Lady Maryam’s Story
• Allah said in Soorat Maryam, 22:
فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانتَبَذَتْ بِهِ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا
Lady Maryam became pregnant with Allah’s endowment (i.e., Prophet `Eesaa) and she was 13, or 10, or 20 years old. When Lady Maryam felt pregnant she ran away from her people for being afraid of shameful blame. Lady Maryam stayed away from her family and went behind the mountain when she was carrying Prophet `Eesaa, mercy and peace upon him.
It was related to Ibn `Abbas:
The duration of her pregnancy was one hour; as soon as she carried Prophet `Eesaa she delivered him.
However, it was mentioned that her pregnancy took 6, or 7 or 8 months. Others said that the pregnancy took one hour and the delivery was in the next hour.
• Soorat Maryam, 23:
فَأَجَآءَهَا الـمَخَاضُ إِلَى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ
The labor pain brought Lady Maryam to the root of a palm tree. The tree was dry and the time was in winter.
The way the Qur’an has identified the palm tree implies that it was a well-known palm tree. It is also possible that the tree was identified to point to the type, i.e., the root of this tree.
It was as if Allah guided Lady Maryam to the palm tree to feed her from its wet-dates, because the latter is the food of the postpartum bleeding woman (and it facilitates childbirth).
• Soorat Maryam, 23:
قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا
Lady Maryam said out of her extreme grieve of what afflicted her:
I wish I died before this day and was a forgotten, unknown and insignificant thing
• Allah said in Soorat Maryam, 24:
فَنَادَاهَا مِن تَحْتِهَآ
Angel Jibril, peace be upon him, who was at a place lower than the palm tree, called her. Or it could be Prophet `Eesaa, mercy and peace upon him, who talked to her from under her dress, which she dragged behind her.
Due to the harsh circumstance she had experienced, she was entertained by his saying:
• Soorat Maryam, 24
أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي
Do not be concerned about your loneliness, lack of food and drink and people’s talk.
• Soorat Maryam, 24:
قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا
Your Lord created next to you a small river (a stream, called asSariyy), as mentioned by the majority of the `ulamaa’. Or Allah put it under your order, if you order it to run it will run, or if you order it to stop it will stop.
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, was asked about asSariyy and said:
It is the creek. (Imamut Tabariyy)
Imamul Hasanul Bisriyy said:
It refers to an honorable master, i.e., `Eesaa, mercy and peace upon him.
– It was narrated that Khalid bin Safwaan said to him: The Arabs call the creek asSariyy.
– AlHasan said: You are right!
AlHasan then rescinded and followed Khalid’s saying.
Imam Ibn `Abbas said:
`Eesaa or Jibril, peace be upon them, hit the earth by his heel and a fountain of fresh water appeared. The dry river then started flowing, the palm tree became greenish and its fruit became ripe.
Allah said in Soorat Maryam, 25:
Lady Maryam was told:
وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ
Pull towards yourself, i.e., shake, the root of the palm tree.
• Soorat Maryam, 25:
تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا
The soft wet-dates will fall down for you.
It was said that giving dates to the postpartum bleeding woman became a habit since that time. It was also said nothing is better for the postpartum bleeding woman than wet-dates, while it is honey for the sick person.
• Allah said in Soorat Maryam, 26:
فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا
Then, eat from the dates and drink from the creek.
Let your eyes enjoy your blessed and honorable child. That is, be joyful for having `Eesaa and let off what caused your sadness.
• Soorat Maryam, 26:
فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ البَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ اليَوْمَ إِنسِيًّا
When you see a human being asking you about yourself say I made a vow to Allah arRahmaan to fast, or a vow to refrain from talking and I will not talk to any person.
• The Muslims following Prophet Zakariyyah, peace be upon him, used to fast from talking like they refrained from eating and drinking. It was also said their fasting was real fasting but it included staying silent. So to abide by fasting meant it includes abiding by silence.
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, prohibited the fasting of silence, and this fasting was abrogated (i.e., the judgment was lifted by another one) in our Islamic Laws.
Lady Maryam was ordered to vow to be silent because `Eesaa, peace be upon him, will be talking on her behalf to clear her record and show her innocence; this way, she needs not to talk or debate with the nonsensical ones.
This is a proof that it is required to ignore the nonsensical person. They said:
The absurd would not be restrained or held back by something better than ignoring him/her and would not run loose by something better than engaging him/her.
• Lady Maryam told them that she “made a vow to fast” by using sign language and sign language could be called speech or saying. It was also said that she was ordered to stay silent after her previous saying, or she was permitted to only utter this much saying.