Eternal Words 3-Sura-'Al-i-'Imran Verse42
Verse42
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(42)وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَاكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَى نِسَآءِ الْعَالَمِينَ
Section 5
42. " And (remember) when the angels said: ' O' Mary! Verily Allah has chosen you and purified you and preferred you above the women of the worlds '."
Commentary
It is cited in some commentary books such as: Al-Minar, Qurtubi, Maraqi, Rouhul-Bayan, and Fakhr-Razi that the preeminents of the women of the world were four persons: Mary, 'Asiyah, Khadijah, and Fatimah (a.s.). Some Islamic literature, narrated from Ahlul-Bayt (a.s.), also denotes that Mary was the preeminent woman among the women of her time, while Fatimah (a.s.) is the preeminent throughout of the history. (1) It should be noted, of course, that when Allah, the Wise, chooses a person as preeminent it is because of a special series of efficiencies and eligibilities that the one has.
So, this preeminence of Mary over all women of the world was not but because of her piety and virtues. Yes, she had been chosen to give birth to a prophet such as Jesus (a.s.).
Explanations:
1. Angels may speak to human beings other than prophets, too.
2. A woman can reach the rank of Divine sainthood so that Allah sends messages to her.
3. Mary was both chosen for virtues and became the preeminent of the women. That is why the Arabic phrase /'istafaki/ (has chosen you) has been repeated twice in the verse.
" And (remember) when the angels said : ' O' Mary! Verily Allah has chosen you and purified you and preferred you above the women of the worlds '."
(1) Al-Mizan, vol. 4, p. 65 (Persian version)
