Inshallah what follows is a small gem from the Qur’an about Maryam (عليها سلام), mother of ‘Isa (عليه سلام).
At the end of Surah Tahrim, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:
Translation: 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 Qanitiyn [Surah Tahrim, 66:12]
Here, qanitiyn is masculine plural (and in Arabic, the masculine can mean both genders, i.e. mixed). But Maryam (عليها سلام) is not a male. The word here isn’t qaniytaat (plural female). It’s qanitiyn. So what can we learn from that?
That, in this aspect, she ranks up there not only among the top women, but also among the top men!
And what does qanitiyn (root: qunoot) mean? Allah knows best, the three translations (Pickthal, Yusuf Ali, and Shakir) all mention devoutness and obedience to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). In either case, we see her virtue.
May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) allow us to learn and benefit from her example and all the examples and teachings in the Qur’an and ahadith, ameen!
Ibraheem: The Father of Prophets. Cond. Mursaleen Al-Khurasani. Project Revision, Paltalk. 3 Dec. 2006.