Did Mary, peace be upon her, carry Jesus, peace be upon him, for nine months, or did she give birth to him when the angel commanded her to take refuge by the trunk of the palm tree?

Scholars differed regarding the duration of Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus (peace be upon him). The majority held that it was nine months, like other human beings. Ikrimah, however, maintained it was eight months. It was also narrated from Ibn Abbas that she became pregnant and gave birth immediately. However, Ibn Kathir considered this narration strange and stated that (so) in Allah’s saying: "So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree" (Quran 19:22-23) does not imply immediate succession, but rather according to each thing. The well-known and apparent view is that she conceived him like other women, and the signs of pregnancy appeared on her, to the extent that Joseph the Carpenter asked her about the possibility of having a child without a father. She replied that Allah created Adam without a father or a mother, and he believed her.