The Glad Tidings of Jesus
The Quran states :
"Remember when the angel said, "O Maryam (Mary)! Verily Allah
gives you the glad tidings of a word from Him, his name will be the Messiah
I`sa (Jesus) alay his salam , son of Maryam (Mary), held in honour in this
world and in the hereafter, and will be one of those who are close to God."3/46
This verse clearly specifies the notification given to Maryam of a word
from God. The exegetes, Alusi and Qurtubi have explained the word as
Jesus. Jesus has been named "the word," because he was created by
the order of God, "BE," and he came into existence without the need
of a father.
In the nineteenth chapter, named after Maryam (Mary), this incident
has been elucidated upon and more details have been given :
"And remember in this book Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew
into seclusion from her family to a place facing East. She placed a screen
to veil herself from them, then we sent to her our angel (Gabriel) and
he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. She said,
"Verily I seek refuge from you, if you fear Allah." The angel said, :I
am only a messenger from your Lord to announce to you the gift of a righteous
son." She said, "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor
am I unchaste?" He said, "So it will be, your Lord has said, "That is easy
for me, and we wish to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from
Us, and it is a matter already decreed." 19/16-21
These verses of the Quran clearly signify Maryam’s amazement upon the bestowal
of a son and that she argued saying, "How shall I have a son, when no man
has touched me?" The last verse also gives the reason of Jesus’ birth being
ordained without the intervention of a father. The objective revealed in
the verse is that Jesus would be a sign, a proof of the power of God who
created him without a father. God wanted to show men that He could create
a child without the need of a father, just as He created Adam 
without either a father or a mother. The verse further clarifies that Jesus
would be a mercy for the people. Jesus was as a messenger of God, he was
a source of mercy, compassion and benevolence for the people in order to
restore the ungodly to the path of righteousness.
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