The Almighty also says:
“ And Mary, the daughter of ‘Imrān, who guarded her chastity; so We breathed into it of Our Spirit.”

That Spirit assumed the likeness of a well-proportioned man, addressed Mary, and blew into her. It is plain that the psychic powers found in the soul of a prophet—or of anyone else—are invisible to those present and do not generate such states, words, or deeds.

Mary, moreover, was not a prophet; her highest rank was that of a truthful saint (ṣiddīqa), as the Exalted states: “The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; messengers passed away before him, and his mother was a truthful woman.” He also says: “We sent before you only men, from the people of the towns, to whom We revealed.”

A number of authorities—among them Qāḍī Abū Bakr ibn al-Ṭayyib, Qāḍī Abū Ya‘lā, and Abū al-Ma‘ālī al-Juwaynī—have transmitted the consensus that no woman has ever been a prophet. The contrary opinion attributed to Ibn Ḥazm is an isolated view that runs counter to that consensus, for his assertion that the mother of Moses—and Mary along with her—were prophetesses is unknown among the early generations and leading scholars.

Authentic reports confirm that several women attained perfection, yet the mother of Moses is not listed among them. In a sound ḥadīth the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Many men have attained perfection, and none of the women attained it except Mary, daughter of …”