Āl ‘Imrān

إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَى آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ

ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُهَا مِن بَعْضٍ وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

33. "Verily Allah chose Adam and Noah, and the progeny of Abraham and the progeny of 'Imran above all people."

34. "Some of them are offspring of the others; and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing."

From this verse on, the explanation of the story of Mary and her forefathers begins. The purpose of' the family of Abraham' mentioned in this verse is Ismael and Issac and the offsprings of these two. The purpose of 'family of 'Imran' is Moses and Aron, the sons of 'Imran-ibn-Yashar.

The term / Ŏurriyah / (offspring) is another form used instead of 'the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imr'an', and the phrase /ba'duha min ba'din / (one of the other) means that the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran are both progenies from one origin separated from each other.

In some books,¹ it is cited that 'the family of Abraham' is the same as' the family of Muhammad', Viz. Ahlul-Bayt, who, after Muhammad (S), are the immaculate ones from Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali and Fatimat-uz-Zahra (as) up to Hadrat Mahdi (May Allah hasten his glad advent), and that Allah does not choose anyone from amongst His servants unless the one be sinless, pure, and immaculate. Therefore, such special persons elected from the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran have to be the ones who have been sinless, whether they would have been chosen as prophets or as Imams.