Quran Garden

Session 378

Chapter 3

Verse 44

This is an account of the unseen that We reveal to you: you were not present among them when they cast lots to see which of them should take charge of Mary, and you were not present with them when they argued. (Chapter 3: Verse 44)

The word "account" is translated from the Arabic origin أَن?بَا?ءِ (Anba'), which is only used for important news.  The "unseen" is what is absent from the senses, and it generally falls under one of two types.  First are matters absent from your senses but available to others like you, and second are matters absent from your senses and all those like you.  An event may be concealed from you by time or space.  For example, a war may have happened years in the past before your time, or it may break out years after you die.  There may be wars happening right now in faraway places that you are not aware of. 

If an event has happened in the past before your time, you can pierce the veil of the "unseen" by listening to those who witnessed it, like your grandfather, or read about it in a history book.  If a military officer informs you of an attack planned for next month, then the officer has also pierced the veil of the future which is "unseen" for you.   Lastly, devices such as satellites and televisions can show you live events happening in another country, thus piercing the "unseen" hidden from you by distance.     

The events narrated in the verse under study happened centuries before the birth of Muhammad.  As all Meccans knew, our beloved Prophet was illiterate, so he could not have read about these events in history books.  There were no televisions to replay such events for him to see.  Moreover, Muhammad did not sit with a teacher or have any formal or informal education during his childhood.  This leaves one channel of acquiring knowledge, which is a revelation from God.  God says:

This is an account of the unseen that We reveal to you: you were not present among them when they cast lots to see which of them should take charge of Mary, and you were not present with them when they argued. (Chapter 3: Verse 44)

To "reveal" is to inform someone secretly or quietly.  For example, when a salesperson comes to your door, and you don't have the time to meet with them, you might motion to a family member to let that person go.  In essence, you have revealed your wishes to your family member that you did not want to see the salesman.

There are many forms of revelation mentioned in the Quran.  God has revealed to the angels, to people other than the prophets, such as the mother of Moses, and to many of His creation as stated in the following verse:

Your Lord revealed to the bees: "Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees, and also in the structures which men erect." (16:68)

Furthermore, the devils have revealed to each other and to human beings.  God says:

In this way, We have appointed as enemies to every Prophet devils from both mankind and from the jinn, who reveal to each other alluring words of delusion.  If your Lord had willed, they would not have done it, so abandon them and all they fabricate. (6:112)

However, when the word "revelation" is used, it usually takes the specific meaning of God revealing His message to His prophets.  There are three forms that revelation may take, as mentioned in the following verse:

It is not fitting for a man that God should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with God's permission, what God wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise. (42:51)

Let's take them one by one.

The first form of revelation is inspiration.  When God inspires someone, He throws the idea into the person's heart, and the person would then act on it.  However, as you know, many ideas pop into one's head.  How do we know which one of them is true revelation?  We answer that when true inspiration comes from God, the person finds him or herself completely content and at peace with that thought, even if such inspiration calls for an action that goes against the thoughtful mind.  Listen to an example of this type of revelation from the Quran:

We revealed to Moses' mother, "Suckle him and then, when you fear for him, cast him into the river.  Do not fear or grieve: We will return him to you and make him one of the Messengers." (28:7)

What woman -in her right mind- would throw her baby into a river when she fears most for its life?  She would basically be throwing her son from grave danger into certain death.  Yet Moses' mother felt entirely at peace with this action when God inspired her.

The second form is revelation from behind a veil.  Whether it was Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, every major religion had its message delivered partly by this method.  For example, when the prophet was commanded to start the five daily prayers, God spoke to him from behind a veil, the same way He spoke to Moses before.

Finally, the third form is revelation through a messenger sent from God.  The Quran was exclusively revealed by sending a direct messenger, the angel Gabriel.  The Quran was not revealed by inspiration to the prophet, nor through direct speech by God behind a veil.  The Quran was delivered solely by the angel messenger, so there would be absolutely no doubt of its origin.  The prophet heard a loud noise like the tolling of a bell before the angel came and became visible to him.  The presence of Gabriel would take a heavy toll on the prophet.  His face would change color and, if he were sitting next to one of his companions or resting his leg on them, they would feel the prophet's leg getting so heavy that they would describe it as a boulder.

The verse continues with, "you were not present among them when they cast lots to see which of them should take charge of Mary, and you were not present with them when they argued." The village elders had gathered to discuss who would be in charge of caring for Mary.  Each member was eager to take on the responsibility.  The discussion went on without an agreement, and tempers flared.  The leaders feared chaos, so they resorted to drawing lots.  People resort to chance when they fear that making a decision would end in conflict.  Drawing lots completely removes personal desires and undue influence and leaves the final decision to God.  It is said that the lots were pens used to write down the Torah.  The elders cast them in the sea, then watched whose pen floated to the top and whose pen sunk.  Mary would be entrusted to the person whose pen drowned.  Turning to something completely out of everyone's control leaves no room for anger and resentment.  Had someone taken on Mary's responsibility by force or coercion, he would have left the others with feelings of bitterness and rage.  Instead, the matter is left to God's destiny because lots have no desires.