It was not his choice that he is probably the only personality in the ‘house of God’ in whose birth, life and death much controversies and polemics exist. It was not his choice that he was born by a woman whose personality was equally a matter of controversy. In other words, Prophet Isa’s mother was born to the family of a chaste woman and a righteous man by name Prophet Imran (a.s). Both husband and wife had desired the fruit of the womb. They had toiled and laboured so that the wife could become a mother. I remember that sister too. She has been married now since a couple of years ago. She is still waiting. Imran’s wife had to wait too. She had to wait because Prophet Ibrahim’s wife (a.s) equally had to wait. Eventually, she became pregnant. The wife of Prophet Imran (a.s) became pregnant. It happened with ease; it was like a play. Suddenly hope rose once again. Faith became strengthened by the power of faith. The wife of Prophet Imran reaped the fruit of standing by the Almighty. Thus she teaches this to me — those who stand by the Almighty are never let down in time of adversity.
Pushed more by faith and strengthened more by commitment she immediately made a vow: “I dedicate to you whatever is in my womb please accept it from me, You alone hear and knows all” (Q3:35) . In other words, long before the fetus became a child, the bearer of the womb had delivered her to her Creator. She had vowed to put the unborn child into the service of the Almighty in the monastery. The wife of Prophet Imran, cared less about what was in her womb; she cared more about what would become of it.
Eventually she put to bed. She said, as if she was telling her creator: “I have brought forth a female child” (Q3: 36). She probably expected a male; the Almighty gave her a female. She was given a female child because it is only the latter who could bear the burden of bringing a great man to the world. In other words, the wife of Prophet Imran wanted an heir, someone who would carry on and carry through the divine ordinance, the Almighty chose for her instead an ‘heir’ who was destined to bring forth to the world a wonder. Thus, the moment the cord which binds the womb to the fetus was separated, she named the new child Maryam. She said: “I have named her Maryam and I seek Your protection for her and her children from the mischief of Satan, the accursed.”[Q3:36]
Having lived all her life in the sacred precinct of the monastery, Maryam became an exemplar in chastity and integrity. She was kept away from the social corruption and debauchery that were prevalent in the dissolute community in which she was born. She preserved her chastity at a time moral depravity was the order of the day. Ultimately and miraculously, the virgin girl, Maryam, became pregnant after she received the ‘word’ from the Almighty. She received the same “word” whose power and potency led to the creation of Prophet Adam out of nothing. She received the same word which led to the creation of Hawa (Eve) out of Prophet Adam (a.s). She received the same word which turned helpless spermatozoa mixed egg into querulous being each time the male and female copulate. Brethren, Maryam received the word and she became pregnant; the fetus came to the world as a male child, the child became a man, the man eventually became Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ). “This is opprobrium” The Jews shouted. “This is impossible” they chorused. “In response she merely pointed towards the baby. They said: “How can we talk to a babe in the cradle?”. Whereupon the baby spoke out: “I am indeed a servant of the Almighty. He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet. His blessing is with me wherever I go. He has commanded me to establish Salat (Muslim prayer) and give Zakah (charity to the poor) as long as I shall live. He has exhorted me to honour my mother and has not made me domineering, hard to deal with. Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I shall die and the Day I shall be raised to life again.” Such was Jesus the son of Mary, and this is the True statement about him concerning which they are in doubt. (Q19:27-34).
