Mary (Surah 19: 24-26)

Issues in the Verse:

There are several points regarding the phrase: "Then a voice called to her from beneath her" (فناداها من تحتها).

Recitations: The famous recitation is فناداها (with fatha on the mīm). Zayd and 'Alqamah recited it as فخاطبها (addressing her).

Regarding the mīm in فناداها:

1. Fatha (فناداها): The famous reading.
2. Kasra (فنُدِيَها): The reading of Nafi', Hamzah, Al-Kisā'ī, and Hafs.

The Identity of the Caller (Three Views):

1. 'Īsā (Jesus) peace be upon him: This is the view of Al-Hasan and Sa'īd ibn Jubayr.
2. Jibrīl (Gabriel) peace be upon him: He was present as if assisting in the delivery.
3. The Caller depends on the recitation:
   • If the mīm is in the kasra form (فنُدِيَها), the caller is the Angel.
   • If the mīm is in the fatha form (فناداها), the caller is 'Īsā (peace be upon him). This is narrated from Ibn 'Uyaynah and 'Āṣim.

Arguments favoring 'Īsā (Jesus) as the Caller (The First View is Stronger):

1. The reading with fatha (فناداها) implies prior knowledge that someone was beneath her. The one known to be beneath her was 'Īsā (peace be upon him). Thus, the word must refer to him. The reading with kasra (فنُدِيَها) does not necessitate that the caller is Gabriel.
2. That location was a place of distress and exposure (of the private parts), which is unsuitable for Angels.
3. The verb فناداها requires a previously mentioned subject. Both Jibrīl and 'Īsā were mentioned before this verse. However, the mention of 'Īsā is closer due to the preceding verse: "So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a remote place" (19:22). The pronoun there refers to the Messiah, making it more appropriate to attribute the calling to him.
4. This is evidence for Al-Hasan ibn 'Alī (peace be upon them): If 'Īsā had not spoken to her, she would not have known he could speak, and thus she would not have pointed to him when speaking.

If the Caller is 'Īsā (Jesus): God made him speak to her immediately after birth to comfort her heart and remove her fear, so that she might witness in the beginning what Gabriel had promised her regarding the high status of that child.

If the Caller is Jibrīl (Gabriel): He was sent to call her with these words, just as he was sent initially, to remind her of the previous glad tidings.

Regarding the phrase "from beneath her" (من تحتها):

If attributed to the child ('Īsā), there is no issue. If attributed to the Angel, there are two possibilities:

1. Level Ground: They were both on level ground, but there was a reference point (like that palm tree). Whoever was closer to the reference point was "above," and whoever was farther was "beneath." Al-Kalbī interpreted the verse in Al-Aḥzāb (33:10) similarly: "when they came to you from above you and from below you." Some interpreted this to mean he called her from the farthest part of the valley.
2. Elevation Difference: One person's location was higher than the other's. The one above is "above" the one below. 'Ikrimah narrated that when she gave birth, she was on a small mound (rabwah).
3. A Third View from 'Ikrimah: Gabriel called her from beneath the palm tree.

In all these scenarios, it is possible that Mary saw him, or that she did not see him; the text does not specify.

The commentators, except Al-Hasan and 'Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd, agree that Al-Sariyy means the river or stream, named so because the water flows (yasrī) in it.

Al-Hasan and Ibn Zayd interpreted Al-Sariyy as 'Īsā (Jesus), as Sariyy also means a noble, great person (e.g., "He is one of the noblest of his people").

It is narrated that Al-Hasan later retracted this view. Qatādah and others narrated that Al-Hasan recited this verse while Ḥamīd ibn 'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Ḥimyarī was beside him: "Your Lord has made a sariyy beneath you." Al-Hasan said: "Indeed, he was a sariyy, and indeed, he was noble!" Ḥamīd replied: "O Abū Sa'īd, it only means the stream." Al-Hasan then said: "That is why we wondered at your company!"

Arguments for the River/Stream:

1. The Prophet (PBUH) was asked about Al-Sariyy and replied: "It is the stream."
2. The phrase "Eat and drink" implies a river, so that water can be combined with the dates for eating and drinking.

Arguments for 'Īsā (Jesus):

1. A river would not typically be beneath her, but beside her. The counter-argument (that it means the river was subject to her command, flowing by her will) is a metaphorical interpretation. If we take it literally as 'Īsā, no metaphor is needed.
2. It aligns with the verse: "And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign, and We gave them refuge on a high ground with a place of rest and flowing water" (Al-Mu'minūn 23:50).
   • Rebuttal: As mentioned before, on level ground with a reference point, proximity determines "above" or "beneath."

Sub-issues regarding the River:

1. Source of the Water:
   • Gabriel struck the ground with his foot, and fresh water appeared.
   • There was already a flowing stream there.
   • The first view (newly created water) is stronger because the phrase "Your Lord has made..." suggests a recent occurrence at that time, and God mentioned it to honor her status, which is best established by a miraculous creation.
2. Definition of Sariyy:
   • Is it any river (view of Abū 'Ubaydah and Al-Farrā')?
   • Or is it a small stream (view of Al-Akhfash)?

Al-Qaffāl said the jidh' (trunk) is the lower part, below the crown where the fruit grows. Quṭrub said any piece of wood at the base of a tree is a jidh'.

The preposition bā' in "by the trunk of the palm tree" (بجذع النخلة) is considered extra by some, meaning: "Shake the trunk toward you" (هزي إليك). Al-Farrā' noted that Arabs use both "shake it" (هزّه) and "shake with it" (هزّ به), similar to "take the reins" (خذ الخطام) and "take with the reins" (خذ بالخطام). Al-Akhfash suggested it means: "Shake toward you dates upon the trunk of the palm tree," meaning on its trunk.

Given that the time was winter and the palm tree was dry, there is debate:

1. Did it produce ripe dates while remaining in its dry state?
2. Did it produce other things besides dates? The apparent meaning suggests it became a palm tree (due to the mention of the trunk) and produced only ripe dates.

The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned nine recitations for the word meaning "falling down":

1. تساقط (with idghām of the tā').
2. تتتساقط (with the tā' pronounced clearly).
3. تساقط (omitting the second tā').
4. يساقط (with yā' and idghām of the tā').
5. تساقط (with tā').
6. تسقط (omitting the ā').
7. يسقط (with yā').
8. تسقط (with tā').
9. يسقط (with yā').

The tā' refers to the palm tree, and the yā' refers to the trunk.

Ratan is either an accusative of specification (tamyīz) or a direct object (maf'ūl) depending on the recitation. It means freshly picked fruit. Talḥah ibn Sulaymān recited it as جنيًا (with kasra on the jīm) for phonetic parallelism.

The meaning is that two benefits were gathered for her in the sariyy (stream) and the dates:

1. Eating and drinking.
2. Comfort for the heart, as these were miracles.

Whose miracles were these extraordinary acts? The Mu'tazilah claim they were miracles for Zakariyyā and other Prophets. This is false, as Zakariyyā had no knowledge of her condition or location, so how could he know of these miracles? The truth is that they were honors (karāmāt) for Mary, or preliminary signs (irhāṣ) for 'Īsā (peace be upon them).

Qurrat 'Ayn (be content/cool your eyes) was recited with kasra on the qāf (قُرِّي) according to the dialect of Najd.

We state that eating was mentioned before drinking because the needs of a woman in postpartum bleeding are more intense for eating ripe dates than for drinking water, due to the loss of blood.

The Question: The harm of fear is greater than the harm of hunger and thirst. Evidence:

1. Fear is pain of the soul, while hunger is pain of the body, and the soul's pain is stronger.
2. A story is narrated: A sheep was starved, fodder was brought, but a wolf was tied nearby. The sheep refused the fodder despite intense hunger due to fear of the wolf. Later, the sheep's leg was broken, fodder was brought, and it ate despite the bodily pain. This shows the pain of fear is greater than bodily pain.

The Answer: Why did God mention removing the harm of hunger/thirst before the harm of fear? This fear was minor because Gabriel's prior glad tidings had already occurred, so it did not require a second reminder.

The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned that Ibn al-Rūmī recited ترئين (with a hamzah) from Abū 'Amr. This is from the dialect of those who say لبأت for لبيت (I performed the Hajj) and حلأت for حلبت (I milked), due to the interchangeability between the hamzah and the soft vowel in substitution.

The word صوما (fasting) is interpreted as silence (صمتا). In 'Abdullāh's Mushaf, it is صمتا. Anas ibn Mālik narrated similarly. It is also said that they would not speak during their fast, so mentioning the fast implied silence. This type of vow was permissible in their law.

Is such a vow permissible in our law? Al-Qaffāl suggested it might be permissible, as abstaining from human speech and dedicating thought to the remembrance of God is an act of worship. Others suggest it is not permissible because it involves self-restriction and torment, like vowing to stand in the sun. It is narrated that Abū Bakr entered upon a woman who vowed not to speak and said: "Islam has abolished this; speak." (And God knows best.)

God commanded her to vow silence so that she would not argue with those who accused her of speaking, for two reasons:

1. The speech of 'Īsā (peace be upon him) was a stronger proof for removing the accusation than her own speech. This indicates that entrusting the matter to the most capable person is preferable.
2. It shows the dislike of arguing with fools; silence towards the foolish is obligatory. Whoever humiliates people with foolishness will find no one to engage with him.

There is disagreement on whether she said along with them: "I have vowed to the Most Merciful a fast" (إنى نذرت للرحمان صوما).

1. Some said: She did not speak this to them because she was commanded to make this vow upon seeing the event. If she spoke to them after making the vow, she would contradict herself. Instead, she remained silent and gestured with her head.
2. Others said: She did not vow immediately, but waited until the people came to her, then she mentioned to them: "I have vowed to the Most Merciful a fast, so I will not speak to any human today" (19:26). Although this phrasing is general, the context specified it only applied to speaking to humans.

Mary (Surah 19: 27-28)