Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:91

Al-Anbiyā’ (The Prophets): (91) And [mention] her who guarded her chastity...

And [mention] her who guarded her chastity...

Know that the implied structure is: "And mention her who guarded her chastity." Regarding this, there are two views:

1. First View: She guarded her chastity completely, abstaining from both the lawful and the unlawful, as stated by her: "I have not been touched by any man, nor am I unchaste" (Maryam: 20).
2. Second View: Her guarding referred specifically to the breath/puffing of Gabriel (peace be upon him), as he prevented her from the opening of her garment before she recognized him.

The first view is preferable because it is more apparent from the wording.

As for His saying: {So We breathed into her of Our Spirit}

Someone might object: The breathing of the Spirit into the body is an expression for giving life, as stated by the Almighty: {And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit} (Al-Hijr: 29), meaning, "I gave him life." If this is established, then His saying: {So We breathed into her of Our Spirit} appears problematic, as it suggests the giving of life to Mary (peace be upon her).

The response is in several ways:

1. First Response: It means: We breathed the Spirit into Jesus in her (i.e., within her womb), meaning We gave him life in her womb. This is like a musician saying, "I blew into the house," meaning, "I blew into the flute inside his house."
2. Second Response: The action of breathing was done to Mary (peace be upon her) from the aspect of Our Spirit, which is Gabriel (peace be upon him), because he breathed into the opening of her garment, and the breath reached her womb.

Then the Almighty clarified, in the most concise speech, the signs (Ayāt) that He singled out for Mary and Jesus (peace be upon them), saying: {And We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples.}

As for Mary, her signs are numerous:

1. The first is the appearance of pregnancy in her without a male seed, which became a sign and a miracle outside the norm.
2. The second is that her provision used to come to her from Paradise via the angels, which is His saying: {Whence is this for you? She said, "It is from Allah."}
3. The third and fourth: Al-Hasan said that she never suckled a breast even once, and she also spoke in her infancy, just as Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke.

As for the signs of Jesus (peace be upon him), their explanation has already preceded. Thus, the Exalted One clarified that He made them both a Sign for people, so that they may contemplate what they were singled out with regarding signs and deduce from it His power and wisdom, the Exalted and Sublime.

If it is asked: Why was it not said, "Two Signs," as He said: {And We made the night and the day two Signs} (Al-Isrā’: 12)?

We reply: Because their condition, taken together, constitutes a single Sign, which is her giving birth to him without a male progenitor.

Here ends the story.