إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ عِمْرَانَ رَبّ ِ إِنّىِ نَذَرْتُ لَكَ...

AND I HAVE NAMED HER MARY, AND COMMEND HER TO YOU WITH HER OFFSPRING, TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE ACCURSED SATAN. [ 345 ] THE COMMENTARY VERSE NO. 35 The word is now about Imran and his daughter Mary - her birth and some other incidents of her life. According to some Islamic traditions' God had inspired Imran that he would have a son who would become a prophet. He gave the good news of that to his wife whose name was HANNA (ANNE in English and ANNA in Latin).

When she became pregnant she expected a male child who would eventually become a prophet. She therefore vowed to dedicate him to the service of the temple: ``My Lord! I have vowed to you, in dedication, what is in my womb, So accept this of me.'' VERSE NO. 36 But when she gave birth to the child and found her a female she was sorry and said: ``My Lord!

I am delivered of a female child and male is not like female!'' This was because according to Mosaic Law a female child could not be devoted to Temple Services. Besides that; a Lady cannot keep herself clean to be in the service of the Temple, always, because of her menstruation problem. A woman also is not like a man in power and strength of their bodies. After all there is the problem of pregnancy and giving birth with the female sex.

So ANNE was content to seek God's protection for her against Satan. She then said to her Lord: ``I named her Maryam.'' The Arabic `MARYAM' translated MARY, literally means a worshipper woman or a Temple's maid servant; and such a naming proves how eager the mother of Mary was to dedicate her child in the service of God and His sacred Temple.