Scholar Highlights Spiritual Lessons from Quranic Verses on Mary’s Devotion
Hojat-ol-Islam Hamid Ahmadi, a faculty member at the Islamic Maaref University’s Department of Islamic Revolution Studies, shared his reflections in an article submitted to IQNA.
He cited verses from the Quran describing how angels addressed Mary, saying: “O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you above the world’s women.” (Al-Imran, 42)
He also referred to the next verse: “O Mary, be obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow down with those who bow [in worship].” According to Ahmadi, these verses emphasize humility and devotion to God as essential elements of worship.
Ahmadi noted that the Quran elsewhere affirms Mary’s deep faith and submission: “And Mary, daughter of Imran, who guarded the chastity of her womb, so We breathed into it of Our spirit. She confirmed the words of her Lord and His Books, and she was one of the obedient.” (At-Tahrim, 12)
He explained that the angels’ invitation to Mary to perform prostration and bowing may refer to prayer itself or to separate acts of worship, both rooted in submission before God.
Read More:
“The essence of these two noble acts of worship is humility and surrender,” he wrote, adding that some scholars interpret the verses as a reference to the establishment of prayer, which has existed in all divine religions.
Ahmadi further noted that the precedence of prostration over bowing in the verse underlines the special significance of sujood (prostration). He said the divine command may have prepared Mary for the great trials ahead, which required spiritual strength through connection with the divine realm.
He wrote that human beings, too, need to open “windows to heaven” in their lives, or else they remain confined within “the dark and narrow prison of the world.” Worship, prayer, and righteous deeds, he said, serve as such openings to divine light and mercy.
Read More:
Quoting Imam Ali (AS), Ahmadi reminded that God has allowed humans to grasp the “rope” of worship and supplication as the firmest means of connection with Him.
“For this reason,” he continued, “the most evident form of worship—humble prayer and sincere prostration—acts as a divine rope that opens spiritual windows for humankind.”
According to Ahmadi, true prayer expands the soul and opens the heart, allowing direct communion with God. He concluded by recalling the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) saying: “God has made the light of my eyes in prayer and made prayer beloved to me.”
4310166
