“And he will speak to people in the cradle and as a mature man, and will be among the righteous.” (46)

Allah, exalted is He, says: “That is from the accounts of the unseen which We reveal to you.” He says to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: “That” is what I have related of the account of Zachariah, John, Mary, and Jesus; it is “from the accounts of the unseen,” that is, reports of the unseen, “which We reveal to you.” The pronoun in “We reveal it to you” refers back to “that,” which is why it is masculine. “And you were not,” O Muhammad, “among them when they cast their pens”—that is, their lot-arrows—into the water to cast lots, “to determine which of them would take charge of Mary,” caring for and raising her; “nor were you among them when they disputed” over her guardianship.

Allah, exalted is He, says: “When the angels said, ‘Mary, Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary.’” He said, “whose name is,” using a masculine pronoun in reference to Jesus. They differed as to why he was called the Messiah. Some said that it is an adjective of the fa'il pattern used with a passive meaning: he was cleansed of impurities and purified of sins. It was also said: because he was anointed with blessing; because he emerged from his mother’s womb covered with oil; or because Gabriel wiped him with his wing, so that Satan would have no power over him. It was also said: because he was flat-footed and had no arch. The Dajjal, the False Messiah, was called a messiah because one of his eyes was obliterated.

Others said that it is an adjective of the fa'il pattern with an active meaning, like “all-knowing” and “one who knows.” Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: He was called the Messiah because whenever he wiped a person afflicted with an ailment, that person was healed. It was also said that he was so named because he travelled throughout the land and did not remain in one place; according to this view, the initial m is an added letter. Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said: “The Messiah means the truthful one.” Messiah can also mean “liar,” and this is why the Dajjal is so called; it is a contronym. “Honoured” means noble and exalted, possessing rank and standing, “in this world and the Hereafter, and among those brought near” to Allah.

“And he will speak to people in the cradle,” while still young, before the usual age of speech, as Allah mentions in Surat Maryam: “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture” (verse 30). It is related from Mujahid that Mary said: “Whenever Jesus and I were alone, he would speak to me and I would speak to him. Whenever someone distracted me from him, he would glorify Allah in my womb while I heard him.” (1)

As for His words, “and as a mature man,” Muqatil said: This means when he had reached full maturity, before he was raised to heaven. Al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl said: “And as a mature man” means after his descent from heaven. It was also said that Allah informed her that he would live until he reached maturity, and that his speech in maturity would consist of informing people of miraculous matters. It was also said that “and as a mature man” means as a prophet: He gave her glad tidings of the prophethood of Jesus, peace be upon him. His speech in the cradle was a miracle, while his speech in maturity was a call to faith. Mujahid said: “And as a mature man” means forbearing. The Arabs praise mature age because it is the middle stage in the full development (2) of age, the perfection of reason, soundness of judgment, and experience. “And among the righteous.”