Salaam!
Firstly, let me state that this is my final posting under this thread. Under no circumstance I shall post any further comments since I had earlier participated in a discussion related to this topic.
This is just a hypothetical question with reference to the birth of Jesus. Appreciate pointing out if there are any logical error. As we all know, it is repeated mentioned many times in Quran to use our logic. The purpose of this post is for me to know if there is error in the logic.
The Question: What will be the normal reaction of a righteous girl, if someone, let’s say an angel, informs her about good news about birth of a son. Let me list down the probable answers.
(a) If she is married, she will assume that the news is about having a son in the wedlock. In Mary’s case, from the reaction, "How shall I have a son since no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste" (19:20), and it is also therefore clear that she is not married.
(b). If she is unmarried, in the normal circumstances, she will consider that the good news is about a future prospect of having a son in a wedlock. This is quite normal.
©. However, an unmarried girl, ONLY IF, she understood the good news to mean ALSO that she is already pregnant, THEN there is a ‘possibility’ to react “how can I have a son when no man has touched me and I am not unchaste” (BECAUSE Here she ignores the possibility of getting married in future because she is already pregnant). It may be the reason why most scholars explain that when the good news was conveyed to Mary she was already pregnant. HOWEVER, even under this circumstance, there are logical questions to be answered; (1) There is no evidence in the Quran to show that Mary was conveyed that she was already pregnant; only good news about the birth of a son was conveyed to her. (2) There is no proof Mary had knowledge that she is already pregnant. (3) The additional comment "I am not unchaste" is rather unnecessary since no man has touched me is sufficient as a reaction (3) The most important point. If Mary HAD UNDERSTOOD the news to mean that she was already pregnant, the most probable reaction would have been, “how I am pregnant when no man has touched me” (because her initial shock and concern should be how she got pregnant, not the birth of the son in future).
(d) If an unmarried girl who is leading a life as a nun (whether she knows she is pregnant of not) and who believes that she is not supposed to marry in future, it is perfectly logical to react “how can I have a son when no man has touched me and I am not unchaste”. Please note the most important point here. Mary is NOT thinking here about a marriage prospect in future at all.
Regards
Optimist