The Story of Jesus and His Mother, and of Zechariah and John—peace be upon them

The wife of ʿImrān—one of the most eminent and respected leaders of the Children of Israel (1)—made a vow when she discovered that she was pregnant: she dedicated the child in her womb to the Temple in Jerusalem, to serve the House of God and to be devoted to His worship. She assumed the unborn child was a boy. When she delivered a girl, she said—apologizing to her Lord and lamenting her predicament—“My Lord, I have given birth to a female, while Allah knows best what I have delivered, and the male is not like the female” (Q 3:36), meaning that a male is endowed with the strength and ability needed to perform the service of the Temple (2).

She went on: “I have named her Mary, and I place her and her offspring in Your protection from Satan, the accursed.” In so doing she sought Allah’s safeguard for Mary and her descendants against their enemy, and this became the first instance of divine preservation granted to her. Accordingly, Allah answered her prayer in this world: “So her Lord accepted her with gracious acceptance,” that is, Allah consoled her mother and granted Mary an acceptance with Him greater than that accorded to males, “and caused her to grow in the best manner and entrusted her to the care of Zechariah.” Thus Allah combined for her both physical nurture and spiritual cultivation, for it was decreed that her guardian would be the greatest prophet among the Children of Israel at that time. When her mother brought her to the people of the Sanctuary, they disputed over who should assume responsibility for her, for she was the daughter of their leader. They cast lots by throwing down their pens, and the lot fell to Zechariah—out of mercy for him and for Mary. He therefore took her under his charge in the finest way, and Allah (3) aided him in caring for her with a tremendous favor from Him.