Surah 19
22. So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
23. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): “Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”
24. But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): “Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;
25. “And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
26. “So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to ((Allah)) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'”
[22] Maka Maryam mengandungnya, lalu ia menyisihkan diri dengan kandungannya itu ke tempat yang jauh.
[23] Maka rasa sakit akan melahirkan anak memaksa ia (bersandar) pada pangkal pohon kurma, ia berkata: “Aduhai, alangkah baiknya aku mati sebelum ini, dan aku menjadi sesuatu yang tidak berarti, lagi dilupakan”.
[24] Maka Jibril menyerunya dari tempat yang rendah: “Janganlah kamu bersedih hati, sesungguhnya Tuhanmu telah menjadikan anak sungai di bawahmu.
[25] Dan goyanglah pangkal pohon kurma itu ke arahmu, niscaya pohon itu akan menggugurkan buah kurma yang masak kepadamu.
[26] Maka makan, minum dan bersenang hatilah kamu. Jika kamu melihat seorang manusia, maka katakanlah: “Sesungguhnya aku telah bernazar berpuasa untuk Tuhan Yang Maha Pemurah, maka aku tidak akan berbicara dengan seorang Manusia pun pada hari ini”.
How can Mary say that she is fasting when she was eating? And how can she say anything to anyone after she had vowed to Allah not to talk to any human being.
Muslim response
The fast here does not refer to abstinence from eating and drinking; it refers to abstinence from household meals and sexual relations.
Christian response
The Arabic word here for fasting is “sama”. It appears 14 times in the Quran and in all occasions it refers to abstinence from food.