Simulia katika kitabu kisa cha Maryamu jinsi alivyojitenga na familia yake, akaenda mahali upande wa mashariki, ambako alijitenga nao. Kisha Tulimtuma malaika Wetu, ambaye alimtokea kwa umbo la mwanadamu mwenye sura nzuri. Akasema: {Nakuomba Mwingi wa Rehema anihifadhi nisikuone.} {Ikiwa wewe unamcha Mungu, basi usikaribie.} Akasema: {Mimi ni mjumbe tu wa Mola wako, nami nimekuja kukupa mwana aliyetakasika.} Akasema: {Nitapataje mtoto ilhali hakuna mwanamume aliyenigusa, wala mimi sikuwa mzinzi?} Akasema: {Ndivyo alivyosema Mola wako: Jambo hilo ni jepesi kwangu. Nasi tutamfanya kuwa ishara kwa watu na rehema kutoka kwetu. Ni jambo lililokwisha kuamuliwa.} (Aya 16-21)
Relate in the book [the story of] Mary and how she withdrew from her family to a place in the east, where she kept herself in seclusion from them. We, then, sent to her Our angel, who appeared to her in the shape of a well-made human being. She said: May the Most Merciful protect me from you. [Do not come near me] if you fear God.’ ‘I am but an emissary of your Lord,’ he said, [and have come] to give you a son endowed with purity. ‘She said: ‘How shall I have a child when no man has ever touched me and I have never been a loose woman?’ He answered: ‘Thus did your Lord speak: This is easy for Me. We will make him a sign for mankind and an act of grace from Us. It is a matter [We have] decreed.’ (Verses 16-21)
Maryam ni mwanamke kijana, bikira, mtakatifu ambaye mama yake aliweka nadhiri, alipokuwa bado mtoto ambaye hajazaliwa, kwamba atatumika hekaluni. Hakuna aliyewahi kumshuhudia akionyesha kitu chochote isipokuwa usafi kamili na kujiepusha. Kwa kweli watu walimhusisha na Haruni, mtumishi wa kwanza mcha Mungu wa hekalu. Kwa vizazi vingi, familia yake ilikuwa maarufu kwa kuwa wacha Mungu na mfano wa ucha Mungu.
This is the first scene: Mary is a young, virgin woman, a saint whose mother vowed, when she was still an unborn baby, that she would serve in the temple. No one had ever witnessed from her anything other than perfect purity and chastity. In fact people associated her with Aaron, the first of the temple’s devout servants. For generations, her family were renowned for being God-fearing and a model of piety.
Tunaona huyu msichana mdogo akienda peke yake. Sūrah haibainishi ni kwa nini alitaka kuwa peke yake, lakini lazima kulikuwa na jambo lililomfanya ahitaji kuwa peke yake, asionekane na mtu mwingine. Huenda ilikuwa ni jambo la faragha sana ambalo wasichana hukumbana nalo kwa kawaida.
We see this young woman going off to be alone. The sūrah does not specify why she wanted to be alone, but there must have been something to so require her to be by herself, unseen by anyone else. It may have been a very private matter that girls normally experience.
Mara anapokuwa peke yake, amefichwa dhidi ya kila mtu na amehakikishiwa faragha kamili, anapata mshtuko mkubwa. Anamkuta mbele yake mwanamume katika kilele cha ujana wake: "Kisha Tulimtumia malaika Wetu, ambaye alimtokea kwa umbo la binadamu mwenye sura nzuri." (Aya ya 17)
Once she is alone, screened from everyone and assured of complete privacy, she receives a great shock. She finds in front of her a man in his prime: “We, then, sent to her Our angel, who appeared to her in the shape of a well-made human being.” (Verse 17)
Yeye ameshtuka na kutetemeka, na hilo ni jibu la kawaida kabisa la bikira mwenye usafi.
She is both shocked and shaken, which is only the normal reaction of a chaste virgin.
Mmenyuko wake wa kwanza ni kutafuta kinga ya Mungu na kumwomba Yeye msaada.
Her immediate reaction is to seek God’s protection and to appeal to Him for support.
Anamwomba mwanaume huyo amche Mungu. Anamkumbusha Mungu ili azuiwe asijaribu kufanya lolote baya. Hivyo anamwambia: "Namkimbilia Mwingi wa Rehema anilinde nawe. [Usinikaribie] ikiwa unamcha Mungu." (Aya ya 18)
Iwapo angekuwa mtu anayemcha Mungu, angeitikia kwa kutajwa tu jina la Mungu na sifa yake ya rehema. Kisha angepinga nia yoyote ya uovu na kuzuia tamaa yake.
She appeals to the man’s sense of fearing God. She reminds him of God so that he may be restrained from attempting anything evil. So she says to him: “May the Most Merciful protect me from you. [Do not come near me] if you fear God.” (Verse 18) Should he be a God-fearing person, he would respond to the mere mention of God’s name and His attribute of mercy. He would then resist any evil motive and restrain his desire.
Tunaweza kumwazia huyu mwanamke kijana, bikira mcha Mungu safi, na yale ambayo huenda alipitia katika wakati ule alipostushwa na kijana mwanaume aliyejitokeza mbele yake mahali pake pa faragha. Hii ilikuwa mshtuko wake wa kwanza.
We can visualize this young woman, a pure devout virgin, and what she might have gone through in that moment when she was surprised by a young man appearing before her in her place of privacy. This was her first shock.
Lakini jibu analopokea ni lipi? Yule mtu anamwambia jambo ambalo asingeweza kulifikiria kamwe: “‘Mimi ni mjumbe tu wa Mola wako,’ akasema, ‘[na nimekuja] kukupa mwana mtakatifu.’” (Aya ya 19)
Tunaweza kufikiria hofu na mshtuko ambao lazima ulimzidi Maryam wakati yule mtu mkamilifu, ambaye bado hakujua kwamba ni mjumbe kutoka kwa Mola wake, alipozungumza naye. Kwa vile alivyojua, huenda alikuwa mshambuliaji anayemfanyia hila, akiitumia vibaya kutokuwa na hatia kwake. Hata hivyo, kile anachomwambia, katika faragha ya mahali pale, mbali na watu wengine, ni kwamba anataka kumpa mtoto.
Yet what answer does she receive? The man tells her something she could never have imagined: “‘I am but an emissary of your Lord,’ he said, ‘[and have come] to give you a son endowed with purity.’” (Verse 19) We can imagine the panic and shock that must have overwhelmed Mary when that perfect man, whom she did not yet know to be an emissary from her Lord, spoke to her. For all she knew, he might have been an assailant playing a trick on her, exploiting her innocence. Yet what he tells her, in the privacy of that place, well away from others, is that he wants to give her a child.
Mariamu lazima alishtuka kiasi gani? Hatuwezi hata kuanza kuwazia. Hiyo ndiyo mshtuko wa pili mkubwa kwa Mariamu.
How shocked must Mary have been? We cannot even begin to imagine. That is the second great shock for Mary.
Akasema: Nitawezaje kupata mtoto ilhali hakuna mwanaume aliyewahi kunigusa, wala mimi sijawahi kuwa mwanamke wa ovyo?" (Aya ya 20) Sasa anazungumza naye waziwazi na kwa unyoofu. Yuko peke yake pamoja naye, na sababu ya yeye kumshangaza sasa iko wazi. Bado hajui atampa vipi mtoto. Wala haimrahisishii wala kumpunguzia wasiwasi kwamba amejitangaza kuwa mjumbe wa Mungu. Hakuna anachosema kuhusu mtoto huyo, kwamba atakuwa safi na kwamba hakuna uovu utakaohusishwa na kuzaliwa kwake wala na mwenendo wake wa kimaadili, kinachotosha kumtuliza. Hii ni hali ambayo staha haina nafasi kabisa. Ni lazima aweke jambo hili wazi na kulimaliza mara moja. Je, atawezaje kupata mtoto ilhali yeye ni bikira, ambaye hajaguswa na mwanaume yeyote? Yeye si mwanamke wa ovyo anayekaribia kukubali tendo la kimapenzi ambalo linaweza kuzaa mtoto.
“She said: How shall I have a child when no man has ever touched me and I have never been a loose woman?” (Verse 20) Now she speaks frankly and plainly to him. She is all alone with him, and the reason why he surprised her is now clear. She does not know yet how he will give her a child. Nor does it make matters any easier or less worrying for her that he has declared himself to be God’s emissary. Nothing that he says about that child, stating that he will be pure and that nothing evil will be attached to his birth or moral conduct, is sufficient to reassure her. It is a situation where modesty is completely out of place. She must have the matter out and clear at once. How, then, could she have a child when she is a virgin, untouched by any man? She is not a loose woman about to agree to a sexual act that could produce a child.
Maswali yake kwa namna hii yanaonyesha kwamba hadi wakati huo hakuweza kufikiria njia yoyote ambayo mtu huyo angeweza kumpa mtoto isipokuwa njia inayojulikana ya kujamiiana kati ya mwanamume na mwanamke. Hii ndiyo njia ya kawaida, kwa mujibu wa mtazamo wa kibinadamu.
Her questioning in this fashion suggests that up to that moment she could not conceive of any way by which that person could give her a child except the familiar way of sexual contact between a male and a female. This is the natural way, according to human perception.
Akasema: Hivyo ndivyo Mola wako alivyosema. Hilo ni jepesi kwangu. Tutamfanya kuwa ishara kwa watu, na rehema itokayo kwetu. (Aya ya 21) Tukio hili la ajabu ambalo Mariamu hawezi hata kuanza kulifikiria ni jepesi kwa Mwenyezi Mungu kulitimiza. Ni Yeye mwenye uwezo unaosema kwa chochote, 'Kuwa,' nacho kinakuwa mara moja. Kwa hiyo, kila kitu ni jepesi kwake, iwe kinatimizwa kwa mujibu wa sheria za kimaumbile zinazofahamika kwa binadamu au kwa namna nyingine. Malaika, ambaye katika tukio hili anatajwa kuwa 'Roho,' anamwambia kwamba ni Mwenyezi Mungu anayesema kwamba jambo hilo ni jepesi kwake, na kwamba Yeye anataka tukio hili la kipekee na la ajabu liwe ishara kwa watu wote, likiwadhihirishia uwezo wake na mapenzi yake huru yasiyofungwa. Pia anataka mtoto huyu awe rehema na baraka kwa Waisraeli kwanza, na kwa binadamu wote baadaye. Kwa kuwaonyesha tukio hili la kimuujiza, wanamjua, wanamwamini na kumwabudu, wakitafuta kupata radhi zake.
“He answered: Thus did your Lord speak. That is easy for Me. We will make him a sign for mankind and an act of grace from Us.” (Verse 21) This miraculous event that Mary cannot even begin to imagine is easy for God to accomplish. His is the power that says to anything, ‘Be,’ and it immediately exists. Hence, everything is easy for Him, whether it is accomplished according to natural laws that are familiar to man or in some other fashion. The angel, who is referred to in this instance as ‘the Spirit’ tells her that it is God who says that it is easy for Him, and that He wants this unique and remarkable event to be a sign for all mankind, making clear to them His power and free, unshackled will. He also wants this child to be a mercy and a blessing to the Israelites in the first place and to all humanity thereafter. It is by showing them this miraculous event that they know Him, believe in Him and worship Him, seeking to earn His pleasure.
Hivyo ndivyo mazungumzo kati ya malaika mwaminifu na Bikira Maryamu yanavyoishia. Sura haitaji kilichotokea baada ya mazungumzo hayo, na hivyo kuacha pengo katika simulizi, jambo ambalo mara nyingi hutokea katika Qur’ani. Lakini inataja kwamba alichomwambia Maryamu kuhusu kuzaliwa kwa mwanawe ni jambo lililokwisha kuamuliwa na kukamilishwa. “Ni jambo [tulilolihukumu].” (Aya ya 21) Lakini vipi? Hakuna maelezo yoyote yanayotolewa hapa.
Thus ends the dialogue between the trusted angel and the Virgin Mary. The sūrah does not mention what happened after that exchange, leaving a gap in the story, which frequently happens in the Qur’ān. But it does mention that what the angel said to Mary about the birth of her son is a matter that has been settled and finalized. “It is a matter [We have] decreed.” (Verse 21) But how? Nothing is mentioned here by way of explanation.
Hata hivyo, tunaweza kurejelea hapa matumizi ya msemo "Roho Yetu", ambao umetajwa katika aya hii na katika sura nyingine. Hapa umo katika aya: "Kisha Tukamtumia Roho Yetu, naye akajitokeza kwake katika umbo la mwanadamu aliyekamilika." (Aya ya 17)
Katika muktadha mwingine, msemo huo unajitokeza kama ifuatavyo: "Na Maryam, binti ya 'Imrān, aliyeuhifadhi usafi wake, basi Tukapuliza ndani yake katika Roho Yetu." (66: 12)
However, we can refer here to the use of the phrase, Our Spirit, which is mentioned in this instance and in another sūrah. Here it occurs in the verse: “We, then, sent to her Our Spirit, who appeared to her in the shape of a well-made human being.” (Verse 17) In the other context, the phrase occurs as follows: “And Mary, daughter of `Imrān, who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed of Our Spirit into her.” (66: 12)
Ni swali linalojitokeza iwapo rejeo katika sūrah hizi mbili ni kwa kitu kilekile au la. Kwa mtazamo wetu, rejeo linaonekana kuwa tofauti katika kila tukio. Katika sūrah hii, Maryam, rejeo ni kwa Jibril, Roho Mtakatifu, aliyekuwa mjumbe wa Mungu kwa Maryam. Katika Sūrah 66, At-Tahrim, rejeo ni kwa roho aliyoipulizia Mungu ndani ya Adam alipomuumba ili amfanye kuwa binadamu. Tena aliipulizia ndani ya Maryam ili kuleta mimba yake. Ni pumzi hii ya kimungu ya roho inayotoa uhai pamoja na sifa zake zote za kibinadamu. Sifa hizo ni pamoja na tabia na uwezo vinavyomwezesha binadamu kuwasiliana na Jamii ya Juu Kabisa, na pia vinampa hisia zake za kibinadamu, akili, fikra, hisia na msukumo. Kwa upande wa Maryam, Jibril alibeba pumzi hii ya roho kutoka kwa Mungu na kuiweka ndani yake. Ni lazima pia tuongeze kwamba hatujui chochote kuhusu asili ya roho, iwe inapohusu Jibril mwenyewe, au inapokuwa na maana nyingine. Yote mawili yako katika ulimwengu ulio nje ya uwezo wetu wa kuona. Tunajaribu tu kuelewa maandiko husika katika sūrah hizo mbili, na kuzingatia kwamba matumizi yanatofautiana katika kila kisa.
Now the question arises as to whether the reference in these two sūrahs is to the same thing or not. From our point of view, the references would appear to be different on each occasion. In the present sūrah, Mary, it refers to Gabriel, the Holy Spirit, who was God’s emissary to Mary. In Sūrah 66, The Prohibition, it refers to the spirit that God breathed into Adam when He created him to make of him a human being. He again breathed of it into Mary to bring about her conception. It is this divine breathing of the spirit that gives life with all its human characteristics. These include the qualities and faculties that enable man to be in contact with the Supreme Society, while also giving him his human feelings, intellect, thought, emotions and inspiration. In Mary’s case, Gabriel carried this breath of the spirit from God to place it into her. We must also add however that we do not know anything about the nature of the spirit, neither when it refers to Gabriel himself, nor when it has a different connotation. Both belong to the realm which is beyond our perception. We simply try to understand the relevant text in the two sūrahs and consider that the usage differs in each case.
Hadithi inaendelea, na tunaonyeshwa matokeo ya haya yote. Tunamwona bikira huyu aliyeshangaa akipitia jambo gumu zaidi kwake: "Basi akamchukua mimba, akajitenga mbali mahali pa mbali. Na uchungu wa kuzaa ukamlazimisha kuufikia shina la mtende."
The story then continues, and we are shown the outcome of all this. We see this baffled virgin going through something much harder for her: “So she conceived him, and retired to a far-off place. And the throes of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree.
[Katika uchungu wake] alilia: ‘Laiti ningalikufa kabla ya hili na kusahauliwa kabisa!’” (Aya 22-23) Hii ilikuwa ni mshtuko wa tatu mkubwa aliopata Maryam.
[In her anguish] she cried: ‘Would that I had died before this and passed into complete oblivion!’” (Verses 22-23) This was the third great shock Mary received.