (of its Divine Origin) that he would remain tongue-tied for three days. When he became tongue-tied and could not speak, he understood that no one, other than God, could do that. And it is the (meaning of the) word of God: He said: My Lord! Appoint a sign for me.” (al-ʿAyyāshī)
Author’s comment: A nearly similar tradition has been narrated by al-Qummī in his al-Tafsīr. It has been made clear in the Commentary that this theme does not go against the context of the verse.
An exegete has very strongly objected to many of the themes expounded in these traditions; for example, sending the revelation to ʿImrān, presence of the off-season fruits in Mary’s sanctuary, request of Zachariah for a sign in order that he could ascertain the authenticity of the voice etc. He has said: These are the things which cannot be proved. Neither God has mentioned them nor the Prophet has described them; nor can they be proved by reason or any reliable history. There are only some Israelite (and some non-Israelite) legends. Why should the Muslims go out of their way to explain the Qur’an in terms of those unverified legends, which are anyhow too far-fetched to be acceptable?
Comment: The said exegete has made claims without offering any argument in his support. Of course, these traditions are āḥād, and some are even weak in their chains; also it is not incumbent, for a scholar to accept them or to use them as an argument. Yet, when we ponder on the verses of the Qur’an, we find ourselves ready to accept those traditions (because they are consistent with the Qur’an). It is all the more correct for the traditions narrated from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt, as they do not contain any theme unacceptable to the reason.
Of course, one has to be on guard against some untenable things attributed to some early exegetes. For example, Qatādah and ʿIkrimah are reported to have said:
“The Satan came to Zachariah and created a doubt (in his mind) whether the good news was really from God. He said (to Zachariah): ‘Had it been from God, He would have talked to you in a low voice as you had called unto Him in a low voice.’ ”
There are many such baseless things which cannot be accepted at all. Another such example may be seen in the Gospel according to Luke, where it says:
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, … And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. (Luke, 1:19-20).
Other Traditions about “The One Spoken To”
- al-Ṣādiq said: “There is no heart but it has two ears, on one of them is a guiding angel, and on the other a tempting Satan; this orders him and that restrains him the Satan enjoins him to (commit) sins, and the angel holds him back from it. And this is the word of God, the Mighty, the Great: … sitting on the right and on the left. He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand ().” (al-Kāfī)
Author’s comment: There are many traditions of the same meaning, some of which will be quoted later on. In this tradition, Imam has applied the verse to an angel and a Satan, while other traditions apply it to the two angels who write down the good and evil deeds of a man. But the two sets of traditions are not mutually exclusive. The verse only says that there are “watchers” with every man who receive (that is, note down) all his utterances, and that there are two of them, one on his right side and the other on his left. But the verse does not say whether those watchers are from only the angels or from the angels and the satans. As it is silent on this point, it may be applied to either explanation.
- Zurārah said: “I asked Abū ʿAbdillāh about the apostle, the prophet and al-muḥaddath (the one spoken to). He said: ‘The messenger is the one who sees the angel (who) brings the message of his Lord to him, and tells him: “(God) orders you so-and-so.” And the messenger is a prophet with (the added rank of) apostleship. And the prophet does not see the angel; something comes down to him—the news (comes) to his heart; and he becomes as though he be in a trance, and he sees (the vision) in his dream.’ I said: ‘Then how does he know that what was (shown to him) in his dream was truth?’ He said: ‘God makes it clear to him, so that he knows that it is truth; and he does not see the angel …’ ” (ibid.)
Author’s comment: [The Imam’s statement:] “The Messenger is a prophet …” It shows that the two ranks may be combined together in one person. We have explained in detail the meaning of apostleship and prophethood in the Commentary of the verse , Mankind was but one people …
“He becomes as though he be in a trance”: It explains the next sentence, “and he sees (the vision) in his dream.” It clarifies that what is meant by “dream” is not the dream as known to us; it only refers to a condition in which the prophet becomes oblivious of his surroundings.
“God makes it clear to him”: God makes the truth known to the prophet, enabling him to differentiate between an angelic inspiration and a satanic whispering.
- Burayd enquired from al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq (peace be on both of them), inter alia, in a tradition: “Then what are the apostle, the prophet and the one spoken to?” (The Imam) said: “The apostle is the one that the angel appears before him and talks to him; and the prophet sees (the vision) in the dream; and sometimes apostleship and prophethood are combined in one (person); and al-muḥaddath (the one spoken to) is the one who hears the voice but does not see the form.” Burayd said: “I said: ‘May God make your affairs good! How can the prophet know that what he saw in (his) dream was truth and that it was from the angel?’ (The Imam) said: ‘He is helped (by God) in it until he knows it. Certainly God ended (the series of divine) books with your Book, and the prophets with your Prophet …’ ” (Baṣāʾir al-darajāt)
Author’s comment: It has the same connotation as the preceding tradition. The Imam has sufficiently explained the meaning of “the one spoken to”—it is the one who hears the voice of an unseen speaker who speaks by order of God. The words, “Certainly God ended the (series of divine) books …,” point to this reality.
When writing on the following verses, we shall discuss in detail about “the one spoken to.”
In Arabic, Mary is Miryām in Hebrew. According to the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible (by John D. Davis, revised and rewritten by Henry Snyder Gehman; ed. 1944) the root-word of Miryām signifies “obstinacy, rebellion,” that is, opposite of the “reported meaning” of worship and service. (Trans.) ↩︎
See also Eng. vol. 27. (Ed.) ↩︎
John means “He lives.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Jesus: In Hebrew it is Yèshūaʿ; it is a later form, by vowel dissimilation, of Yòshūaʿ (Yūshaʿ in Arabic, and Joshua in Latin), which in its turn was a contracted form of Yehòshūaʿ. Its meaning: Yahwah, that is God, is salvation, or Yahwah saves. See Dictionary of Proper Names and Places in the Bible, published by Robert Hale, London, 1982; Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible, published by McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc., 1963. (Trans.) ↩︎
See Eng. vol. 6 (Ed.) ↩︎