How Many Angels Gave Mary Glad Tidings? Refuting the Qur’an Contradiction Claim
Some critics claim there is a contradiction between Surah Aal Imran and Surah Maryam regarding the glad tidings given to Maryam عليها السلام. In Surah Aal Imran, the Qur’an mentions angels in the plural, while in Surah Maryam, the conversation appears to be with one angel.
This objection is weak because it ignores Arabic usage, Qur’anic style, and the possibility of repeated glad tidings.
[!quran] Surah Aal Imran 3:45
إِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَـٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍۢ مِّنْهُ ٱسْمُهُ ٱلْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَمِنَ ٱلْمُقَرَّبِينَ
“When the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near.’”
But in Surah Maryam, the speech appears to be from one angel:
[!quran] Surah Maryam 19:20
قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى غُلَـٰمٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِى بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا
“She said, ‘How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?’”
The critic asks: was Maryam عليها السلام given glad tidings by one angel or by multiple angels?
The Majority View: The Angel Was Jibril عليه السلام
The majority of commentators stated that what is meant by “the angels said” in Surah Aal Imran is Jibril عليه السلام.
The plural wording does not create a contradiction. In Arabic, the plural may be used while intending one individual, especially when the speaker is being described by his genus, category, status, or representation.
So when the Qur’an says “the angels said”, it can refer to Jibril عليه السلام because he is from the angels and speaks as a messenger from Allah.
Arabic Sometimes Uses the Plural for the Singular
The Arabs sometimes use the plural form while referring to one individual. This is a known Arabic usage.
For example, a person may say:
“I rode cars from Damascus to Amman,”
even though he only rode one car.
Or one may say:
“I saw the messenger travelling by postal mounts,”
even though he only rode one mount.
The plural here is not meant to count several individual vehicles. It refers to the category or type.
“Do you not see that it is appropriate to say to someone who owns a slave, or gives a dinar: You have come to own slaves and give dinars, even if he only owned or gave one dinar?”
So the plural does not always require multiple individuals in every context.
Qur’anic Example: “The People Said”
The Qur’an itself uses this style.
“Those to whom the people said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But it increased them in faith, and they said, ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs.’”
In this verse, “the people said” is expressed in the plural, while some scholars said the speaker was one person, such as Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ud. The people who had gathered against them refers to Abu Sufyan and those with him.
Source mentioned: Mufhamat al-Aqran fi Mubhamat al-Qur’an by al-Suyuti, p. 12.
This shows that the Qur’an may use plural wording in a way that does not create a numerical contradiction.
Al-Sha‘rawi’s Explanation
Shaykh Muhammad Metwally al-Sha‘rawi also explained the wording in Surah Aal Imran:
“And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.’”
Al-Sha‘rawi explained that what is meant is Jibril عليه السلام. He stated that human speech normally comes from one direction, so the listener can identify the direction of the voice. But the speech of Jibril عليه السلام came in a way that was not like ordinary human speech, so the Qur’an attributed the speech to the angels.
Source: Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Karim by Shaykh Muhammad Metwally al-Sha‘rawi.
Another Possible Answer: Repeated Glad Tidings
Even if someone insists that the plural in Surah Aal Imran refers to multiple angels, there is still no contradiction.
It is possible that Jibril عليه السلام first gave Maryam عليها السلام the glad tidings, and then other angels gave her glad tidings afterward in another setting.
The Qur’an does not say the glad tidings happened only once. Therefore, there is no contradiction if one passage mentions Jibril عليه السلام and another passage mentions the angels collectively.
Repeating the glad tidings would serve several purposes:
It would confirm the matter.
It would honor Maryam عليها السلام.
It would remove doubt and establish certainty that this was not an illusion or dream.
It could also include additional details not mentioned in the first glad tidings.
The General Arabic Rule
The plural may be used for the singular or dual, and the singular may be used for the plural or dual. This is known in Arabic usage and appears in the Qur’an, hadith, and Arab speech.
Therefore, the objection fails because it imposes a rigid English-style numerical reading onto Arabic rhetoric.
The Most Balanced Answer
The most acceptable answer is this:
Jibril عليه السلام gave Maryam عليها السلام the glad tidings first. Since Jibril is from the angels, the Qur’an can describe this as “the angels said.” It is also possible that other angels later repeated the glad tidings to confirm, honor, and strengthen her certainty.
Surah Maryam focuses on the direct encounter with Jibril عليه السلام, while Surah Aal Imran uses the plural “angels”, which is valid Arabic usage. The plural may refer to Jibril as one from the category of angels, or it may refer to repeated glad tidings given by more than one angel.
Either way, the objection collapses because it ignores Arabic language and Qur’anic style.
No Contradiction: Entering Paradise by Deeds and Allah’s Mercy in Quran and Hadith
...ed., 1426 AH / 2006 CE, pp. 417–423. - ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Najjār, Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ, Dār al-Turāth, Cairo, 1st ed., 1985 CE, pp. 449–452. - Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshūr, Al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, Dār...