Prophet Zakariyya’s sponsorship of Maryam
Question

                In Qur'an it is mentioned that Prophet Zakaria was made kafeel for Maryam. Was there any direct relationship with them like brother/uncle etc. Here Kafeel includes what ?
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly:

	The scholars differed concerning the relationship between 
	Zakariyya and Maryam (peace be upon them both). There are two views:

	
	
	That 
	he was the husband of her sister

	
	
	That 
	he was the husband of her maternal aunt.

	See the answer to question no. 82569.

	It was narrated that Zakariyya (peace be upon him) was also 
	one of the paternal cousins of Maryam (peace be upon her), in addition to 
	being the husband of her maternal aunt or sister. See: al-Hidaayah by 
	Makki (2/999).

	Secondly:

	Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has told us about 
	Zakariyya’s sponsorship (kafaalah) of Maryam, as He said (interpretation of 
	the meaning):

	“So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her 
	to grow in a good manner and put her in the care 
	[kaffalaha] of Zechariah [Zakariyya]”

	[Aal ‘Imraan 3:37].
	

	What is meant by kafaalah [sponsorship or taking care] is 
	that he looked after her affairs and needs. Kafaalah includes taking care of 
	the interests of the person under one’s care, spending on him, and looking 
	after his needs.

	Ibn ‘Atiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What it means 
	is that he took her into his care and spent on her. The kaafil (sponsor) is 
	the one who takes care of another.

	End quote from al-Muharrar al-Wajeez (1/425).

	Al-Waahidi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: He took her 
	into his care and looked after her affairs.

	Az- Zajjaaj said: What is meant is that he took care of her 
	affairs. … The kaafil is the one who sponsors a person, looks after him and 
	spends on him..

	End quote from at-Tafseer al-Baseet (5/203).

	Ibn Katheer said: Here our Lord is telling us that He 
	accepted the vow of her mother, and that He “caused her to grow in a good 
	manner” that is, He made her good-looking and endeared her to peopler, 
	and caused her to be in the company of the righteous among His slaves, so 
	that she could learn goodness, knowledge and religion from them.

	Hence Allah says: “and put her in 
	the care [kaffalaha] of Zechariah 
	[Zakariyya]”; the grammatical 
	structure of this phrase in the original Arabic indicates that Zakariyya was 
	made to be her sponsor or carer.

	Ibn Ishaaq said: That was only because she was an orphan.

	Other scholars stated that the Children of Israel were 
	stricken by a famine, so Zakariyya sponsored Maryam and took care of her 
	because of that.

	There is no contradiction between the two views. And Allah 
	knows best.

	The reason why Allah decreed that Zakariyya should be her 
	sponsor was because this would be in her best interests, so that she might 
	learn a great deal of beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds from him, and 
	because he was the husband of her maternal aunt, according to what was 
	mentioned by Ibn Ishaaq, Ibn Jareer, and others.

	It was also said that he was the husband of her sister.

	At-Tafseer 
	(2/35).

	Ibn ‘Ashoor said: When Maryam was born, her father had died, 
	and a number of the rabbis of the Children of Israel disputed over who was 
	to sponsor her, for they were all keen to sponsor the daughter of their 
	senior rabbi. They drew lots for that, and the lot fell to Zakariyya. What 
	appears to be the case is that the matter of her sponsorship was delegated 
	to the rabbis because she was dedicated to the service of the place of 
	worship, so it was essential that she be given a righteous upbringing for 
	that reason.

	At-Tahreer wa’t-Tahreer 
	(2/235).

	Conclusion:

	It was narrated that Zakariyya was one of the paternal 
	cousins of Maryam, and he was the husband of her sister or maternal aunt. He 
	was her sponsor (kaafil), meaning that he used to take care of her needs and 
	look after her.