Tafsir of At-Tahreem 66:12

(And Mary, daughter of Imran) is a conjunction linked to "the wife of Pharaoh," meaning: God set forth a parable for those who believe, [showing] her state, the honor she was granted in this world and the Hereafter, and her election, despite her people being disbelievers. By combining in this parable those who have a spouse and those who do not, [it serves] as a consolation for widows and a comfort to their hearts, as has been said—though this is considered among the innovations in interpretation, as noted in al-Kashshaf. Al-Sakhtiyani read ibnah (daughter) with a quiescent ha in connection, treating it as if it were a pause.

(Who guarded her chastity): meaning she protected it and defended it from men. It is also said: she protected it from the filth of disobedience. Al-farj (the pudendum) is that which is between the legs, and it is used as a metonym for the private parts; it became so common that it became like the literal term. This is what is meant here according to the majority.

(So We breathed into it of Our spirit): The breather was the Messenger of the Almighty, namely Gabriel, peace be upon him; thus, the attribution is metaphorical. It is also said that the discourse contains an ellipsis, meaning: "So Our Messenger breathed..." The pronoun in "into it" (fihi) refers to the farj. It is well-known that Gabriel, peace be upon him, breathed into her garment’s opening, and the effect of that reached the farj. This is narrated from Qatadah. Al-Farra' said: The commentators mentioned that the farj refers to the opening of her garment (jayb). This is plausible, because farj linguistically means any opening between two things, and the opening of a woman’s garment is a slit, so it is a farj. This is more eloquent in praising her, for if she guarded the opening of her garment, she is even more guarded regarding herself. In Majma' al-Bayan, it is narrated from al-Farra' that the meaning is that she guarded the opening of her garment from Gabriel, peace be upon him, and this took place, as is said, when she said: "I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you are pious." Some have stated that "guarded her chastity," according to what was first narrated from al-Farra', is a metonym for chastity, similar to their saying: "She has a clean garment and a pure trail."

It is also permissible for the pronoun in "into it" (fihi) to refer to the pregnancy, namely Jesus, peace be upon him, which is implied by the discourse. Abdullah read "into it" (fiha) as in [Surah] al-Anbiya, making the pronoun refer to Mary. The addition in His saying, Exalted is He, (of Our spirit) is for honor, and the intent is: from a spirit We created without the mediation of an origin. It is also said: to the slightest connection, though that is not strongly supported.

(And she believed in the words of her Lord): that is, [she believed] in His Scriptures, Almighty and Exalted, which were revealed to Idris, peace be upon him, and others. He, Glorified is He, called them "words" because of their brevity.

(And His Scriptures): using the plural of "scripture" (kitab). The intent is everything other than the scrolls (suhuf), such as that which contains length, or the Torah, the Gospel, and the Psalms. The Mushaf is counted among these. Her belief in it—even if it had not yet been revealed—is like the belief in the Promised Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him; for he, may God bless him and grant him peace, was mentioned with his description in the three scriptures. Interpreting "words" and "scriptures" in this way is what a group [of scholars] chose. Many have allowed that "words" refers to what God Almighty revealed to His Prophets, peace be upon them, and "scriptures" refers to what was known within them, including the scrolls and others. It is also said: it refers to everything written, including the Preserved Tablet and others, and that "words" refers to His promise and threat, or that and His command, Almighty is He, and His prohibition, Glorified is He, while "scriptures" refers to one of the aforementioned viewpoints. The interpretation of the "words" as His eternal divine speech existing in His Essence, Glorified is He, is very far-fetched.

Ya'qub, Abu Mijlaz, Qatadah, and 'Asimah from 'Asim read saddaqat (she verified) with a light dal, which returns to the meaning of the intensive form. In al-Bahr, [it means] she was truthful regarding what she was informed of concerning the matter of Jesus and the miracles that God Almighty showed her. There is a deficiency in this [explanation] that is not hidden.

Al-Hasan, Mujahid, and al-Jahdari read bi-kalimatin (a word) in the singular. It is possible that it is a generic noun, that it refers to the Word of Oneness, or that it refers to Jesus, peace be upon him; for it has been stated [of him], peace be upon him, that he is a "Word of God" which He cast to Mary, and the explanation of that has already passed. Many of the seven reciters read wa-kitabihi (and His scripture) in the singular; it is possible that it is meant as a generic term, or that it refers to the Gospel, especially if the "word" is interpreted as Jesus, peace be upon him. Abu Raja' read wa-kutubihi with a quiescent ta (referring to the plural), as Ibn 'Atiyyah stated, and [others read] with a fatha on the kaf as a verbal noun (masdar) replacing the noun, as stated by the author of al-Lawami'.

(And she was of the devout): meaning, from the count of those who persevere in obedience. The particle min (of) is for partitive, and the masculine gender is used for preponderance and to indicate that her obedience did not fall short of the obedience of men, to the point that she was counted among them; this is more eloquent than saying: "And she was of the devout (feminine plural) or a devout (feminine singular) woman." It is also said that min is for the beginning of the end (origin), and the intent is: she was of the lineage of the devout, for she was of the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses, peace be upon them. She is praised for this because the branch usually follows its root: "And the good land, its vegetation comes forth by the permission of its Lord, but that which is bad does not come forth except with difficulty."

She is, according to reports, the mistress of the women [of the world] and one of the most perfect of them. Ahmad narrated in his Musnad: "The mistress of the women of the people of Paradise is Mary, then Fatimah, then Khadijah, then Asiya, then 'Aishah." In the Sahih, it is stated: "Many men have attained perfection, but no women have attained it except four: Asiya daughter of Muzahim, the wife of Pharaoh; Mary daughter of Imran; Khadijah daughter of Khuwaylid; and Fatimah daughter of Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace." And the superiority of 'Aishah over women is like the superiority of Tharid (a meat and bread dish) over all other food. Tharid was specified—which is bread placed in broth with meat on it, as it is said: "If you season bread with meat, then that, by God's trust, is Tharid, not just meat"—as it was said, because the Arabs favored nothing over it, even calling it the "heart of Paradise." The secret, as al-Qurtubi stated, is that Tharid with meat combines nutrition, pleasure, strength, ease of consumption, ease of passage through the esophagus, and low cost of chewing. Thus, it was used as a parable to indicate that she, may God be pleased with her, was given, along with good character, sweetness of speech, eloquence of tongue, excellence of intuition, composure of opinion, soundness of mind, and endearment to her husband. She was suitable for her husband, for conversation, for companionship, and for being listened to; and it is enough for you that she grasped from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, what no other woman grasped, and she narrated what no man narrated like her. And concerning the increase of her merit in this noble Surah—from the reprimand of her and her companion Hafsah, may God be pleased with them both—there is what is not hidden. Then, it is not hidden that Fatimah, may God be pleased with her, in terms of the [prophetic] lineage, no one can equal her in merit. The full discussion of that is in its proper place.

Some reports state that Mary and Asiya are the wives of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in Paradise. Al-Tabarani narrated from Sa'd ibn Junadah who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Indeed, God has wed me in Paradise to Mary daughter of Imran, the wife of Pharaoh, and the sister of Moses, peace be upon him." The claim of her prophethood, like the claim of the prophethood of other women such as Hajar and Sarah, is not correct, due to the condition of masculinity for prophethood according to the correct view, contrary to al-Ash'ari. This claim has been noted by the scholar Ibn Qasim in al-Ayat al-Bayyinat, and it is strange, so let it be noted. And God Almighty knows best.

The twenty-eighth part ends, and the twenty-ninth part follows, God willing, the beginning of which is (Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion...)