The Status of Maryam (as) and Qur’anic Prophethood

Salam,

Al-Qurtubi and allegedly according to a few sources, Ibn Hazm, considered Maryam (as) to be a prophetess. Verses in the Qur’an state that she communicated with Jibril (19:17) and she received miracles (19:25, 3:37). It is said that Allah had chosen her above all women of the worlds (3:42).

What are the Zaydi opinions on the status of Maryam (as), and what specifically classifies prophethood according to the Zaydis? 

wa alaikum as-salam,

Imam Abu al-Fath al-Daylami alayhi as-salam said in his tafsir:

His statement, {“And when the angels said: O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you”}, means:
He chose her above the people of her time.

It is also possible that her being chosen refers to her being selected for the birth of Isa alayhi as-salam.{“and purified you”} meaning: He purified you from disbelief; and it is also said: from the impurities of menstruation and postpartum bleeding.{“and chosen you above the women of all the worlds” (3:42)} this is a reinforcement of the first mention of “choosing.”

It is also possible that the first choosing was for worship, and the second was for the birth of the Messiah.
And in the angels’ appearing to her there is an affirmation of the prophethood of Isa alayhi as-salam.

[As for the claimed nubuwwa/prophethood of maryam alayha as-salam, that is a fringe opinion of some individuals like al-Qurtubi or Ibn Hazm, but according to us zaydis, this opinion is wrong.]

It is explained in Sharh Asas al-Kabeer (most important book on aqidaa within the school):
Imām al-Mahdī alayhi as-salam said in defining nabī’:
A Nabi in the Shariah is: a human being who bears the divine message to creation without an intermediary of another human.[So it is not only about getting wahy only, the main point is to have been given a mission of delivering the divine message to the people. That is the definition of a nabi] 

Further on he (he the Author of Sharh al-Asas) said:
Al-Ḥākim said, regarding the verse: “We have not sent before you except men to whom We revealed, from among the people of the towns” [12:109]:
It is said that Allah did not send a prophet from the desert dwellers, nor from the jinn, nor from women as narrated from al-Ḥasan.
I say: What is meant by “from the people of the towns” is “from the inhabitants of the earth,” i.e., the children of Adam, not angels, as in His statement: “And He brought you forth from the desert” [12:100]. And Allah knows best.

wa salam

Thank you for your response.

I find it interesting that Maryam (as) was approached in the Qur’an by an angel, thereby receiving wahy. And that her story of the birth of Isa (as) is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an. Why would his birth and the establishment of the station of Mary (as) need to be explained if he was to act upon miracles and spread the message later on in his life? The story that is, her delivering the message unto the world. In verse 19:21 Jibril tells Mary that “We will make him a sign for the people and a mercy from Us.”
Also the verse 12:109 has been alternatively interpreted as “We only sent human beings…” and that it’s used to contrast humans vs. angels, as cited by Al-Qurtubi, with Al-Razi arguing men was to clarify they are not angels and not to necessarily exclude women. Al-Tabari also viewed it as human beings in this verse. That’s not to say that Tabari viewed her as a prophetess. 

As for the narration from al-Hasan, do you mind attaching the source? Thank you.

Thank you for your response.

Your welcome!

I find it interesting that Maryam (as) was approached in the Qur’an by an angel, thereby receiving wahy. And that her story of the birth of Isa (as) is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an. Why would his birth and the establishment of the station of Mary (as) need to be explained if he was to act upon miracles and spread the message later on in his life? The story that is, her delivering the message unto the world. In verse 19:21 Jibril tells Mary that “We will make him a sign for the people and a mercy from Us.”

I understand and appreciate your interest in the taʾwīl you mentioned regarding these verses. However, this interpretation remains a fringe view. We do not possess any direct evidence from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, or the ijmāʿ of the Ahl al-Bayt ʿalayhim as-salām that explicitly or unequivocally establishes the prophethood (nubuwwa) of women.

Also the verse 12:109 has been alternatively interpreted as “We only sent human beings…” and that it’s used to contrast humans vs. angels, as cited by Al-Qurtubi, with Al-Razi arguing men was to clarify they are not angels and not to necessarily exclude women. Al-Tabari also viewed it as human beings in this verse. That’s not to say that Tabari viewed her as a prophetess. 

The difference between us Zaydis and the Sunni scholarship you cited is that our point of reference is the Ahl al-Bayt ʿalayhim as-salām. Neither al-Qurṭubī nor al-Rāzī holds authoritative status for us. They were normal scholars like many others, and their interpretations may be correct or may be mistaken. In this particular case, there is little qarā’in supporting their view, and it does not align with the teachings transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt ʿalayhim as-salām. For that reason, it remains a fringe interpretation, and almost certainly an incorrect one.

As for the narration from al-Hasan, do you mind attaching the source? Thank you.

I will search for the source for this narration.

wa salam