This verse beautifully conveys the divine guidance given to the Beloved Mary. She is lovingly encouraged to nurture herself by eating and drinking and to be fueled with peace in both body and heart. She is also guided to be silent and refrain from speaking to anyone – a sacred vow of connection to the Most Compassionate, the Divine.

Have you ever woken up just before dawn and felt the magic of silence? Have you ever come home from driving in the busy streets and just sat down for “a moment of silence”? Have you ever felt the sacredness of silence? 

The dictionary defines silence as: “complete absence of sound.” Silence is also pausing from talking, from vocal expression. Silence is another way of fasting. A fasting from words, from sounds; one that clears the mind and sharpens our other senses. 

It is in this sense that Sayyidna Ali ibn Abi Talib said: “Silence is the adornment of the intellect and a covering for ignorance. Through silence dignity is attained; when the intellect is complete, speech diminishes.” Silence here is not emptiness, but completion, when clarity deepens, words become fewer and more intentional.

George Prochnik echoes this shared wisdom, writing: “In its essence, this idea is shared by many faiths. For many people, silence is the way God speaks to us, and when we ourselves are in silence, we are speaking the language of the soul.”