whereupon the infant spoke, saying, “Mother, be steadfast, for you are upon the truth.” He uttered these words though still at the breast, but Allah—who makes all things speak—enabled him to do so. It was an honor granted to that mother: Allah caused her son to speak so that she might find the strength to hurl herself into the fire and preserve her faith. An infant speaking from the cradle is a mighty sign, and the child’s testimony that his mother was on the truth fortified her; she bore up, plunged into the flames, and this became one of Allah’s signs, confirming His promise: “And Allah will deliver those who were mindful of Him, by their triumph; no evil will touch them, nor shall they grieve” (Q 39:61).

Likewise, Mary the daughter of ʿImrān, peace be upon her, withdrew from her people to a distant place while carrying in her womb her son Jesus, whom Allah created by His word—“Be,” and he was. “The pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree” (Q 19:23); that is, the contractions forced her to sit beneath it. There Allah caused a running stream to flow at her feet and told her: “Shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward yourself; fresh, ripe dates will fall upon you” (Q 19:25). Dates fell from the very top of the tree, yet remained whole and succulent—one of Allah’s signs, for everyone knows that if dates drop even from the hand of a standing person they split apart, whereas these did not, though they fell from a great height. Moreover, this weak woman, exhausted from childbirth, was nonetheless able to shake the palm by its trunk until it quivered—another sign, for normally a palm sways only when someone strong shakes it from the fronds. She was then told: “So eat, drink, and be comforted” (Q 19:26).

Afterward she brought the child to her people, carrying him in her arms. They exclaimed, “O Mary! You have surely done something atrocious!” (Q 19:27)—something monstrous, for they were convinced she had committed fornication.