Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 50

(Ayah 50) ➊ In { وَ جَعَلْنَا ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَ اُمَّهٗۤ اٰيَةً: ’’ اٰيَةً ‘‘}, the tanween is for magnification: “a great sign.” It is not said that We made the son of Mary a sign, nor is it said that We made the son of Mary and his mother two signs, but rather both together are declared as one great sign, because the existence of both was a great sign of Allah’s power: He created Adam (peace be upon him) without both a mother and a father, He created Hawwa (peace be upon her) only from a man, and He created ‘Isa (peace be upon him) from the womb of Maryam (peace be upon her) without a father. Whereas the usual creation is from both a mother and a father, and that too is a sign of Allah’s power.

➋ Here, instead of mentioning the name of ‘Isa (peace be upon him), Allah the Exalted said “son of Mary” to draw the attention of those who declare him to be God, that he was born from the womb of a woman, so how could he be God?

➌ {وَ اٰوَيْنٰهُمَاۤ اِلٰى رَبْوَةٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَّ مَعِيْنٍ : ’’ رَبْوَةٍ ‘‘} means mound, elevated place. {’’ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ ‘‘} means level, where living is easy. {’’ مَعِيْنٍ ‘‘} means running water; if it is from {’’عَانَ يَعِيْنُ‘‘} ({بَاعَ يَبِيْعُ}), then on the pattern of {’’مَبِيْعٌ‘‘} it is an object noun, its original form is {’’مَعْيُوْنٌ ‘‘}, the meem is extra. Al-Zajjaj said: {’’ مَعِيْنٍ ‘‘} means running water in springs, as if it is derived from {’’عَيْنٌ‘‘} (spring). Ibn al-A‘rabi said: {’’ مَعَنَ الْمَاءُ‘‘} means “the water flowed.” In this case, its pattern is {’’فَعِيْلٌ‘‘} and the meem is original, meaning running water. (Qurtubi)

➍ What is meant by this rabwah (mound)? Some commentators have taken it to mean the land of Egypt. They say that at that time, the ruler of the land of Sham (where ‘Isa, peace be upon him, was born) was Herod, who, having heard from astrologers that ‘Isa (peace be upon him) would gain leadership, became his enemy from childhood and sought to kill him. Maryam (peace be upon her) took him to Egypt and did not return until Herod died. This incident is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew in the same way, but Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The more apparent view is that it refers to that elevated place with date palms near Bayt al-Maqdis where ‘Isa (peace be upon him) was born, and Maryam (peace be upon her) was called from below: ‘Do not grieve, your Lord has made a stream flow beneath you, and shake the trunk of the date palm towards yourself, it will drop upon you fresh ripe dates, so eat, drink, and be comforted.’ (See Maryam: 23–26) Because the most authentic tafsir of the Qur’an is that which is from another verse of the Qur’an, then from authentic ahadith, and then from the reports (athar).” (Ibn Kathir) When we can neither declare the Israelite narrations true nor false, then how can anything be established from them?

50-1. Because the birth of Isa (Jesus) ؑ occurred without a father, which is a sign of the Lord’s power, just as the creation of Adam ؑ without mother and father, and the creation of Hawwa from Adam ؑ without a female, and the creation of all other humans from both mother and father, are among His signs.

50-2. رَبْوَۃٍ (elevated place) refers to Bayt al-Maqdis, and مَعِیْنٍ (flowing spring) refers to that spring which, according to one opinion, Allah caused to flow as a miracle from beneath the feet of Maryam at the time of Isa’s ؑ birth, as mentioned in Surah Maryam.

And We made (Jesus) the son of Mary and his mother a sign [51], and gave them refuge on a high ground [52]—a place of comfort and security with a flowing spring.

Refutation of the Deniers of the Fatherless Birth of Isa (Jesus) ؑ:

Allah Almighty did not say that the son of Mary was also a sign and his mother was also a sign. Rather, He said that both of them together were made a single sign. And this is only possible if the birth of Isa (Jesus) is accepted as fatherless, and also that Mary ؑ became pregnant by the divine breath without being touched by any man.

The Literal Meaning of ﴿ربوة﴾ and Its Intended Reference:

﴿رَبوة﴾ refers to such land that is somewhat elevated above the general surface of the earth and its soil is loose and sandy. Such land absorbs water and swells up well. In Punjabi, such land is called "Meera Zameen." The characteristic of this land is that it is more lush and green compared to ordinary land and is also elevated. Now, regarding the identification of this "Rabwa," there is a difference among the commentators. Some say that it refers to the elevated place where Isa (Jesus) ؑ was born, and Allah Almighty caused a spring to flow there, and fresh dates began to fall from the trunk of a dry date palm by Allah's command. Others say that at that time, the tyrant Jewish king Herod became an enemy of Isa (Jesus) ؑ. Mary ؑ, for his protection, migrated towards Egypt by Allah's command and resided in a town on an elevated, spring-filled place called Ramla. Isa (Jesus) ؑ grew up there, and when Herod died, Mary ؑ brought him back to their homeland. Israelite traditions support this interpretation. And along with "Rabwa," "Zaat Qarar" refers to such a place where the necessities of life are available and a person faces no difficulty in residing there. The word "Mu'een" is for further emphasis, meaning running water, pure water, flowing spring, cool and sweet water—all are included. At the beginning of the twentieth century, in the district of Gurdaspur, India, in a town called Qadian, a person named Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed prophethood. He himself was buried there in Qadian, and his tomb was also built there. In 1947, when Pakistan was established, the followers of Mirza Sahib migrated from there to the district of Jhang in Pakistan. In the same way, they selected an elevated land for their headquarters and named it Rabwah. The caliphs and descendants of Mirza Sahib reside there.

The Claim of Mirza Qadiani to Be the Promised Messiah and the Identification of the Grave of Isa (Jesus) ؑ:

Mirza Sahib not only claimed prophethood but also claimed to be the Promised Messiah. He believed in the miraculous birth of Isa (Jesus) ؑ but did not believe in the ascension of Isa (Jesus) ؑ, because if he had believed in it, it would have been difficult for him to become the Promised Messiah. His followers established a Rabwah in Jhang, but he declared Kashmir to be Rabwah. After declaring the natural death of Isa (Jesus) ؑ, he said that his grave is in Kashmir. In the locality of Khanyar in the capital of Kashmir, Srinagar, there is a grave famous as "Yuz Asaf." Among the public, it is well known that this is the grave of a prophet who was a prince and came here from another country. For Mirza Sahib's purpose, these baseless rumors were sufficient. Thus, he received a revelation that this grave is indeed that of Isa (Jesus) ؑ. Now, even if, according to his followers, his revelation is considered correct, the question arises that in this verse, not only Isa (Jesus) ؑ is mentioned but also his mother is mentioned. Therefore, the revelation should have been about two graves. But unfortunately, there is only one grave there. This exposes the reality of his prophethood and revelations.