Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 91

(Ayah 91) ➊ {وَ الَّتِيْۤ اَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا :} That is, also mention that woman upon whom impure people (the Jews) cast accusations, even though she protected her private part from the unlawful, rather, she was so engrossed in worship that she even protected it from the lawful, as He said: «{ لَمْ يَمْسَسْنِيْ بَشَرٌ }» [ آل عمران : ۴۷ ] “even though no man has touched me.” Allah did not mention her name to express her good reputation, because everyone knows that what is meant is Maryam bint Imran (peace be upon her).

➋ {فَنَفَخْنَا فِيْهَا مِنْ رُّوْحِنَا :} refers to the soul of Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him), which is a creation of Allah, and by His command, Jibril (Gabriel, peace be upon him) blew it. But Allah, to honor and dignify Isa (peace be upon him), called it His own soul, and the blowing of Jibril (peace be upon him) He called His own blowing, just as in {’’بيت الله‘‘} and {’’ناقة الله‘‘} He called the Ka‘bah His own house and the she-camel of Salih (peace be upon him) His own she-camel. Shaykh Thanaullah Amritsari (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in his tafsir: “Christians usually use this verse and similar verses as evidence that Masih (Jesus, God forbid) was God, because he was called ‘the Spirit of Allah,’ but they do not carefully consider the idiom of the Noble Qur’an and what is meant by such attributions. In Surah Sajdah, the same attribution of the soul to Allah is used for common human beings as well, as it is said: «{ وَ بَدَاَ خَلْقَ الْاِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِيْنٍ (7) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهٗ مِنْ سُلٰلَةٍ مِّنْ مَّآءٍ مَّهِيْنٍ (8) ثُمَّ سَوّٰىهُ وَ نَفَخَ فِيْهِ مِنْ رُّوْحِهٖ }» [ السجدۃ : ۷ تا ۹ ] ‘(That is, Allah) began the creation of man from a little clay, then made his progeny from an extract of a despised fluid, then He fashioned him and blew into him of His spirit.’ Here, the beginning and process of common human creation is mentioned. So, if the divinity (being God) of Isa (peace be upon him) is proven from the verse under discussion, then the divinity of all human beings will be proven from such verses. Then, if Masih was God and deity in the same way as all humans are, then there is no objection to accepting this. So, the meaning of the mentioned verse is as we have written (that the soul was created) ({فَافْهَمْ}).”

➌ {وَ جَعَلْنٰهَا وَ ابْنَهَاۤ اٰيَةً لِّلْعٰلَمِيْنَ :} The being of Maryam and Masih (peace be upon them) as a great sign of Allah for the worlds has been explained in detail in Surah Al-Imran (36 to 63), Nisa (156 to 159, 171), and Ma’idah (46, 110 to 120).

91. 1 This is the mention of Maryam and Isa (peace be upon them) which has already passed.

And (mention) the woman who guarded her chastity. Then We breathed into her of Our spirit [81], and made her and her son a sign for all the worlds [82].

[81]
The Accusation of the Jews Against Lady Maryam and Sayyiduna Zakariya:

When Allah Almighty fashioned the figure of Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) and perfected it, He breathed into it from His spirit, by which the human being was endowed with the power of will, choice, discernment, and deduction. Then, through procreation, these very qualities were transferred to all the descendants of Adam, and these are qualities not found in any other creature. Thereafter, Allah sent His spirit to Lady Maryam. This very spirit appeared before Lady Maryam in the form of a healthy human being. This spirit called itself "the messenger of your Lord" before Lady Maryam, and this spirit (which, according to the commentators, is Jibreel عليه السلام) said to Lady Maryam that "I have come so that I may grant you a pure boy." Thus, this spirit blew into the collar of Lady Maryam, by which she became pregnant. (Surah Maryam) This very incident Allah Almighty has also expressed at this place and in Surah Tahrim, verse number 12, in these words: "We breathed into Maryam from Our spirit." That is why he is called Ruhullah and Kalimatullah. And along with this, at every place, it has been clarified that Lady Maryam had indeed fully protected her chastity. Despite such clarifications, the Jews accused Lady Maryam of adultery and attributed it to Hazrat Zakariya (peace be upon him), merely because he was the guardian of Lady Maryam. This was the mischief of the Jews, and the Christians went to the other extreme and declared Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) as Allah, or the son of Allah, or the third of three gods. Thus, due to this miraculous birth, both Jews and Christians, falling into excess, became misguided.

[82]
The Deniers of the Fatherless Birth of Sayyiduna Isa:

Unfortunately, even among Muslims, there have arisen some people who do not believe in the fatherless birth of Hazrat Isa. And this is the same group that is always mentally overawed by the rationalism of the modern age. Allah Almighty has said in Surah Maryam: "So that We may make it (the birth of Isa) a sign for the people" [19: 21]
And at this place, He said: "We made Lady Maryam and her son both a sign for all the worlds." Also, in Surah Al-Mu’minun, verse number 50, He said: "And We made the son of Maryam (Hazrat Isa عليه السلام) and his mother a sign." Now, the question to these gentlemen is: if the birth of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) had occurred in the usual manner through the union of both mother and father, then how could both Lady Maryam and Isa ibn Maryam be a sign for the people or for all the worlds?