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wa-ʾidh qālati l-malāʾikatu yā-maryamu ʾinna llāha ṣṭafāki wa-ṭahharaki wa-ṣṭafāki ʿalā nisāʾi l-ʿālamīna
And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you above the world’s women.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah 'Ali-Imran, Verse 42
42. "And (remember) when the angels said: 'O' Mary! Verily Allah has chosen you and purified you and preferred you above the women of the worlds '."
It is cited in some books such as: Al-Minar, Qurtubi, Maraqi, Rouhul-Bayan, and Fakhr-Razi that the pre-eminents of the women of the world were four persons: Mary, 'Asiyah, Khadijah, and Fatimah (as). Some Islamic literature, narrated from Ahlul-Bayt (as) also denotes that Mary was the preeminent woman among the women of her time, while Fatimah (as) is the preeminent throughout of the history.5 It should be noted, of course, that when Allah, the Wise, chooses a person as preeminent it is because of a special series of efficiencies and eligibilities that the one has. So, this preeminence of Mary over all women of the world was not but because of her piety and virtues. Yes, she had been chosen to give birth to a prophet such as Jesus (as).
Explanations
1. Angels may speak to human beings other than prophets, too.
2. A woman can reach the rank of Divine sainthood so that Allah sends messages to her.
3. Mary was both chosen for virtues and became the preeminent of the women. That is why the Arabic phrase /istafaki/ (has chosen you) has been repeated twice in the verse.
Footnotes