The Male Is Not Like the Female

When she delivered her child, she said: rabbi innī waḍaʿtuhā unthā — O my Lord, I have given birth to a female child. The wife of ʿImrān had a female child — and females were not traditionally allowed to serve in the masjid; it was only for men. So she said: O Allah, I delivered a female.

Allah (swt) says: wa Allāhu aʿlamu bimā waḍaʿat — and Allah knows better what she delivered. And then Allah (swt) says: wa laysa al-dhakaru ka-al-unthā — and the male is not like the female. What does this mean?

The wife of ʿImrān wanted to have a son, a male, so that the male could serve in the masjid. When she was not given a son, and was given a daughter, she was upset; and then she said: O Allah, I have delivered a female. Allah (swt) says: Allah knows best what you delivered, and the male is not like the female. This means that whatever male you would have delivered, that male would not be better than the female that Allah (swt) has given you — because the female that Allah (swt) has given you is the best of nisāʾ al-ʿālamīn.

She does not know. Allāhu aʿlamu bimā waḍaʿat — Allah knows better. All that she knows, the wife of ʿImrān, all that she knows is that she delivered a female; but Allah knows who this female is — and this female is Maryam (peace be upon her). Allah knows best what she delivered; the male will never be like the female. Allah (swt) has given you a blessing; Allah (swt) has given you the best woman that will ever live on the face of the earth, and that is Maryam.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says: khayru nisāʾi al-ʿālamīna arbaʿ — the best of the women of the worlds are four: Maryam, and Āsiyah, and Khadījah, and Fāṭimah bint Muhammad. These are the best four; and the best of them all was Maryam bint ʿImrān (peace be upon her).

Wa innī sammaytuhā Maryam — and she named the child Maryam; that is the name she chose for the child: Maryam.