Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:35-36)
By: Mohammad Sobhanie
Maryam (SA), the Daughter of Imran
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرَانَ رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿٣٥﴾ فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنثَىٰ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنثَىٰ ۖ وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ﴿٣٦﴾
3:35 (Mention, O’ Mohammad), when the wife of ‘Imran said: “My Lord, indeed I dedicate what is in my womb entirely to Your service, so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.”
3:36 But when she delivered her, she said: “My Lord, I have delivered a female.” And Allah (SWT) was most knowing of what she delivered, “And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and (for) her descendants from Satan, the expelled (from the mercy of Allah (SWT)).”
Commentary: Islamic chronicles and commentators say that “Hannah” (حَنَّة) and “Ashya” (اَشیاع) (also known as Ashba or, Al-Yashbi or Elizabeth) were two sisters [1]. “Hannah” was the wife of Imran (عمران), and “Ashya” was the wife of Zakaria (زکریا).
Hannah had gone many years without having any children. One day, she was sitting under the shade of a tree and saw a bird feeding its chicks. The scene renewed her grief at not being able to get pregnant. She implored Allah (SWT) to bless her with a child. It didn’t take long. Her sincere prayer was answered, and she became pregnant.
According to other traditions, Allah (SWT) informed Imran that he would father a blessed child who would be a prophet to the Children of Israel with the miracle of healing incurable diseases and resurrecting the dead. Imran relayed this remarkable news to his wife, Hannah[2].
The paragraphs below offer a brief explanation of the Verses:
Verse 3:35 states: “When the wife of Imran said (إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرَانَ) ‘My Lord, indeed I have vowed the child in my womb to serve Your House’ (رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا). So, accept this from me (فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي). Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing” (إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ).
When Hannah delivered her baby and saw it was a girl (فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا), she said: “My Lord, (contrary to my expectation) I have delivered a girl” (قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنثَىٰ). Allah (SWT) confirms her statement and says, “And Allah (SWT) was most knowing of what she delivered, and the male is not like the female” (وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنثَىٰ).
Nevertheless, Hannah said: “I have named her Maryam (وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ) and I seek refuge for her in You and (for) her descendants from Shaytan, the expelled (from the mercy of Allah (SWT))” (وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ).
The following points could be deduced from the vow of Hannah:
Point 1: Hannah was confident her unborn child was a boy. So, she vowed to dedicate him as a servant to the Bayt Al-Maqdis temple. If she had any doubt, she would instead say: “Oh Lord, if my unburned child turned out to be a boy, I would dedicate him to the temple.”[3]
Point 2: Hannah seems to have made her vow without consulting Imran, implying Imran was not alive at that time. Had Imran been alive, Hannah would have undoubtedly shared her thoughts with Imran and sought his approval. This notion is supported by Verses 3:37 and 3:44 of Aal-e-Imran, which states that Zakaria was Maryam’s guardian in the temple[4].
Point 3: The name Maryam meant a “devoted and servant woman” in that era[5]. By naming her Maryam, Hannah renewed her vow to dedicate her new born child to the temple despite her not being a boy. Allah (SWT) accepted her with satisfaction[6] (فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ).
The word “Taqabbala” (تَقَبَّلَ) means to accept willingly and gladly and “Qabul” (قَبُولٍ) means “acceptance”[7].
Appendix: The word “An-Nadhr” (النذر) means to wow, and “Muḥarraran” (مُحَرَّرًا) is taken from the word “At-Tahryr” (التحریر) and means to release from a bond. In the terminology of that time, “Muḥarraran” (مُحَرَّرًا) referred to the boys whose parents entrusted their custody to the temple so that they could worship Allah (SWT) and serve the temple. The word “Muḥarratan” (مُحَرَّرَةً) is the feminine form of “Muḥarraran” (مُحَرَّرًا).
[1] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol. 2, P. 523
[2] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol. 2, P. 523
[3] Al-Mizan, Vol. 3, P. 267
[4] Al-Mizan, Vol. 3, P. 267
[5] Al-Mizan, Vol.3, P. 270, see also Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.2, P.526
[6] Al-Mizan, Vo.3, P. 271
[7] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol. 2, P. 524 & Al-Mizan, Vol. 3, P. 271
Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right (Part 18)