Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 3 Ali 'Imran, Ayat 42-49
وَاِذۡ قَالَتِ الۡمَلٰٓـئِكَةُ يٰمَرۡيَمُ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ اصۡطَفٰٮكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصۡطَفٰٮكِ عَلٰى نِسَآءِ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ
﴿3:42﴾
يٰمَرۡيَمُ اقۡنُتِىۡ لِرَبِّكِ وَاسۡجُدِىۡ وَارۡكَعِىۡ مَعَ الرّٰكِعِيۡنَ
﴿3:43﴾
ذٰ لِكَ مِنۡ اَنۡۢـبَآءِ الۡغَيۡبِ نُوۡحِيۡهِ اِلَيۡكَؕ وَمَا كُنۡتَ لَدَيۡهِمۡ اِذۡ يُلۡقُوۡنَ اَقۡلَامَهُمۡ اَيُّهُمۡ يَكۡفُلُ مَرۡيَمَ وَمَا كُنۡتَ لَدَيۡهِمۡ اِذۡ يَخۡتَصِمُوۡنَ
﴿3:44﴾
اِذۡ قَالَتِ الۡمَلٰٓـئِكَةُ يٰمَرۡيَمُ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنۡهُ ۖ اسۡمُهُ الۡمَسِيۡحُ عِيۡسَى ابۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ وَجِيۡهًا فِى الدُّنۡيَا وَالۡاٰخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الۡمُقَرَّبِيۡنَۙ
﴿3:45﴾
وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِى الۡمَهۡدِ وَكَهۡلًا وَّمِنَ الصّٰلِحِيۡنَ
﴿3:46﴾
قَالَتۡ رَبِّ اَنّٰى يَكُوۡنُ لِىۡ وَلَدٌ وَّلَمۡ يَمۡسَسۡنِىۡ بَشَرٌ ؕ قَالَ كَذٰلِكِ اللّٰهُ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ؕ اِذَا قَضٰٓى اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوۡلُ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ
﴿3:47﴾
وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الۡكِتٰبَ وَالۡحِكۡمَةَ وَالتَّوۡرٰٮةَ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلَۚ
﴿3:48﴾
وَرَسُوۡلًا اِلٰى بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرٰٓءِيۡلَ ۙ اَنِّىۡ قَدۡ جِئۡتُكُمۡ بِاٰيَةٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ ۙۚ اَنِّىۡۤ اَخۡلُقُ لَـكُمۡ مِّنَ الطِّيۡنِ كَهَیْـئَةِ الطَّيۡرِ فَاَنۡفُخُ فِيۡهِ فَيَكُوۡنُ طَيۡرًاۢ بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰهِۚ وَاُبۡرِئُ الۡاَكۡمَهَ وَالۡاَبۡرَصَ وَاُحۡىِ الۡمَوۡتٰى بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰهِۚ وَ اُنَبِّئُكُمۡ بِمَا تَاۡكُلُوۡنَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُوۡنَۙ فِىۡ بُيُوۡتِكُمۡؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَاٰيَةً لَّـكُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَۚ
﴿3:49﴾
(3:42) Then came the time when the angels said: 'O Mary! Behold, Allah has
chosen you, and made you pure, and exalted you above all the women in the world.
(3:43) O Mary! Remain devout to your Lord, and prostrate yourself in worship,
and bow with those who bow (before Him).' (3:44) (O Muhammad!) We reveal to you this account from a realm which lies
beyond the reach of your perception for you were not with them when they drew
lots with their pens about who should be Mary's guardian,43 and you
were not with them when they disputed about it. (3:45) And when the angels said: 'O Mary! Allah gives you the glad tidings
of a command from Him: his name shall be Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary. He
shall be highly honoured in this world and in the Next, and shall be one of
those near stationed to Allah. (3:46) And he shall speak to men in the cradle and also later when he grows
to maturity and shall indeed be among the righteous.' (3:47) She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has ever
touched me?' The angel answered: Thus shall it be.44 Allah creates
whatever He wills. When He decides something, He merely says: "Be" and it is.
(3:48) And He will teach him the Book, the Wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel,
(3:49) and he will be a Messenger to the Children of Israel.' (And when he
came to them he said): 'I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I will
make for you from clay the likeness of a bird and then I will breathe into it
and by the leave of Allah it will become a bird. I will also heal the blind
and the leper, and by the leave of Allah bring the dead to life. I will also
inform you of what things you eat and what you treasure up in your houses. Surely
this is a sign for you if you are true believ-ers.45
Notes
43. They drew lots to decide who should be the guardian of Mary, whose mother
had consecrated her to the service of God in the Temple. Since she was a girl,
it was a delicate matter as to who from among the priests of the Temple would
be the appropriate person to take care of her.
44. Thus it was affirmed that a child would be born to Mary despite the fact
that no man had touched her. The angel's answer mentioned here, 'Thus shall
it be', was exactly the same as the response given to Zechariah. Both the following
sentences and the preceding section support the view that the angel had conveyed
to Mary the glad tidings that a son would be born to her without normal sexual
contact, and it was thus that Jesus was born. For, if Mary's child was to be
born to her in the usual manner in which children are born to women, and if
the birth of Jesus did take place in the normal way, the entire narrative from
(verse 35 )of this surah to
(verse 63) would have to be declared absurd.
Indeed, one would be forced to treat as meaningless all those statements about
the birth of Jesus which are found scattered elsewhere in the Qur'an. The Christians
had begun to regard Jesus as God and the son of God because of this fatherless
birth. The Jews, in turn, cast aspersions on Mary's chastity on the grounds
that she had given birth to a child despite being unmarried. If the fatherless
birth of Jesus was itself false, it would have been sufficient to tell the Christians
that they were indulging in sheer mis-statement, that Mary had indeed been married,
that she had a legitimate husband, and that it was as a result of that wedlock
that Jesus was born. If this fact could have been stated plainly, there would
have been no need for long preparatory statements and complicated propositions,
and no need to call Jesus the son of Mary instead of naming his father. For
far from resolving the issue such statements add to the confusion. Those who
believe the Qur'an to be the word or command from God and yet try to prove that
the birth of Jesus took place in the normal manner, as a result of union between
his father and mother, end up by proving only that God is less capable of clear
expression than they are!
45. It is hinted here that these signs are sufficient proof that Jesus was
designated by God, the Creator and Sovereign of the universe, provided people
are prepared to accept the truth instead of obstinately clinging to their prejudiced
views. This is further proof that Jesus had been entrusted with a mission by
God. Had he not been designated by God but by an imposter he would surely have
attempted to found an independent religion, exploiting his miracles to lead
people away from their original faith. However, Jesus believed in, and confirmed,
the validity of the teachings of the original religion which had been preached
at God's behest by the earlier Prophets.