In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The story of Maryam, daughter of ‘Imran, peace be upon her.
Maryam’s pregnancy with ‘Isa is one of the signs of Allah.
When Maryam, peace be upon her, wondered at her pregnancy with ‘Isa, peace be upon him, without any human contact,
the divine answer came to her, removing the confusion that had entered her heart,
and demonstrating the power of Allah Almighty over all things.
Allah the Exalted said:
“She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.” (3:47)
“She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.” (3:47)
When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.
And He also said:
“She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste?” (19:20)
He said, "Thus it is; your Lord has said, 'It is easy for Me.'"
“He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.” (19:21)
And it was a matter decreed.
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Meaning, this is how Allah creates a child for you without any human touching you.
He makes him a sign for the people and a lesson.
For He creates what He wills and does what He desires.
And Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
She says, "How can this child come from me when I am not married,
nor do I have the intention to marry,
and I am not unchaste—far be it from Allah!"
So the angel said to her on behalf of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in answer to that question:
“She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.” (3:47)
Meaning, such is the command of Allah; it is great, and nothing incapacitates Him.
Allah, the Exalted in His highness, is not incapacitated by anything.
“But His command, when He intendeth a thing, is only that He saith unto it: Be! and it is.” (36:82)
This is a truth that must settle in the heart of every Muslim,
and every young woman, in particular, should remember it.
Because the wishes of young women are many,
and a young woman may feel that she is weak and cannot achieve her wishes,
especially regarding matters of marriage, childbearing, and building a family.
If this truth is absent from a young woman’s heart,
her turning to supplication and asking the Almighty, the Exalted in His highness, diminishes.
And if she does supplicate, she does so without being certain of Allah’s response to her,
because she sees that what she is asking for is nearly impossible given the circumstances before her,
and she forgets that Allah is capable of all things.
Allah, the Glorified, says in response to Maryam’s question:
How can a child come from her when the known material causes are not present?
For she is not married, and far be it from her to be unchaste.
So Allah answered her by saying:
He said, "Thus it is; your Lord has said, 'It is easy for Me.'"
Yes, it is easy for Allah.
So do not hesitate, my dear sister, to turn to Allah
through supplication, humility, and intimate prayer,
for the fulfillment of your needs and wishes, no matter how impossible they may seem in your eyes.
For the matter is easy for Allah, the Glorified and Exalted.
He is the One who manages all affairs.
Al-Sa‘di, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
He said, "Thus it is; your Lord has said, 'It is easy for Me,'"
"and We will make him a sign for the people."
It indicates the perfection of Allah’s power,
and that all causes do not possess independent effect,
rather, their effect is by Allah’s decree.
He shows His servants the breaking of norms in some ordinary causes,
so that they do not stop at the causes,
and lose sight of their Determiner and Originator.
And in Maryam’s pregnancy with ‘Isa without human contact,
there are great wisdoms to which our Lord, the Glorified, pointed by saying:
“He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.” (19:21)
For this pregnancy contains a sign for the people,
and a mercy to them from Allah, the Exalted in His highness.
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Meaning, this is how Allah creates a child for you without any human touching you,
and makes him a sign for the people and a lesson.
For He creates what He wills and does what He desires.
He gives children to whom He wills, without a father or with a father,
and denies that to whom He wills among women,
even if she has a husband.
Because it is not impossible for Him to create anything He wishes to create.
It is only that He commands, when He desires something, what He desires,
and says to it, "Be,"
and what He wills comes to be,
from what He wills and how He wills.
And Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"And We will make him a sign for the people,"
meaning an indication and a mark for the people of the power of their Creator and Maker,
who varied their creation.
He created their father Adam without a male or female,
and created Hawwa’ from a male without a female,
and created the rest of the offspring from a male and a female,
except for ‘Isa,
for He brought him into existence from a female without a male.
Thus, the fourfold division was completed, indicating the perfection of His power and the greatness of His authority.
There is no god but Him, and no lord besides Him.
This is a sign indicating the greatness of the Creator, the Glorified and Exalted,
and an argument against the stubborn and those who turn away from the religion of Allah,
those who deny the greatness of Allah.
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"And We will make him a sign for the people,"
he says:
"And so that We may make the boy whom We have granted to you..."
And in His saying, the Glorified:
“She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.” (3:47)
is a clarification from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
that ‘Isa ibn Maryam, peace be upon him,
is a created being and not a creator.
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
He made it explicit here by saying:
"He creates what He wills."
He did not say "He does,"
as in His saying:
"He does."
As in the story of Zakariyya.
Rather, He explicitly stated here that He creates,
so that no doubt remains for the falsifier.
And Maryam’s pregnancy with ‘Isa, peace be upon him,
just as it is a sign for the people,
it is also a mercy to them from Allah, the Exalted in His highness.
Allah the Exalted said:
“He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.” (19:21)
Al-Sa‘di, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Meaning, and We will make him a mercy from Us to him,
and to his mother, and to the people.
As for Allah’s mercy to him,
it is because Allah singled him out with His revelation,
and favored him with that which He favored the Messengers of strong resolve.
And as for His mercy to his mother,
it is because of the pride, good praise,
and great benefits she received.
And as for His mercy to the people,
it is because the greatest of His blessings upon them
is that He sent among them a Messenger who recites His verses to them and purifies them,
and teaches them the Book and wisdom,
so they believe in him and obey him,
and they attain the happiness of this world and the Hereafter.
And thus, some matters
do not reveal their mercy at first glance,
but after contemplation and re-examining the outcomes of affairs,
the mercy becomes clear in all its meanings.
When it was said to Maryam:
"This is good news from your Lord that you will conceive without a husband,"
she did not grasp the meanings of the good news in the pregnancy at first glance,
but she grasped them
when she saw the prophethood of ‘Isa, peace be upon him.
And is there any greater good news for a young woman than to be told:
"You will give birth to a Prophet from among the Messengers of strong resolve,
through whom Allah brings people out of darkness into light,
and he will have a great status in this world and the Hereafter"?
Maryam, peace be upon her, realized the mercy of Allah
in the lightness of her pregnancy,
and in the ease of her delivery,
and in the provision that Allah drove to her by shaking the palm tree,
which strong men would be unable to shake.
And by Allah’s choice of her place of delivery near the river,
so she would not need the trouble of searching for water and bringing it.
And it is not hidden from you, my dear sister,
the need of a woman in labor for water for herself and her newborn.
Maryam, peace be upon her, realized
the mercy in the safety she felt
when it was said to her:
"Do not grieve."
“Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,” (19:24)
Maryam, peace be upon her, realized the mercy
in Allah’s help to her in facing her people,
when Allah made her infant son speak,
and he said to them:
“He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,” (19:30)
"He has given me the Book,
and made me a Prophet,
and made me blessed
wherever I may be,
and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakat
as long as I remain alive,
and [made me] dutiful to my mother."
“And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest.” (19:32)
“Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (19:33)
"And the day I die,
and the day I am raised alive."
Maryam realized the mercy
in the dutifulness of her son ‘Isa, peace be upon him,
and his care for her.
Maryam, peace be upon her, had feared
for herself from Jibril
when he came to her in the form of a man of perfect build,
and she disapproved of conceiving without human contact,
and wished for death when her pregnancy became heavy.
Then the mercy of Allah reached her,
and she saw the aspects of mercy that accompanied her
from the beginning of the good news
until Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, took her soul.
And you, O believing young woman,
seek out the mercy of Allah toward you,
which surrounds you from every side.
For it is from the mercy of Allah toward you
that He made you of the Ummah of Islam.
Look at the loss of the daughters of the disbelievers,
in the West in particular:
no rights, no concern, and no care,
and abandonment after reaching puberty,
and a heart empty of everything but desires,
and men toy with her from every side,
then she is thrown into her worry, sadness, and pain,
alone, struggling in a bitter life.
And it is from the mercy of Allah toward you
that He made you of righteous parents
who undertake your care, advice,
and guidance toward goodness.
Look around you at those you know,
and the girls who are raised in the laps of parents
far from the religion of Allah,
and how their lives are:
manifest display of beauty and open disobedience,
and they have no concern but enjoying the world,
except for those whom Allah has guided
and brought out of the darkness of their families
into the light of guidance.
And it is from the mercy of Allah toward you
that righteous friend
whom Allah has subjected for you,
helping you to do good,
And it keeps you away from committing evil.
And it offers you sincere counsel.
And no matter how much we experience the mercy of Allah in our lives,
we will still find ourselves standing before this magnificent verse.
“And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate.” (14:34)
“And if ye would count the favour of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! Allah is indeed Forgiving, Merciful.” (16:18)
“And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it. Lo! man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate.” (14:34)