When Mary was born, Imran's
wife asked God to protect Mary and her descendents
from the evil of Satan. God answered her sincere
prayer and gave Mary a superior morality. The
Qur'an reveals how carefully Mary was raised under
God's protection:
Her Lord accepted
her with approval and made her grow in health
and beauty. And Zechariah became her guardian.
(Qur'an, 3:37)
God states that Zechariah was
a righteous servant who was favored over all beings,
and one guided to a straight path as a Prophet.
God praises him in the Qur'an and points out his
impeccable character (Qur'an, 6:85-87). Zechariah,
who took on the responsibility of caring for Mary
and thus witnessed many of her miracles, realized
that she was God's chosen one.
For instance, whenever Zechariah
entered the presence of Mary, who always worshipped
by herself, he found food with her. The Qur'an
says:
Every time Zechariah
visited her in the praying chamber, he found food
with her. He said: "Mary, how did you come by
this?" She said: "It is from God. God provides
for whoever He wills without any reckoning." (Qur'an,
3:37)
Mary became well known in her
community as a member of her family who was dedicated
wholeheartedly to God. The Qur'an speaks of her
chastity in particular, as follows:
And Mary, the
daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity-We
breathed Our Spirit into her, and she confirmed
the Words of her Lord and His Book and was one
of the obedient. (Qur'an, 66:12)
Mary's Encounter
with Gabriel
Mary's life was full of miracles,
one of which was her encounter with Gabriel. At
a particular stage in her life, Mary left her
community and family and secluded herself somewhere
in the east. There, the Qur'an mentions that Gabriel
appeared to her in the form of a man:
Mention Mary
in the Book, how she withdrew from her people
to an eastern place and veiled herself from them.
Then We sent Our Spirit to her, and it took on
for her the form of a handsome, well-built man.
She [Mary] said: "I seek refuge from you with
the All-Merciful if you guard against evil." (Qur'an,
19:16-18)
At first, she did not know that
the unknown person was Gabriel. Thus, she immediately
sought refuge with God when he approached and
said that she was a God-fearing believer. Her
words make it clear that she was a God-fearing
and chaste servant. Gabriel introduced himself
by stating that he was sent by God to give her
the following good news:
He said [to Mary]:
"I am only your Lord's messenger so that He can
give you a pure boy." (Qur'an, 19:19)
When the angels
said: "Mary, your Lord gives you good news of
a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus,
son of Mary, of high esteem in this world and
the Hereafter, one of those brought near." (Qur'an,
3:45)
Mary received this important
news and asked Gabriel how she could have a child
while she was still a virgin:
She said: "How
can I have a boy when no man has touched me and
I am not an unchaste woman?" He said: "It will
be so, for your Lord says: 'That is easy for Me.
It is so that We can make him a Sign for mankind
and a mercy from Us.' It is a matter already decreed."
So she conceived him and withdrew with him to
a distant place. (Qur'an, 19:20-22)
She said: "My
Lord, how can I have a son when no man has yet
touched me?" He said: "It will be so." God creates
whatever He wills. When He decides on something,
He just says to it "Be!" and it is. (Qur'an, 3:47)
Gabriel replied that God has
the power to do anything and that He needs only
to say "Be!" and it is. This is how Mary conceived
Jesus-by the will of God and without ever being
touched by a man. Her pregnancy was created independent
of the worldly order in a miraculous way. As our
Lord reveals, after receiving this good news,
Mary withdrew to somewhere quiet. God supported
her during that time in every way and provided
all that a pregnant woman could wish for psychologically
as well as materially. He made her withdraw from
her people, who would not have been able to comprehend
her situation, and thereby prevented the physical
or spiritual damage that they could have caused
her.
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