Al-Hasan said: Consequently, the Christians adopted the east as their direction of prayer. (1)

“Then she took a veil apart from them, and We sent to her Our Spirit, who appeared before her as a well-proportioned man. She said, ‘Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you are God-fearing.’ He said, ‘I am only a messenger from your Lord, to grant you a pure son.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me, nor have I been unchaste?’” (17–20)

“Then she took”: that is, she put up “a veil apart from them.” Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: A covering.

It was also said that she sat behind a wall. Muqatil said: Behind a mountain.

Ikrimah said: Mary would remain in the sanctuary, and whenever she menstruated, she would move to her maternal aunt’s house. Once she had become pure, she would return to the sanctuary. While she was bathing after menstruation, having undressed, Gabriel suddenly appeared before her in the form of a beardless young man, bright-faced, curly-haired, and well-proportioned. This is the meaning of His words:

“And We sent to her Our Spirit,” meaning Gabriel, peace be upon him, “who appeared before her as a well-proportioned man.”

It was also said that the Spirit refers to Jesus, peace be upon him: he came in the form of a man, and she conceived him. However, the first view is sounder. When Mary saw Gabriel approaching her, she called out to him from a distance: “Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you are God-fearing”—that is, a believing and obedient person.

If it is asked: One seeks refuge only from a wicked person, so how could she say, “Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you are God-fearing”?

The answer is that this is like someone saying, “If you are a believer, then do not wrong me”; that is, your faith ought to prevent you from wrongdoing. The same applies here.

Its meaning is: Your piety ought to prevent you from immorality. (2)

Gabriel said to her: “I am only a messenger from your Lord, to grant you.” Nafi and the scholars of Basra recited it as “that He may grant you,” with a ya, meaning: that your Lord may grant you. The others recited it as “that I may grant you,” attributing the act to the messenger, although the gift is from Allah, exalted is He, because He sent him with it.

“A pure son”: that is, a righteous child, free of sins. Mary said, “How”—that is, from where—“can I have a son when no man has touched me,” meaning, no husband has approached me, “nor have I been unchaste,” meaning immoral? She meant that a child comes through either marriage or fornication, whereas neither of these was present.