Maryam · Makki · ayah 17 of 98

Maryam 19:17

فَٱتَّخَذَتْ مِن دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا

“And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel [i.e., Gabriel], and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Behind her screen, Allah sent Maryam the one He calls Our spirit, shaped as a well-formed man she could bear to hear.

A reflection

Our spirit is not a part of Allah

The phrase Our spirit is easy to misread, and it has been misread in more than one direction. Some hear it as a piece of Allah Himself, sent into the world. Others link it to the idea of a divine Spirit that shares in Godhead.

The commentaries are clear and nearly unanimous. Our spirit here is Jibrīl. One classical commentator calls this the plain sense of the Qur'an, and points to another surah. The trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart (26:193). The angel of revelation is called the Spirit elsewhere, and here.

Why call him Our spirit? The commentators give tender answers. Because religion is brought to life through him and through the revelation he carries. Or because Allah names him His spirit out of love and nearness. It is the way you might say to someone you love: you are my soul. The possessive is one of honour, not of parts.

The commentaries also record an early report claiming that the one who appeared to Maryam was the spirit of ʿĪsā himself. One commentator calls it extremely strange and objectionable, and suspects it came from older Israelite lore. Another lists a minority view that the spirit meant the life formed in her womb, and judges the first reading nearer.

So the worn readings fall away on both sides. This is not Allah dividing Himself. It is Allah sending His most honoured messenger, named with a word of affection.

That is worth knowing before the scene unfolds. The visitor behind Maryam's screen was the same Spirit who would later bring the Qur'an down upon the heart of the Prophet ﷺ.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.