Maryam 19:18

The issue

When the angel appears to Mary, she says, “Verily, I take refuge in the Merciful One from thee, if thou art pious.” There is a contradiction in her words. One does not seek refuge in God from a pious person. Qur’ānic critics have noticed this contradiction and state that “it would have been closer [for the Qur’ān] to say, ‘Verily, I take refuge in the Merciful One from thee, if thou art not pious”. Regarding this contradiction in this verse, al-Rāzī offers three possible explanations:

Mary intentionally said, “I take refuge in the Merciful One from thee,” because she knew that the saying “I take refuge in the Merciful One” only has a sympathetic effect on a pious one.

Mary expressed her doubt in the piety of the one appearing before her because he looked at her and broke into her seclusion without her permission.

Mary thought that the man was a licentious person of that time period whose name was Taqī, i.e., “Pious.”

The first explanation is weak because Mary knew that there is no need to seek refuge in God from a pious one; therefore, there was no need for her to do so. Though reasonable, the second explanation does not justify Mary’s statement. Anyone who intrudes into someone else’s seclusion is definitely not pious. The third explanation would save the verse from its internal contradiction, this view is not supported by the context of this verse and has not been adopted by Muslim scholars.