The Fatimid jurist Qadi al-Nu’man also presents an esoteric interpretation ("taʾwīl") of the birth of Jesus (‘Isa) in his "Asās al-Taʾwīl", a book on the esoteric interpretation of faith. He writes about Mary, whom he describes as the follower ("lāḥiq") of the Imam. He explains that this Mary refers to the “spiritual mother” of Jesus, who trained him. In that framework, he argues that the Qur’anic narrative of Jesus’ birth refers to his initiation into the invitation ("da‘wa") of the Imam by Mary.