Tafseer Ibn Kathir of ALI 'IMRAN [37]

37. So her Lord (Allah) accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariyya. Every time he entered the Mihrab to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: ”O Maryam! From where have you gotten this'' She said, ”This is from Allah.'' Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit. Allah states that He has accepted Maryam as a result of her mother's vow and that He,

(made her grow in a good manner) meaning, made her conduct becoming, her mannerism delightful and He made her well liked among people. He also made her accompany the righteous people, so that she learned righteousness, knowledge and religion.

(And put her under the care of Zakariyya) meaning, Allah made Zakariyya her sponsor. Allah made Zakariyya Maryam's guardian for her benefit, so that she would learn from his tremendous knowledge and righteous conduct. He was the husband of her maternal aunt, as Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Jarir stated, or her brother-in-law, as mentioned in the Sahih,

(I saw John and `Isa, who are maternal cousins.) We should state that in general terms, what Ibn Ishaq said is plausible, and in this case, Maryam was under the care of her maternal aunt. The Two Sahihs recorded that the Messenger of Allah decided that `Amarah, the daughter of Hamzah, be raised by her maternal aunt, the wife of Ja`far bin Abi Talib, saying,

(The maternal aunt is just like the mother.) Allah then emphasizes Maryam's honor and virtue at the place of worship she attended,

(Every time he entered the Mihrab to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance.) Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Ash-Sha`tha, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, `Atiyah Al-`Awfi and As-Suddi said, ”He would find with her the fruits of the summer during winter, and the fruits of the winter during summer.'' When Zakariyya would see this; d

(He said: ”O Maryam! From where have you gotten this'') meaning, where did you get these fruits from

(She said, ”This is from Allah.'' Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.)