فَٱتَّخَذَتْ مِن دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا 17
Translations
And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel [i.e., Gabriel], and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.
Transliteration
Fattakhadzat min doonihim hijaban fa-arsalna ilayha roohana fatamaththala laha basharan sawiyya
Tafsir (Explanation)
Maryam (Mary) withdrew from her family behind a screen/veil, and Allah sent to her His Spirit (Jibreel/Gabriel) in the form of a perfect human being. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah describes how Maryam isolated herself for worship and devotion, whereupon Allah sent the angel Gabriel, who appeared to her as a man of perfect form to deliver the glad tidings of a son. This miraculous event demonstrates Allah's power to manifest His will and the honor bestowed upon Maryam as the chosen vessel for Prophet 'Isa (Jesus).
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Maryam (Chapter 19), a Meccan surah that chronicles the story of Mary and the birth of Jesus. The context follows Maryam's retreat to the eastern part of the sanctuary for prayer and solitude, establishing the backdrop for the divine announcement of her miraculous pregnancy, which serves as a sign of Allah's absolute power and mercy.
Related Hadiths
The annunciation of Isa's birth is referenced in various hadiths about the virtues of Maryam. Jami' at-Tirmidhi records that the Prophet Muhammad said Mary was the best of women, and Sahih Muslim contains accounts of Gabriel's role as the conveyor of divine messages, particularly regarding the conception of 'Isa.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere devotion and righteous withdrawal for the sake of worship invite divine mercy and blessings, while also reminding us of the absolute nature of Allah's creative power—nothing is impossible for Him. The account also emphasizes the honor of chastity and modesty as prerequisites for receiving divine favor.
Related Ayahs
وَإِن مِّنكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا ۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا
And there is none of you except he will come to it. This is upon your Lord an inevitability decreed.
يَـٰٓأَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَصِيًّا
O my father, do not worship [i.e., obey] Satan. Indeed Satan has ever been, to the Most Merciful, disobedient.
وَٱلسَّلَـٰمُ عَلَىَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا
And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive."
وَهُزِّىٓ إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ تُسَـٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا
And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.