Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 37

(Ayah 37) ➊ { وَ كَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا:} According to the common view, Zakariya (peace be upon him) was her maternal uncle, but the correct opinion is that he was Maryam’s (peace be upon her) brother-in-law. The evidence for this is the hadith of Mi’raj, in which it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) met Yahya and ‘Isa (peace be upon them) on the second heaven, and it is explicitly stated that they were maternal cousins. [بخاری، الأنبیاء، باب قول اللہ تعالیٰ : « ذکر رحمۃ ربک…»: ۳۴۳۰ ]

➋ { الْمِحْرَابَ:} This does not refer to the well-known mihrab that is built in mosques for the imam, but rather it means the room that is made for seclusion. (See Saba: 13) The Jews and Christians used to build this mihrab at some height, separate from the place of worship, in which the worshippers of the mosque would stay.

➌ { وَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا:} From the style of speech, it is clear that this provision was reaching Maryam (peace be upon her) as a miracle. It is narrated from most of the Tabi‘in that whenever Zakariya (peace be upon him) would enter Maryam’s (peace be upon her) chamber, he would find fresh, out-of-season fruits with her. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir) If the statement of the Tabi‘in is an explanation of the words of the verse, as is apparent, then it supports the view that this provision was given as a miracle, and if it is an Israelite narration, then it is neither to be affirmed nor denied. However, it is not far-fetched for Allah to grant provision to His servants without means, and it is authentically established that the saints and martyrs of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) have received such miracles and honor.

In Sahih Bukhari, the incident of Khubaib (may Allah be pleased with him) of the crucifixion of Khubaib (may Allah be pleased with him) is mentioned in detail. The woman of the house in Makkah where he was imprisoned, Bint al-Harith, said: “By Allah! I have never seen a better captive than Khubaib. By Allah! One day I saw him eating a bunch of grapes that was in his hand, while he was bound in iron chains, and there was no fruit in Makkah.” (Bint al-Harith) used to say: “Surely, it was provision from Allah that He gave to Khubaib.” [بخاری، الجہاد والسیر، باب ھل یستأسر الرجل … : ۳۰۴۵ ] However, a miracle is not within the control of a saint that he may do whatever he wishes; otherwise, Khubaib (may Allah be pleased with him) would have broken the chains and become free. Even a prophet cannot show a miracle by his own will, as it is said: «وَ مَا كَانَ لَنَاۤ اَنْ نَّاْتِيَكُمْ بِسُلْطٰنٍ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ» [إِبراہیم : ۱۱ ]

37. 1. Hazrat Zakariya (peace be upon him) was also the maternal uncle of Hazrat Maryam (peace be upon her). Moreover, being the prophet of his time, he was the best guardian who could properly arrange for Hazrat Maryam’s (peace be upon her) material needs and the requirements of her intellectual and moral upbringing.

37. 2. By محراب is meant the chamber in which Hazrat Maryam (peace be upon her) resided. By رزق is meant fruits. These fruits were, firstly, out of season—summer fruits would be present in her room during winter, and winter fruits during summer. Secondly, neither Hazrat Zakariya (peace be upon him) nor any other person would bring them, so Hazrat Zakariya (peace be upon him) asked in astonishment and wonder, “Where did these come from?” She replied, “From Allah.” Thus, this was a کرامت (karamah) of Hazrat Maryam (peace be upon her). معجزہ (miracle) and کرامت (karamah) refer to extraordinary events, i.e., those that are against apparent causes. If such an event appears at the hands of a prophet, it is called a معجزہ (miracle), and if it appears at the hands of a wali (saint), it is called a کرامت (karamah). Both are true. However, their occurrence is by Allah’s command and will; it is not within the power of a prophet or wali to manifest a miracle or karamah whenever they wish. Therefore, a miracle or karamah is proof that these personalities have a special status in the court of Allah, but it does not prove that these accepted ones have the authority to control the universe, as the people of innovation mislead the public regarding the karamahs of the saints and involve them in polytheistic beliefs. Further clarification will come in the context of some miracles.

So her Lord accepted her graciously, and made her grow in a good manner, and entrusted her to the care of Zakariya. Whenever Zakariya entered her chamber, he found with her provision. He said, "O Maryam, where did this come to you from?" She replied, "It is from Allah. Surely, Allah provides without measure to whom He wills."

[40] Allah Almighty accepted the vow of the mother of Maryam ؑ and arranged for the physical and spiritual upbringing of Maryam in an excellent manner. When she reached the age of understanding and became capable of going to the mosque (place of worship), the question arose as to who would be her guardian and caretaker. This was because there were many priests in the Temple of Solomon, among whom was also Zakariyya ؑ. Ultimately, this honor fell to Zakariyya ؑ, because his wife was the real maternal aunt of Maryam ؑ, and this story is explained in detail further ahead.
[41]
Lady Maryam and the Sustenance from Allah:

The word "mihrab" does not refer to the place in mosques made for the imam to stand, but rather, "mihrab" referred to those upper chambers that were built adjacent to the mosque for the servants, custodians, and those who were devoted to the worship of Allah. Among these rooms, one room was given to Maryam ؑ, in which she used to remain engaged in worship. No one except Zakariyya ؑ was allowed to enter this room. Zakariyya ؑ himself used to bring food and drink for Maryam ؑ. Then it happened many times that when Zakariyya ؑ entered the room to give food, he found that food and drink were already present with Maryam ؑ. He was astonished that since no one except him could enter, who was bringing this food to her? When he asked Maryam ؑ, she replied without hesitation, "This sustenance comes to me from Allah. Beyond this, I know nothing." It should be clear that this verse is a clear proof of extraordinary events. Miracles occur at the hands of prophets and wonders (karamat) at the hands of the friends of Allah, and all of this happens only by the will and power of Allah. There were two things that caused Zakariyya ؑ to be astonished and amazed. One was that the food and drink he found with Maryam ؑ usually consisted of out-of-season fruits, and the other was that since no one except him could enter the room, who was bringing these fruits and other food items to Maryam ؑ?

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's View on Miracles:

Now, those who deny extraordinary events or miracles also face difficulty here, and a commentator of the Quran from our times, Sir Syed, very easily gets rid of such difficulties and simply calls such incidents dreams. He did the same in the incident of Uzair ؑ and has done the same here. Now the question is, if this was merely a dream, then what was Zakariyya ؑ astonished about, which led him to ask:
﴿ يٰمَرْيَمُ اَنّيٰ لَكِ هٰذَا﴾
Maryam! Where did you get this from or how did you get it? And also consider, are such commentators really commentators of the Quran or distorters of the Quran?