Session 377 Chapter 3
Verses 42 & 43
The angels said to Mary, "Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure, and then truly chose you above
all women." (Chapter 3: Verse 42) All the events in the previous verses
were centered around Mary, peace be upon her. More specifically,
these events were meant to cement the creed that "God provides limitlessly for whomever He will."
While she was secluded for worship, Allah provided Mary with provisions directly and without account.
This blessing alerted our beloved Zachariah to God's infinite ability,
so he supplicated for a son to carry on the legacy of prophethood.
Mary witnessed how God provided an old and barren couple with a child. Soon, she would
be granted honor and responsibility that no other woman will have until the end of time.
The verse starts with "The angels said to Mary." As we had asked before, did all the
angels gather and call out to her? Or was it the archangel Gabriel? The prevailing opinion
is that it was the angel Gabriel who spoke to Mary. The phrase "The angels said" helps us
understand that the angelic voice of revelation is different from the human voice. When Gabriel's
voice came to Mary from all sides, it was as if all the angels were speaking in one voice.
What did Gabriel say? He conveyed the Lord's message: "Mary, God has chosen you and made
you pure, and then truly chose you above all women." The verb "chosen" is repeated twice.
It is translated from the Arabic origin اصْطَفَى (Istafa), which means "to purify from
all contaminants." God says describing Paradise: Rivers of honey strained and pure. (from 15:47)
When Allah says, "Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure,
and then truly chose you above all women," we see two levels of selection. The first selection is
not followed by the preposition "above" while the second one is. Let's look into the difference.
The first selection, "Mary, God has chosen you," means that Allah distinguished Mary by
her untainted faith, good manners, and kind heart. But why was the selection mentioned without the
preposition "above"? We answer that the omission of "above" means that other men and women can
share these traits. Untainted faith, good manners, and a kind heart are not exclusive to Mary.
The second selection, "then truly chose you above all women," was mentioned preceded by the
preposition "above." The phrase "above all women" excludes men from the circle of selection and
places Mary, peace be upon her, above all women. No other woman in history would ever share Mary's
status because she was the only one who would get pregnant and give birth without a man.
Here we should ask, what are the benefits of God's selection? We answer that when God chooses a time,
person, or place, it is not meant to favor such person, time, or location. Rather, it
is a mission to serve humanity. For example, Allah chose messengers from among the people to serve as
examples for all of us to follow. Those chosen by God did not have easy, comfortable lives: it was
quite the opposite. They often suffered hardships and difficulties to help others. Likewise,
God selected the days of Ramadan for fasting not to honor these days over the rest of time;
instead, He wants the worship during Ramadan to serve as an example for the rest of the year.
You often hear a person who just came back from the Hajj pilgrimage say, "When I was in Mecca,
I felt the sweetness of faith and experienced great peace and comfort in my heart.
It was like I had forgotten the entire world around me."
If you were blessed with a Hajj or Umrah trip, you might have experienced these feelings
yourself. Are these feelings exclusive to the holy places and cannot be experienced anywhere else?
Or are these places supposed to serve as an example of what you can feel anywhere you choose?
We answer that when you go to Mecca, you leave your life behind and focus on connecting with
Allah. The moment you hear the Athan call for prayers, you rush to perform prayer with devotion.
You take your time during prayer and listen carefully to every word of the Imam.
This sincerity in worship is what brings you closer to Allah and His Messenger.
Shouldn't you, then, adopt the same sincerity and rush to prayer in every place and at all
times? If you do so, you will experience the same psychological tranquillity whether you
are in Mecca, Paris, or Beijing. God says: Behold, the first House of prayer established
for humankind is the one at Bakkah, a blessed place and a guidance for all peoples. (3:96)
God's selection of a person, place, or time is for the benefit of humanity in all places and
times. Hence, Allah chose Mary and assigned her a difficult task to serve as an example
for all the women in the world. He prepared her for her mission and purified her faith.
In fact, her life events were designed so she could reach the following conclusion:
"God provides limitlessly for whomever He will."
From that point onwards, she was ready to carry the burden of bearing a child without a father
and to face a hostile society that would accuse her of her honor and purity. God says, "Mary, God
has chosen you and made you pure, and then truly chose you above all women." Mary's purification
was through the blessings of providing for her directly, assigning Prophet Zachariah to care for
her, and granting Zachariah a son. These blessings filled Mary with gratitude to Allah. He says,
O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow.
(Chapter 3: Verse 43) A person chosen by Allah must be free
of all questionable behaviors. Take the example of God's selection of our beloved Muhammad.
He, peace be upon him, lived an exemplary life well before becoming a messenger. His
fellow Meccans knew him as the most honest and truthful man decades before Islam. He continued
to serve as a role model for morals and faith during his twenty-three years of prophethood.
Similarly, God said to Mary, "O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord" so she could
be the perfect example for other women well before she became Prophet Jesus' mother.
God continues with "prostrate and bow with those who bow." Prostration is an act of reverence in
submission expressed by placing the forehead -which is the most honorable part of the body-
on the ground. To bow, on the other hand, is a lesser form of submission. Yet, prostration did
not exempt Mary from bowing to God. Why? Because doing something great is not an excuse to abandon
a matter of lesser good. Allah's commands should be obeyed in all matters, big or small.