Before proceeding further we must notice the use of the expression min amr (at the command of) when speaking of the descent of the Spirit. We find it employed in this connexion in three passages, ² and whether it be true (as it may well be) that the word is an echo of the Aramaic word memra which signifies 'God's everlasting Word', ² or not, it is certainly possible that the word amr here refers more to the act of giving the command, that is, to the fact that God speaks, than to the intent of the command. And this leads us to believe that 'the Spirit' is, at times, spoken of as being the manifestation or expression of the Divine Word.

The belief that this is so is supported and strengthened by the implication of these passages which speak of the miraculous birth of Jesus, the Son of Mary, and we must now pass on to the consideration of these passages.

Two of them speak of the inbreathing of 'the Spirit' into Mary. 'And her who kept her maidenhood, and into whom we breathed of Our Spirit, and made her and her son a sign to all creatures.' ³ 'And Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who kept her maidenhood, and into whose womb we breathed of Our Spirit, and who believed in the words of her Lord, and His Scriptures, and was one of the devout.' ⁴

It is to be noted that the Qur'an itself knows nothing

of the coarse and forbidding ideas which are to be found in the Commentary of Baidawi. According to the Qur'an, the Spirit appeared in the form of a perfect man simply to announce to Mary the birth of a son, ¹ and this passage must be taken, as we have already taken it, in connexion with those which speak of the Spirit as the medium whereby God reveals His will to individuals.

To return to the two passages quoted above, we see that Muhammad believed in the virgin birth, and the Spirit which was breathed into Mary cannot be explained as the spirit of life, for that is spoken of elsewhere as being breathed into each individual of the human race, (xxxii. 6) while what is said here is given as an explanation of the way in which the miraculous birth of Jesus was brought about. The words are really equivalent to those in the Gospel of St. Luke, 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.' ²

Nor can the words of the Qur'an be taken as referring to the Spirit whereby God reveals to the individual His will and purposes; for the annunciation, as we have already seen, is otherwise described.

Again, the words cannot rightly be explained as referring merely to the creative fiat of God, for the Spirit is said to have been breathed into her. What Muhammad sought to teach appears to be that the birth of Jesus was miraculous, being due to the direct action of God. Elsewhere he teaches that when God creates, He simply