“So her Lord graciously accepted her, caused her to grow in a good manner, and placed her in the care of Zechariah. Whenever Zechariah entered the prayer chamber where she was, he found provision with her. He said, ‘O Mary, where has this come to you from?’ She replied, ‘It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides without measure for whomever He wills.’” (37)

Concerning His words, “So her Lord graciously accepted her”: that is, Allah accepted Mary from Hannah in place of the child consecrated to service. To “graciously accept” means to accept and be pleased. The term qabūl (acceptance) is the verbal noun of “to accept,” like walūʿ (eagerness) and wazūʿ (restraint); no others occur in this pattern. It is also said that gracious acceptance means undertaking her upbringing and attending to her affairs.

“And caused her to grow in a good manner”: that is, He caused her to grow, and she grew in a good manner. It is also said that this is a verbal noun of a different form (1), as is His saying, “So her Lord graciously accepted her.” Such usage is common, as when one says, “I spoke words.” Juwabir narrated from al-Dahhak, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning, “So her Lord graciously accepted her”: that is, He set her upon the way of the blessed. “And caused her to grow in a good manner” means that He made her form well-proportioned, without excess or deficiency. She grew in one day as much as a newborn ordinarily grows in a year. (2)

“And placed her in the care of Zechariah.” Those who relate historical reports said: When Hannah gave birth to Mary, she wrapped her in a cloth and carried her to the mosque, where she placed her with the rabbis, the descendants of Aaron. At that time, they administered the Temple as the custodians administer the Kaaba. She said to them, “Take charge of this child consecrated by a vow.” The rabbis competed for her guardianship, because she was the daughter of their leader and the one who presented their offerings.

Zechariah said to them, “I have the greatest right to her, for her maternal aunt is with me.” But the rabbis said to him, “We will not do that. Had she been left with the person most entitled to her, she would have been left with her mother who gave birth to her. Rather, we shall cast lots for her, and she shall be placed with the one whose lot is drawn.” So they set out—twenty-nine (3) men in all—to a flowing river. Al-Suddi said that it was the Jordan River. They cast their pens into the water, on the condition that whoever’s pen remained firm in the water and rose would have the greater right to her.

It is also said that each pen bore the name of one of them.

It is also said that they had been writing the Torah, so they threw into the water the pens they held in their hands. Zechariah’s pen sprang upright (4) and rose above the water, while their pens drifted downward and sank into the river. This was related by Muhammad ibn Ishaq and others.

It is also said that Zechariah’s pen moved upstream, toward the upper part of the water, while their pens went along with the current.

Al-Suddi and others said instead that Zechariah’s pen remained fixed and stood upon the water as though it were in mud, while their pens flowed along with the water’s current;