3.47 – God creates whatever He pleases. When He decrees something, He simply says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is

In answer to Mary’s question about how she could have a child without contact with a man, the angel answers that Allah simply creates what he pleases. This answer took on a lively significance in Muslim commentaries on the Quran and in Muslim thought generally. It represents a concept of an ‘Īsā simply created in the womb, not the eternal divine Word who became a human (John 1:14; Philippians 2:6–7).

The quranic claim that ‘Īsā is a created being repeats in this sūra at verse 59 and also at 2.117 and 19.35. See the analysis of the Quran’s denials of the deity of ‘Īsā at 43.59.