Perpetual Service to Religion

Among the characteristics of the Qur’an is reminding the Prophet (s.a.w.) of important and instructive historical matters so that the Islamic world, and indeed the entirety of the human race, may benefit from them. In this section of verses, God informs His Prophet about the vow of ʿImrān’s wife, the birth of Mary (a.s.), the birth of Jesus (a.s.), the prayer of Zachariah (a.s.), the birth of John (a.s.), and other important and instructive matters such as prayer and supplication.

One of the most important examples of service to human society is service to religion. On this basis, the mother of Mary (a.s.) said: “My Lord, I dedicate to You what is in my belly, in consecration” (3:35); meaning, I free my child from every constraint to serve Your religion; like when it is said “so-and-so has dedicated themselves to serving Islam.” Thus, the intended meaning of the mentioned phrase is not the conventional meaning of endowment (waqf) or vow (nadhr). Of course, such a vow was made in hope of the future child being male, as a male would be suitable, or more suitable, for service.

Indeed, until a person is freed from all constraints, they cannot fully serve religion, just as an object cannot accept the condition of being endowed (waqfiyyat) until it is freed from all ownership.

For raising someone like Mary (a.s.), who would become the mother of a prophet like Jesus (a.s.), certain conditions are necessary: 1. The mother’s renunciation of all her rights and dedicating the child in God’s path. 2. Entrusting the child to God for proper upbringing. 3. God’s acceptance of the mother’s prayer: “and made her grow up in a worthy fashion.”(8)

By assigning guardianship to Zechariah (a.s.), God showed that for raising a righteous child, a mentor and teacher like Zechariah (a.s.) is needed. Certainly, God could raise Moses (a.s.) even in Pharaoh’s corrupt establishment; however, the normal way is to have a righteous mentor.(9)

Note: The responsibility for raising Jesus (a.s.) fell to Mary (a.s.), and this lady’s mission in her early life was the responsibility of her mother, as Mary (a.s.) had no husband to share in raising Jesus (a.s.), and Mary’s mother had lost her husband during pregnancy, otherwise she would not have made such a vow and would not have entrusted her child’s guardianship to Zechariah (a.s.).

Women in the Children of Israel played a distinguished and prominent role during the dark age of Pharaoh. A clear example is the rescue of Moses (a.s.) from the oppression of the Pharaonic people by Moses’s mother and sister, and Pharaoh’s wife.