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wa-jaʿalnā bna maryama wa-ʾummahū ʾāyatan wa-ʾāwaynāhumā ʾilā rabwatin dhāti qarārin wa-maʿīnin
and We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and sheltered them in a level highland with flowing water.
— Ali Quli Qarai
23Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنونVerse 50 of 118
The Believers23. Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنون
Al Mu’minūn
The Believers
MeccanVerse 50 of 118
Surah al-Mu’minun - Verse 50
50. “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign, and We sheltered them upon a height quiet, secure and watered by a stream.”
The station of prophethood is the highest position among mankind and it is for this reason the name of Jesus precedes that of his mother,
(“...the son of Mary and his mother a sign...”)
In the explanation of the biography of Divine prophets, here at last the Qur’an shortly refers to Jesus (as) and his mother, Mary. It says:
“And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign...”
The phrase, ‘the son of Mary’, instead of saying ‘Jesus’, draws our attention to the fact that he was conceived without the participation of a father which made his birth one of the great signs of Allah’s power. Since this exceptional birth is related to both Jesus and his mother, both of them are counted as one Sign, for his mother herself had an exceptional birth and was also exceptionally pure. They were, in fact, one truth with two different aspects.
The verse then mentions some of the blessings and favours bestowed upon Jesus and his mother. It says:
“...and We sheltered them upon a height quiet, secure and watered by a stream.”
The Arabic word /rabwah/ is derived from the word /riba/, meaning excess and increase. Here it means a high land. The Qur’anic word /ma‘in/ derived from the word /ma‘n/ means the flow of water, thus /ma‘ in ma‘in/ means running water. Some have considered it to be derived from the word /‘ayn/, meaning water that is not hidden and can be discerned by eye. This sentence conveys to us the safe, comfortable and peaceful place that Allah gave this mother and child so that they would be safe from the plots and machinations of their enemies and could fulfil their duties peacefully.
The opinions of interpreters are divided on the location of this site. Some believe that Nazareth (or Nasareh)14 was the hometown of Jesus (as). From the time of his birth, some of the enemies, that knew about his birth and his future role, plotted to murder him, so Allah (s.w.t.) saved him (as) and his mother by taking them away from Nazareth and sending them to this secure place, full of blessings. Some say that it refers to Egypt, for Jesus and his mother had spent part of their lifetimes there.
Another viewpoint is that the site was in a desert in Palestine and Allah had made it peaceful and safe for the mother and the child by causing water to flow and provided them food from a dried-up date palm. However, this verse shows that Allah constantly supports His messengers and those who support them. When we deserve the protection of Allah, it would not matter whether or not all of our enemies combine against us, they would not have any power to harm us if He does not will it.
The other point to be noted is that being isolated and lacking in physical support, or having only a few defenders, are no indicators of defeat.
Footnotes