When the wife of ʿImrān said “Lord I have vowed to You what is within my womb as a consecration muḥarraran. Accept this from me. Lo! It is You who are the Hearer Knower. [3:36] And when she gave birth to her she said “Lord I have given birth to a female”-and God knew very well what she had given birth to-the male is not as the female. “And I have named her Mary and commend her to You with her seed to protect them from the accursed Satan.” The one who is consecrated muḥarrar is someone who is not in bondage to any created being. The Real سبحانه in His prior decree has emancipated such a person from the bondage of preoccupation [with anything other than the Real] in all aspects and states. When the mother of Mary made this vow and gave birth to a female she was ashamed. When she saw her she said “Lord I have given birth to a female who cannot be consecrated.” God most high said “and God knew very well what she had given birth to.” By my life the male is not like the female outwardly but when the Real سبحانه وتعالى accepted her every miracle appeared from her. When she said “I have vowed to You what is within my womb as a consecration” she added “Accept this from me.” He granted her request and the effects of the acceptance appeared in [Mary] and her son. One set of beings was saved by their story and another was destroyed and expe- rienced a trial fitna because of the two of them. She said “And I have named her Mary and commend her to You with her seed to protect them from the accursed Satan.” She sought protection from God from anything in her words that [might] belong to Satan.
