And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants). 66:12The English word translated as "chastity" by Yusuf Ali is "farj". In Arabic this is the word for "private area" or more specifically the outer area of the private area. (1)
Literally translated it would look like this:
And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her PRIVATE PART (Arabic- farjahaa) and We breathed INTO IT of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His revelations, and was one of the devout (servants). S. 66:12
Allah repeats this affirmation in another passage :
However what many Muslims (including Kathir) managed to over look is the precise language of the Qur'an. The transliterated Arabic here is: "fanafakhnā fihi min rūḥinā". The Arabic for: "We blew" is: "fanafakhnā". This is the 1st person plural perfect verb. In the Arabic language, like in the English, Allah is the subject pronoun. The next Arabic word is "Fihi" this is translated "into it". Then we have "min" which can be translated "of" or "from". Finally "Ruhina" is translated: "Our Spirit". This is the 1st person plural possessive pronoun. Hence Allah blew into Mary's private part of his Spirit.
The conjoint subject pronoun with the verb is evident in the Arabic and even conveyed in the English. This means Allah then is the one doing the blowing, the verb is applied to Allah who is the subject. He breathed something into into Mary. What is that something? His Spirit. Literally then this should be translated: "We (Allah) blew into it of Our Spirit". Hence contrary to the assertion of Ibn Kathir, God did not command Gabriel to breathe into Mary, rather Allah himself was the breather.
And (remember) her who guarded her PRIVATE PART (Arabic- farjahaa): We breathed into her from Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a Sign for all people. S. 21:91Muslim scholar Mohammed Asad confirms the rather explicit meaning. (2)
However what many Muslims (including Kathir) managed to over look is the precise language of the Qur'an. The transliterated Arabic here is: "fanafakhnā fihi min rūḥinā". The Arabic for: "We blew" is: "fanafakhnā". This is the 1st person plural perfect verb. In the Arabic language, like in the English, Allah is the subject pronoun. The next Arabic word is "Fihi" this is translated "into it". Then we have "min" which can be translated "of" or "from". Finally "Ruhina" is translated: "Our Spirit". This is the 1st person plural possessive pronoun. Hence Allah blew into Mary's private part of his Spirit.
The conjoint subject pronoun with the verb is evident in the Arabic and even conveyed in the English. This means Allah then is the one doing the blowing, the verb is applied to Allah who is the subject. He breathed something into into Mary. What is that something? His Spirit. Literally then this should be translated: "We (Allah) blew into it of Our Spirit". Hence contrary to the assertion of Ibn Kathir, God did not command Gabriel to breathe into Mary, rather Allah himself was the breather.
However if Kathir is right Gabriel becomes Allah because the Qur'an directly applies the verb of blowing to Allah himself.
In addition theologically it is more coherent to support Allah as the blower instead of Gabriel. Why? The repetitious Quranic assertion that Allah is the only creator:
However it is important to know here that in Arabic this is not intended to imply that creatures are co-creators whom Allah appoints and then contrasts himself with, no, not even human beings. Firstly the Qur'an makes a strong theological proclamation that Allah is not to be compared with creatures (112:4).
There are 3 additional reasons to reject the "comparison view". Firstly there is an authentic prophetic tradition that supports the Qur'anic declaration that only one creator exists. And secondly the Arabic word used in all of these verses can only apply to Allah:
Finally the Qur'an itself shows us that the "creators" cannot be referring to created agents like humans or angels or other entities because Allah identifies only himself as these "creators" in contrast to those created beings who are created:
However two problems arise from this view. One is that if Gabriel is the one blown into Mary's womb and therefore the cause of the inception and animation of Jesus then he becomes the Father of Jesus, possibly resulting in a non-virginal birth. In the very least Gabriel would be the creator of Jesus, the one who penetrated Mary's private part. But why would Allah need to blow a creature into a womb in order to create, when he alone is the creator? However even this interpretation is less likely in light of another passage in the Qur'an which comes to our second point.
The Qur'an asserts:
If one is to deny the Spirit of Allah is the Angel Gabriel, one is left with the perplexing question. Who is the Spirit?
It is a quranically plausible view to reject the view that Gabriel is the Holy Spirit:
However who could it be then? One view is that since human beings have spirits that continue to exist after death, meaning our core essential spiritual nature continues to exist, this is the core of our identity. We are our spirit primarily, and our body secondarily. This means we are indistinguishable from our spirit. If this is the case, then Allah may also be indistinguishable from his Spirit, and his spirit may be unlike ours, unlike anything created, hence Allah's spirit is essentially apart of him.
However if Allah bestows his own Spirit upon Mary, we have a testament in the Quran to the incarnation of Christ. Allah blows himself, or apart of himself into Mary and the Messiah is conceived as a result. This is a divine embodiment of Allah's Spirit. Mind you, such qur'anic language as depicted (66:12;4:171) is never applied to any other prophet or creature, hence Jesus is uniquely Spirit and divinely conceived, the only possible exception is Adam (4). The Qur'an however does support this interpretation seeing that Gabriel is not depicted as the Spirit or agent of creation, rather Allah is solely responsible for the inception of Jesus:
(1) http://www.almaany.com/home.php?language=arabic&word=%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AC&lang_name=English&type_word=0&dspl=0
(2) "In the second instance the Qur'an speaks of Mary as a righteous woman who lived in strict chastity and obedience to God: ‘And Mary daughter of 'Imran who guarded well her GENERATIVE ORGAN farjaha, and thus We breathed INTO HER of our spirit’ (S. 66:12). THE BOLD AND GRAPHIC STATEMENT APPEARS TO HAVE SHOCKED TRADITIONISTS AND COMMENTATORS, so that most of them tried to cover it up with different and FARFETCHED significations or glossed over it with out comment... "Ibn Kathir interprets the phrase ‘guarded well her generative organ’ to mean: ‘safeguarded and protected it. Guarding well ihsan signifies chastity and high birth.’ He comments on the phrase, ‘and thus We breathed into it of our spirit’ thus ‘that is, through the angel Gabriel. This is because God sent him to her, and he took for her the form of a man of good stature (S. 19:17). God commanded him to breathe INTO THE BREAST OF HER CHEMISE. HIS BREATH WENT DOWN AND PENETRATED HER GENERATIVE ORGAN, AND THUS CAUSED HER TO CONCEIVE JESUS’"(Christian-Muslim Encounters, ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad & Wadi Z. Haddad [University Press of Florida, 1995], p. 67)
(3) See Fath al-Bari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhari, 13/390. (439: Evidence that only Allah is the Creator of life)
(4) While Adam is a possible exception he is not a strong contender. For example in context Adam's creation refers to the entirety of man and how they inherit humanity (including an individual Spirit) through Adam (15:26-29). But assuming Adam is not an exception and he is a divine being, this would be vindicated by end of the passage in question itself: "and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down making obeisance to him " 15:29
(5) See Qur'an 3:45-49. In vs 49 there is no explicit or implicit indication in the Arabic language that the speaker has changed to Jesus. Rather translators add in brackets, to imply Jesus is the speaker, However this is due to preconceived theological reasons, not linguistic justification. For Muslims it just wouldn't make sense for an Angel to make such assertions, making the exact same claims that Christ appears to make in the New Testament and other apocryphal sources. However given the paradigm of this post, it would be perfectly coherent to believe Jesus pre-existed as an Angel who uttered this prophecy to Mary before his own physical inception.
"Is there any creator other than ALLAH who provides for you from the heaven and the earth?" 35:3
He created man 55:3
And those whom they call on besides Allah have not created anything while they are themselves created 16:20
That is God, your Lord! there is no god but He, the Creator of all things 6:102
Say: 'God is the Creator of everything, and He is the One, the Omnipotent 13:16One potential objection is that there are some passages in the Quran ascribed to Allah that apply the Arabic plural for creator namely: "khāliqūna", this may imply other kinds of creators whom among Allah is supreme. Allah is stated to be the best of the creators.
However it is important to know here that in Arabic this is not intended to imply that creatures are co-creators whom Allah appoints and then contrasts himself with, no, not even human beings. Firstly the Qur'an makes a strong theological proclamation that Allah is not to be compared with creatures (112:4).
There are 3 additional reasons to reject the "comparison view". Firstly there is an authentic prophetic tradition that supports the Qur'anic declaration that only one creator exists. And secondly the Arabic word used in all of these verses can only apply to Allah:
Imam al-Bukhari reported in his Saheeh from Abu Sa`eed (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon Him) said: "There is no created being but ALLAH CREATED IT." In Arabic, the word "khalaqa" means to make out of nothing, which is something that ONLY ALLAH CAN DO; it is impossible for anyone except Allah to do this. It also carries the meaning of decreeing or foreordaining. (3)Hence the Arabic language, the Quranic theology, the prophetic tradition are all unanimous on this point. If one wishes to interpret or assert that Allah is the ultimate creator, that nothing is created without Allah, but that Allah uses created agents, one must be willing to show evidence from the Quran, Sunnah and Arabic grammar.
Finally the Qur'an itself shows us that the "creators" cannot be referring to created agents like humans or angels or other entities because Allah identifies only himself as these "creators" in contrast to those created beings who are created:
Is it you who create it, OR are We the Creators? 56:59If Allah is the subject who blows into Mary's womb and the object of his blowing is his Spirit (indicated by the preposition "min"), the question must be asked who is the Spirit of Allah who is actually being blown into Mary's womb? Traditionally Orthodox Muslims (both Shia and Sunni) have answered by asserting the Angel Gabriel is Allah's Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
However two problems arise from this view. One is that if Gabriel is the one blown into Mary's womb and therefore the cause of the inception and animation of Jesus then he becomes the Father of Jesus, possibly resulting in a non-virginal birth. In the very least Gabriel would be the creator of Jesus, the one who penetrated Mary's private part. But why would Allah need to blow a creature into a womb in order to create, when he alone is the creator? However even this interpretation is less likely in light of another passage in the Qur'an which comes to our second point.
The Qur'an asserts:
O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in God and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for God is one God: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is God as a Disposer of affairs. 4:171Jesus is the Word of Allah and the Spirit bestowed upon Mary by Allah. This passage attests to the fact that Jesus must have pre-existed as the Angel Gabriel who was blown into Mary's womb by Allah. If one is to deny this, one must explain how Jesus is a spirit bestowed on Mary if he is not the very identical Spirit whom Allah blew into Mary? How could there conceivably be a difference? If there is such a difference, how many spirits does Jesus consist of and where does the Qur'an testify to such speculation?
If one is to deny the Spirit of Allah is the Angel Gabriel, one is left with the perplexing question. Who is the Spirit?
It is a quranically plausible view to reject the view that Gabriel is the Holy Spirit:
So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down making obeisance to him 15:29It is (once again) highly unlikely that such a passage refers to Gabriel being blown into a creature.
However who could it be then? One view is that since human beings have spirits that continue to exist after death, meaning our core essential spiritual nature continues to exist, this is the core of our identity. We are our spirit primarily, and our body secondarily. This means we are indistinguishable from our spirit. If this is the case, then Allah may also be indistinguishable from his Spirit, and his spirit may be unlike ours, unlike anything created, hence Allah's spirit is essentially apart of him.
However if Allah bestows his own Spirit upon Mary, we have a testament in the Quran to the incarnation of Christ. Allah blows himself, or apart of himself into Mary and the Messiah is conceived as a result. This is a divine embodiment of Allah's Spirit. Mind you, such qur'anic language as depicted (66:12;4:171) is never applied to any other prophet or creature, hence Jesus is uniquely Spirit and divinely conceived, the only possible exception is Adam (4). The Qur'an however does support this interpretation seeing that Gabriel is not depicted as the Spirit or agent of creation, rather Allah is solely responsible for the inception of Jesus:
She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: God createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is! 3:47
The same chapter goes onto have Jesus speaking as an Angel before his birth. (5)
Hence if Allah is solely and without partner responsible for the birth of Jesus by blowing his own Spirit into Mary's womb, then Jesus is said to be that Spirit who proceeded from Allah, then there is no other conclusion but to concede Jesus is the spiritual divine embodiment of Allah.
One may possibly argue that Allah's Spirit is just an impersonal force that Allah uses to create, sustain or other such divine functions, however this would not be consistent with Quranic verses which clearly attribute person-hood to the Spirit:
Hence if Allah is solely and without partner responsible for the birth of Jesus by blowing his own Spirit into Mary's womb, then Jesus is said to be that Spirit who proceeded from Allah, then there is no other conclusion but to concede Jesus is the spiritual divine embodiment of Allah.
One may possibly argue that Allah's Spirit is just an impersonal force that Allah uses to create, sustain or other such divine functions, however this would not be consistent with Quranic verses which clearly attribute person-hood to the Spirit:
Say, [O Muhammad], "The Pure Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth to make firm those who believe and as guidance and good tidings to the Muslims." 16:102
And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and he assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man 19:17
Not only does the Spirit have the ability to take upon the form of a man, bring down revelation etc, the Spirit is again affirmed as the giver of Jesus:
He said: I am only an apostle of your Lord: That I will give you a pure boy. 19:19The Arabic for "give" here is: "li-ahaba" and would be best translated as "bestow" in alignment with 4:171. This verse also matches up with the pre-existence of Jesus as a Spirit and Angel (4:171;3:45-50) and the very Spirit blown into Mary (66:12), and a messenger (19:19).
In conclusion I have not spent much time on whether the Spirit is personal or impersonal since Christians and Muslims both agree the Spirit is not impersonal. There are only two available choices.
- 1) The Spirit is Allah or apart of Allah
- 2) The Spirit is distinct from Allah.
If the Spirit is distinct from Allah: which pre-existent divine being should be identified as the Spirit?
Perhaps no name should be given to the Spirit, in that case Jesus would still be a pre-existent divine Spirit, whether an Angel or another type of created entity.
However if we assert that the Spirit is a mysterious divine figure that is inseparable from Allah or part of Allah's essence, then Jesus becomes the divine embodiment of Allah. It is therefore inevitable no matter what supernatural figure one interprets with 66:12, whether it be God, Spirit, Gabriel, Jesus the conclusion given above must be that Jesus pre-existed as this entity and is therefore a divine Spirit.
End Notes:
(1) http://www.almaany.com/home.php?language=arabic&word=%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AC&lang_name=English&type_word=0&dspl=0
(2) "In the second instance the Qur'an speaks of Mary as a righteous woman who lived in strict chastity and obedience to God: ‘And Mary daughter of 'Imran who guarded well her GENERATIVE ORGAN farjaha, and thus We breathed INTO HER of our spirit’ (S. 66:12). THE BOLD AND GRAPHIC STATEMENT APPEARS TO HAVE SHOCKED TRADITIONISTS AND COMMENTATORS, so that most of them tried to cover it up with different and FARFETCHED significations or glossed over it with out comment... "Ibn Kathir interprets the phrase ‘guarded well her generative organ’ to mean: ‘safeguarded and protected it. Guarding well ihsan signifies chastity and high birth.’ He comments on the phrase, ‘and thus We breathed into it of our spirit’ thus ‘that is, through the angel Gabriel. This is because God sent him to her, and he took for her the form of a man of good stature (S. 19:17). God commanded him to breathe INTO THE BREAST OF HER CHEMISE. HIS BREATH WENT DOWN AND PENETRATED HER GENERATIVE ORGAN, AND THUS CAUSED HER TO CONCEIVE JESUS’"(Christian-Muslim Encounters, ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad & Wadi Z. Haddad [University Press of Florida, 1995], p. 67)
(3) See Fath al-Bari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhari, 13/390. (439: Evidence that only Allah is the Creator of life)
(4) While Adam is a possible exception he is not a strong contender. For example in context Adam's creation refers to the entirety of man and how they inherit humanity (including an individual Spirit) through Adam (15:26-29). But assuming Adam is not an exception and he is a divine being, this would be vindicated by end of the passage in question itself: "and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down making obeisance to him " 15:29
(5) See Qur'an 3:45-49. In vs 49 there is no explicit or implicit indication in the Arabic language that the speaker has changed to Jesus. Rather translators add in brackets, to imply Jesus is the speaker, However this is due to preconceived theological reasons, not linguistic justification. For Muslims it just wouldn't make sense for an Angel to make such assertions, making the exact same claims that Christ appears to make in the New Testament and other apocryphal sources. However given the paradigm of this post, it would be perfectly coherent to believe Jesus pre-existed as an Angel who uttered this prophecy to Mary before his own physical inception.
