Al Imran: (42-43) And when the angels said...

Issues Discussed Here:

The grammatical function of idh (إذ) here is the same as previously mentioned regarding the verse: "When the wife of Imran said..." (Al Imran: 35), referring to the statement "All-Hearing, All-Knowing." It is then connected to "And when the angels said..." Alternatively, it is understood as an implied command: "And remember when the angels said..."

It is stated that the angels mentioned here refer only to Jibrīl (Gabriel). This is similar to the verse: "The angels descend with the Spirit by His command" (An-Nahl: 2), meaning Jibrīl. Although this deviates from the literal meaning, it is necessary because Sūrat Maryam indicates that the one speaking to Mary (peace be upon her) was Jibrīl, as stated: "So We sent to her Our Spirit, and he appeared to her as a well-formed man" (Maryam: 17).

Mary (peace be upon her) was not a Prophet, based on the verse: "And We sent not before you except men to whom We revealed, from the townsfolk" (Yūsuf: 109).

If this is the case, Jibrīl's appearance to her must be one of the following:

1. A special honor (karāmah) for her, which is the view of those who permit miracles for saints (awliyā').
2. A precursor/prelude (irhāṣ) for Jesus (peace be upon him), which is permissible according to us (the Ash'arites) and according to al-Kā'bī from the Mu'tazilah.
3. A miracle (mu'jizah) for Zakariyā' (peace be upon him), which is the view of the majority of the Mu'tazilah.
4. **A form of inspiration (nafkth fī al-raw') or intuition (ilhām)**, similar to what happened to the mother of Moses (peace be upon her) in the verse: "And We inspired to the mother of Moses" (Al-Qaṣaṣ: 7).

The verse mentions three things sequentially:

1. Selection (Iṣṭifā’).
2. Purification (Taṭhīr).
3. Selection over the women of the worlds (Iṣṭifā’ ‘alā nisā’ al-‘ālamīn).

The first selection cannot be the same as the second, as repetition of the explicit term is inappropriate. Therefore, the first selection must refer to the good things that happened to her early in life, and the second selection refers to what happened later.

The First Type of Selection: This includes several matters:

1. Allah elevated her status even though she was female, which did not happen to other females.
2. Al-Ḥasan said that when her mother gave birth to her, she did not nurse her even for a moment, but rather entrusted her to Zakariyā', and her sustenance came to her from Paradise.
3. Allah dedicated her to His worship, singling her out with various forms of kindness, guidance, and protection (‘iṣmah).
4. Allah sufficed her needs for sustenance, as her provision came from Allah, as indicated by her statement: "Whence is this for you? She said, 'It is from Allah'" (Al Imran: 37).
5. Allah made her hear the words of the angels directly (shafāhatan), which did not happen to any other female. This is the meaning of the first selection.

As for Purification (Taṭhīr): There are several interpretations:

1. Allah purified her from disbelief (kufr) and sin, similar to the verse regarding the Prophet's wives: "And that He may purify you with [complete] purification" (Al-Aḥzāb: 33).
2. Allah purified her from physical contact with men.
3. Allah purified her from menstruation; it is said Mary never menstruated.
4. Purification from blameworthy actions and ugly habits.
5. Purification from the accusations, slanders, and lies of the Jews.

As for the Second Selection: This means Allah granted her Jesus (peace be upon him) without a father, and made Jesus speak immediately upon his birth to testify to her innocence from accusation, and made her and her son a sign for all worlds. This is the meaning of these three phrases.

It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Sufficient for you among the women of the worlds are four: Mary, Āsiyah the wife of Pharaoh, Khadījah, and Fāṭimah (peace be upon them)." If this hadith indicates that these four are the best of women, then this verse, stating Mary was selected over all women of the worlds, implies she is superior to all of them. The view that "women of the worlds" means "women of her time" abandons the literal meaning.

Then Allah says: "O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]."

The meaning of Qunūt (devout obedience) was previously explained in Sūrat Al-Baqarah regarding the verse: "And stand up [in prayer] obediently to Allah" (Al-Baqarah: 238). In summary, since Allah clarified that she was specially favored with abundant gifts and provisions, He obligated her to perform greater acts of obedience as thanks for those sublime blessings.

There are questions regarding this verse:

*Question 1: Why was prostration (Sujūd) mentioned before bowing (Rukū‘)?*

Answers:

1. The conjunction wāw (and) indicates participation, not necessarily sequence.
2. The highest station of closeness a servant reaches with Allah is in prostration, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration." Since prostration is distinguished by this rank and virtue, it is naturally mentioned before other acts of obedience.
3. The command to bow ("and bow with those who bow") refers to the general obligation of prayer, implying that Allah commands her to maintain prostration most of the time, while prayer itself is performed at its appointed times.
4. Ibn al-Anbārī said: The command "Be devoutly obedient" is a general command for worship. Then, "prostrate and bow" means: use prostration at its appropriate time and use bowing at its appropriate time; it does not mean combining them and placing prostration before bowing.
5. The prayer itself is sometimes called prostration, as in the verse: "and after the prostrations" (Qāf: 40), and the hadith: "When one of you enters the mosque, let him prostrate two rak'ahs." Furthermore, the mosque (masjid) is named after prostration, and it refers to the place of prayer. Moreover, the noblest part of the prayer is prostration, and naming something after its noblest part is a common metaphorical usage.

If this is established, then "O Mary, be devoutly obedient" means "O Mary, stand up," and "prostrate" means "pray." Thus, this prostration refers to prayer. Then, "and bow with those who bow" either means an order to pray in congregation (so "prostrate" is an order for solitary prayer, and "bow with those who bow" is an order for congregational prayer), or Rukū‘ here means humility, so "prostrate" is an outward command for prayer, and "bow with those who bow" is a command for inner submission and reverence of the heart.

The Fifth Answer: Perhaps prostration preceded bowing in that religious law.

Question 2: What is meant by "and bow with those who bow"?

Answers:

1. It means: "Do as they do."
2. It refers to praying in congregation. She was commanded to pray in the Temple in Jerusalem with those residing there, even if she did not mix with them.

Question 3: Why did He not say, "and bow with the women who bow"?

Answer: Because following the example of men while remaining hidden from them is superior to following the example of women.

The commentators said that when the angels delivered these words to Mary (peace be upon her) directly, Mary stood up in prayer until her feet became swollen, and blood and pus flowed from her feet.