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Fatwa CenterMaryam Had no Husband
Question
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu. Who was the husband of Maryam and was he with her when she gave birth to Isa? What was the exact place that Maryam giving birth to Isa and is it true that her pregnancy was only 6 months?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Maryam (Mary) the mother of 'Eesa (Jesus) 
did not have a husband. When Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, gave her glad tidings that she would give birth to 'Eesa, she was astonished as to how she would have a child while she had never been married nor had she been unchaste, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {She said, 'How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?'} [Quran 19:20] This verse means that she did not have a husband with whom she could have had sexual relation, neither did she fornicate.
Needless to say, a child can result only from marriage or adultery, so she was puzzled that she could bear a child without a man involved? Gabriel responded, as Allah informs us (what means): {He said, 'Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed,'} [Quran 19:21] meaning, it was easy for Allah to give her a child without a father. The term "And We will make him a sign to the people" means, that the son will be an indication of Allah's ability to create without a father.
The creation of Jesus without a father is not more unusual than the creation of Aadam without a father or a mother. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Aadam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.} [Quran 3:59]
There are different sayings regarding the duration of her pregnancy. It was said that she bore him six months, others said it was seven months and yet others said it was nine months, as is the normal period for most women. Additionally, some said that her pregnancy and childbirth were in one hour. However, none of these sayings can be attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
Neither the Quran nor the Sunnah mentioned the name of the place where she gave birth to Jesus. However, Allah The Almighty informed us in the Quran that she took him to a remote place. He The Almighty Says (what means): {So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place.} [Quran 19:22] "...And she withdrew with him..." means that she went with him to a place away from her people. The term "To a remote place" means, to a place far from them, so she couldn't see them, and they couldn't see her. The majority of the scholars are of the view that the mentioned place is Bethlehem. But some scholars have differed regarding this.
However, it is not of great benefit knowing the duration of her pregnancy and the place where she gave birth to 'Eesa. Rather, we are required to believe in what the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet tell us about 'Eesa and his mother. We believe that 'Eesa was a slave of Allah and His Messenger and His word which He directed to Maryam and a soul [created at a command] from Him. And we believe that his mother Maryam, the daughter of 'Imraan, was a supporter of truth who guarded her chastity and Allah made her and her son a sign for the worlds.
Allah Knows best.
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