Direct or Inverse Simile

In response to the distress and grief of Mary’s mother (a.s.), God states: “And God knew better what she had delivered, and the male is not like the female.” The meaning of the first of these two parenthetical sentences is not that God is more aware than Mary’s mother about whether the child is male or female, because Mary’s mother knows that God is aware of the essence of the child and its gender in the womb. Rather, it is to assuage the grief of Mary’s mother; meaning, neither you nor we know what you have delivered.

If “and the male is not like the female” is God’s speech, it means that the son you wanted is not equal to the greatness of the daughter We have given you. According to this, it is a direct simile; however, if it is the speech of Mary’s mother, the simile in the verse would be inverse.

ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī (may God sanctify his soul) and Zamakhsharī believe that “the male is not like the female” is the statement of God, so that the simile is not inverse.(41)

Those who consider this sentence to be the speech of Mary’s mother say: Mary’s mother was in a state of postpartum depression on one hand, and on the other hand, contrary to her expectation, she found her child to be female. Therefore, she unconsciously expressed the sentence in this way, otherwise she should have said “and the female is not like the male”; meaning a woman is not like a man.(42)

This view cannot be accepted because the other sentences quoted from that lady show that her connection with God was preserved and all her words were reasonable and logical; not in the form of protest or complaint. If she had a prayer mixed with regret and pain, it was certainly with rationality.

In addition, if that sentence is God’s speech, God wants to make Mary’s mother understand that the son she wanted could not be as important as this daughter who could become a mother without a spouse, and who, along with her son (Jesus (a.s.)), would become a universal gem and miracle: “And We made her and her son a sign for all the nations”.(43) And this important matter could never have been accomplished by the son you wanted, even if he were to be the Messiah himself, because a daughter who could bear the Messiah without a spouse, and through such an example could well illustrate the creation of Adam who was not anyone’s son: “Indeed the case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam”,(44) would be superior to a son.

Note:

1. The sentence “the male is not like the female” is sometimes discussed without considering the specific context, in which case the well-known discussion of inverse simile comes into play, because a woman is not like a man; not that a man is not like a woman (according to common culture). And sometimes it is discussed while considering the specific context, in which case from the perspective of considering outcomes and knowledge of the unseen, attributing this statement to God is more appropriate; meaning the son that Mary’s mother sought is not like the daughter who was given to her. And from the perspective of temple administrative services and its maintenance, attributing this statement to Mary’s mother is more appropriate. The apparent meaning of the narrations more strongly supports attributing this statement to Mary’s mother (a.s.).
2. If men and women are compared in executive matters (not cognitive ones), a woman is not like a man; but if the matter of accepting advice, heart’s attraction, emotional inclination under the flourishing of intellect, and nurturing the best creature (i.e., human) within oneself and… are considered, a man is not like a woman.

Perhaps in intellectual matters, the average of men may be ahead of women; however, in spiritual matters such as purification (tazkiya), refinement (tahdhīb), and remembrance (dhikr), proving this point is not easy, because the path of the heart (the path of attraction, accepting advice, intimate discourse, lamentation, etc.) is stronger in women than in men. Therefore, it is possible that in “teaches them”,(45) which is the path and prerequisite, men may be ahead; but in “purifies them”,(46) which is the goal and takes precedence, women may surpass men.

3. What constitutes the central element of the verse under discussion is the “specific daughter” versus the “specific son,” not the absolute male and female, because the article “al” is for specific reference (ʿahd).
4. What constitutes the central element of the verse “Men are the managers of women”,(47) which is outside our current discussion, is the relationship between husband and wife, not men and women in general.

It should be noted that in executive matters as well, if the focus of discussion is on negation, in such a way that woman is taken as the basis, the simile will be direct; meaning that a man is not like a woman who would be deprived of temple service for several days each month.

If according to the narration in the exegesis of ʿAlī ibn Abraham al-Qummī, the statement “the male is not like the female” is the speech of Mary’s mother (a.s.),(48) it would not be an inverse simile, because the proposition is negative, not affirmative; and the focus of the simile is expressing the perfection of men and the deficiency of women in executive matters, therefore the criticism of ʿAllāma and Zamakhsharī would not be complete.