God Commanded Silence for Special Occassions:

19. Surah Maryam

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَل لِّي آيَةً...   

19: 10.  (Zakariya) said "O my Lord! give me a Sign."

C2464. The "Sign", was in order to convince Zakariya that the Lord's promise was true, for he had faith; but it was a symbol by which he was to show in his conduct that he was to conform to his new destiny as the father of Yahya who was to come.

Yahya was to take up the work, and Zakariya was to be silent, although the latter was sound in body and there was nothing to prevent him from speaking.

...قَالَ آيَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ سَوِيًّا ﴿١٠﴾

"Thy Sign," was the answer, "shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights, although thou art not dumb."

C2465. Compare this verse with 3:41.

The variations are interesting. Here it is "for three nights": there it is "for three days".

The meaning is the same, for a day is a period of 24 hours. But the point of view is different in each case.

-         There it was from the point of view of the Ummah or Congregation, among whom he worked by day;

-         here the point of view is that of his individual soul, which spent the nights in prayer and praise.

Notice again that at the end of the next verse, we have here, "In the morning and the evening", and at the end of 3:41, "In the evening and in the morning" - showing again that the point of view is reversed.

فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا...   

19: 26.  "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye.

C2478. Cool thine eye: An idiom for "comfort thyself and be glad".

The literal meaning should not, however, be lost sight of. She was to cool her eyes (perhaps full of tears) with the fresh water of the rivulet and take comfort that a remarkable babe had been born to her.

She was also to look around, and if any one came near, she was to decline all conversation. It was quite true: she was under a vow, and could not talk to any one.

...فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي...

And if thou dost see any man, say,

...إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنسِيًّا ﴿٢٦﴾

'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.' "

C2479. She was to decline all conversation with man or woman, on the plea of a vow to Allah.

The "fast" here does not mean abstinence literally from eating and drinking. She has just been advised to eat the dates and drink of the stream. It means abstinence from the ordinary household meals, and indeed from human intercourse generally.

Asad’s Version:

19: 10

Asad [Zachariah] prayed: “O my Sustainer! Appoint a sign for me!” Said [the angel]: :Thy sign shall be that for full three nights [and days] thou wilt not speak unto men.” [see 3:41 and the corresponding note29]. (attached see below)

Yusuf Ali (Zakariya) said "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Thy Sign" was the answer "shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights although thou art not dumb."

Pickthall He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights.

Transliteration Qa_la rab bij'al li a_yah qa_la a_yatuka al la_ tukal liman na_sa tsala_tsa laya_lin sawiy ya_

19: 26

Asad Eat, then, and drink, and let thine eye be gladdened! And if thou should see any human being, convey this unto him: “Behold, abstinence from speech have I vowed unto the Most Gracious; hence, I may not speak today to any mortal.’ “ [note20]

Yusuf Ali "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 no talk with any human being.' "

Pickthall So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.

Transliteration Fakuli was rabi wa qar ri aina_ fa im ma_ tarayin na minal basyari ahadan faqu_li in ni nadzartu lir rahma_ni shauman falan ukal limal yauma insiy ya_

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[ Asad’s note 20: In its primary sense, the ‘sawm’ denotes “abstinenece” or “self-denial”, in the present context it is synonymous with samt (“abstinence from speech”); in fact – as pointed out by Zamakhshari – the latter term is said to have figured in the Quran-copy belonging to ‘Abd Allah ibn Masud……]

3:41

[Zachariah] prayed: "O my Sustainer! Appoint a sign for me!"

Said [the angel]: "Thy sign shall be that for three days thou wilt not speak unto men other than by gestures.²⁹ And remember thy Sustainer unceasingly, and extol His limitless glory by night and by day."

[[ Asad’s note 29 -29 According to Abu Muslim (quoted with approval by Razi), Zachariah was merely enjoined not to speak to anyone during the period of three days, and not struck dumb as in the New
Testament narrative (Luke i, 20-22): thus the "sign" was purely spiritual, and was to
consist in Zachariah's utter self-abandonment to prayer and contemplation.