19. Surah Maryam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
ذِكْرُ
رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ
عَبْدَهُ
زَكَرِيَّا ﴿٢﴾
19: 2. (This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His Servant Zakariya.
C2456. The Mercy of Allah to Zakariya was shown in many ways:
- in the acceptance of his prayer;
- in bestowing a son like Yahya; and
- in the love between father and son, in addition to the work which Yahya did as Allah's Messenger for the world.
Cf. 3:38-41 and notes. There the public ministry was the point stressed; here the beautiful relations between the son and the father.
إِذْ
نَادَى رَبَّهُ
نِدَاء خَفِيًّا ﴿٣﴾
19: 3. Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret,
C2457. In secret: because he feared that his own family and relatives were going wrong (19:5), and he wanted to keep the lamp of Allah burning bright. He could not very well mention the fear about his colleagues (who were his relations) in public.
قَالَ
رَبِّ إِنِّي
وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ
مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ
الرَّأْسُ
شَيْبًا...
19: 4. Praying:
"O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey:
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وَلَمْ أَكُن بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee! |
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C2458. This preface shows the fervent faith of Zakariya. Zakariya was a prophet of the Most High Allah. His office was in the Temple, and his relatives were his colleagues. But he found in them no true spirit of the service of Allah and man. He was filled with anxiety as to who would uphold the godly ideas he had in mind, which were strange to his worldly colleagues.
وَإِنِّي
خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ
مِن وَرَائِي
وَكَانَتِ
امْرَأَتِي
عَاقِرًا...
19: 5. "Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me:
but my wife is barren:
...فَهَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا ﴿٥﴾
so give me an heir as from Thyself --
C2459. His was not merely a desire for a son. If it had been, he would have prayed much earlier in his life, when he was a young man. He was too full of true piety to put merely selfish things into his prayers. But here was a public need, in the service of the Lord.
He was too old, but could he perhaps adopt a child - who would be an heir "as from Allah?" (See n. 380 to 3:38).
يَرِثُنِي
وَيَرِثُ مِنْ
آلِ يَعْقُوبَ ...
19: 6. "(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob;
C2460. It is true that an heir inherits property, but his higher duty is to represent in everything the personality of him from whom he inherits.
It is doubtful whether Zakariya had any worldly property. But he had character and virtue, as a man of God, and this he wanted to transmit to his heir as his most precious possession. It was almost the most precious possession of the posterity of Jacob. The people around him had fallen away from Allah's Message. Could his heir, like him, try and renew it?
... وَاجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا ﴿٦﴾
and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!"
يَا زَكَرِيَّا
إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ
بِغُلَامٍ
اسْمُهُ يَحْيَى...
19: 7. (His prayer was answered):
"O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: his name shall be Yahya:
...لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا ﴿٧﴾
on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."
C2461. This was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus.
In accordance with his father's prayer he, and Jesus for whom he prepared the way, renewed the Message of Allah, which had been corrupted and lost among the Israelites.
The Arabic form Yahya suggests "Life".
The Hebrew form is Johanan, which means "Jehovah has been Gracious". Cf. Hananan in verse 13 below.
It does not mean that the name was given for the first time, for we read of a Johanan the son of Careah in 4 Kings, 25:23, an otherwise obscure man.
It means that Allah had, for the first time, called one of His elect by that name.
قَالَ رَبِّ
أَنَّى يَكُونُ
لِي غُلَامٌ
وَكَانَتِ
امْرَأَتِي
عَاقِرًا...
19: 8. He said:
"O my Lord! how shall I have a son, when my wife is barren
...وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا ﴿٨﴾
and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?"
19: 9. He said: "So (it will be):
C2462. Who is the "He" in this clause?
As I have construed it, following the majority of Commentators, it means the angel who brought the message from Allah.
Cf. 19:21 below.
But some Commentators construe it to refer to Zakariya. In that case the meaning will be:
Zakariya after a little reflection said (in his wonder) "So!", i.e., "Can it really be so?
Can I really have a son in my old age?"
The speech following." Thy Lord saith," etc., will then be that of the angel-messenger.
... قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ...
thy Lord saith, 'That is easy for Me:
...وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا ﴿٩﴾
I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!' "
C2463. Every man was nothing just before he was created, i.e., his personality was called into being by Allah. Even if there are material processes in forming the body, in accordance with the laws of nature, the real creative force is the power of Allah.
But here there is a subtler meaning. John was the harbinger of Jesus, preparing the way for him; and this sentence also prepares us for the more wonderful birth of Jesus himself, see verse 21 below.
Everything is possible with Allah.
19: 2
Asad An account of the grace which thy Sustainer bestowed upon His servant Zachariah (note 2):
Pickthall A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zachariah.
Transliteration Zikru rahmati rab bika 'abdahu_ zakariy ya_
[ Asad’s note 2: ……..According to the account in the Gospels, not contradicted by the Quran, Zachariah’s wife Elisabeth was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Cf. Luke I, 36)……..]
19: 3
Asad When he called out to his Sustainer in the secrecy of his heart,
Pickthall When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,
Transliteration Iz na_da_ rab bahu_ nida_ an khafiy ya_
19: 4
Asad he prayed: “O my Sustainer! Feeble have become my bones, and my head glistens with grey hair. But never yet, O my Lord, has my prayer unto Thee remained unanswered.
Pickthall Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.
Transliteration Qa_la rab bi in ni wahanal 'azhmu min ni was ta'alar ra'su saibaw wa lam akum bidu'a_ ika rab bi saqiy ya_
[ Ali’s note - 2458 This preface shows the fervent faith of Zakariya. Zakariya was a prophet of the Most High Allah. His office was in the Temple, and his relatives were his colleagues. But he found in them no true spirit of the service of Allah and man. He was filled with anxiety as to who would uphold the godly ideas he had in mind, which were strange to his worldly colleagues. (19.4) ]
19: 5
Asad “Now, Behold, I am afraid of [what] my kinsfolk [will do] after I am gone, for my wife has always been barren. Bestow, then, upon me, out of Thy grace the gift of a successor.
Pickthall Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor
Transliteration Wa in ni khiftul mawa_liya miw wara_i wa ka_natim ra ati 'a_qiran fahab li mil ladunka waliy ya_
[Asad’s note 5: ……He evidently anticipated that his kinsfolk – who…would be morally too weak to fulfill their duties with dignity and conviction (Razi), and thus, perhaps, unable to safeguard the future of Mary, whose guardian he was (cf ..3:37)
Ali’s note 2459 -- His was not merely a desire for a son. If it had been, he would have prayed much earlier in his life, when he was a young man. He was too full of true piety to put merely selfish things into his prayers. But here was a public need, in the service of the Lord. (19.5) ]
Ruby’s Notes – This verse is indicating that Zakariya’s prayers in the past have all been fulfilled and he did not ask for a son before when he was younger, therefore I agree with Ali that this prayer for asking for a son is not personal but is for a purpose, a responsible inheritor who would continue his good work. ]
19: 6
Asad who will be my heir as well as an heir to [to the dignity] of the House of Jacob; and make him , O my Sustainer, well-pleasing to Thee!”
Pickthall Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable ( unto Thee).
Transliteration Yaritsuni wayaritsu min a_li ya'ku_b waj'alhu rab bi radhiy ya_
[Alis notes:
2460 It is true that an heir inherits property, but his higher duty is to represent in everything the personality of him from whom he inherits. It is doubtful whether Zakariya had any worldly property. But he had character and virtue, as a man of God, and this he wanted to transmit to his heir as his most precious possession. It was almost the most precious possession of the posterity of Jacob. The people around him had fallen away from Allah's Message. Could his heir, like him, try and renew it? (19.6)
19: 7
Asad [Thereupon the angels called out unto him:] “O Zachariah! We bring thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son whose name shall be John. [And God says,] “Never have We given this name to anyone before him.’”
Pickthall (It was said unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; We have given the same name to none before (him).
Transliteration Ya_ zakariy ya_ in na_ nubas siruka bighula_minis muhu_ yahya_ lam naj'al lahu_ min qablu samiy ya_
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[ Asad’s note 7 - ……..The name ‘Yahya (John) signifies “he shall live”, i.e., he will be spiritually alive and will be remembered forever; and the fact that God Himself had chosen this name for him was a singular distinction, equivalent to a divine promise (kalimah, cf. note 28 on 3:39). ]
[ Ali’s note: 2461 This was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. In accordance with his father's prayer he, and Jesus for whom he prepared the way, renewed the Message of Allah, which had been corrupted and lost among the Israelites. The Arabic form Yahya suggests "Life". The Hebrew form is Johanan, which means "Jehovah has been Gracious". Cf. Hananan in verse 13 below. It does not mean that the name was given for the first time, for we read of a Johanan the son of Careah in II Kings, xxv. 23, an otherwise obscure man. It means that Allah had, for the first time, called one of His elect by that name. (19.7)]
19: 8
Asad [Zachariah] exclaimed: “O my Sustainer! How can I have a son when my wife has always been barren and I have become utterly infirm through old age?”
Pickthall He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?
Transliteration Qa_la rab bi an na_ yaku_nu li ghula_muw wa ka_natim ra ati 'a_qiraw wa qad balaghtu minal kibari 'itiy ya_
19: 9
Asad Answered [the angel]: “Thus it is; [but] thy Sustainer says “This is easy for Me – even as I have created thee aforetime out of nothing.’”
Pickthall He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught.
Transliteration Qa_la kadza_lik qa_la rab buka huwa 'alay ya hay yinuw wa qad khalaqtuka min qablu wa lam taku sai a_
[ Ruby’s note: This verse is stressing the truth about the ultimate origin of a human being or of anything else for that matter. This word “nothing” is related to the material existence of anything and everything: all material existence was non existent one time and God created the reality out of that state of “nothingness”.
This incomprehensible fact has been indicated in other verses: where it says God just says ‘Be” and “it is”. He is the PRIMARY Creator, his creation is not transforming something out of other things in existence. A human being is just a part of that reality.
A human being may seem to originate from a sperm and an egg coming together. However, the components of these two and the law they abide by to transform this union into a human were created out of an absolutely state of nothingness themselves. In the truest sense then a human being and all other things has its origin with God and finally will be returning to God.]
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21. [al-Anbiyaa, Mecca 73]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَزَكَرِيَّا
إِذْ نَادَى
رَبَّهُ ...
21: 89. And (remember) Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord:
C2745. See 19:2-15, and 3:38-41.
Zakariya was a priest; both he and his wife were devout and punctilious in their duties. They were old, and they had no son. He was troubled in mind, not so much by the vulgar desire to have a son to carry on his line, but because he felt that his people were not unselfishly devout, and there would be no sincere work for Allah unless he could train up someone himself.
He was given a son Yahya (John the Baptist), who added to the devout reputation of the family, for he is called "noble, chaste, and a prophet," (3:39). All three, father, mother, and son, were made worthy of each other, and they repelled evil by their devout emulation in virtue.
... رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا...
"O my Lord! leave me not without offspring,
...وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ ﴿٨٩﴾
though Thou art the best of inheritors.
C2746. 'It is not that I crave a personal heir to myself: all things go back to Thee, and Thou art the best of inheritors: but I see no one around me sincere enough to carry on my work for Thee; wilt Thou give me one whom I can train?'
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا
لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا
لَهُ يَحْيَى
وَأَصْلَحْنَا
لَهُ زَوْجَهُ...
21 90. So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya:
We cured his wife's (barrenness) for him.
C2747. Aslaha: to improve to mend, to reform, to make better. Here, with reference to Zakariya's wife, the signification is twofold:
1. that her barrenness would be removed, so that she could become a mother; and
2. her spiritual dignity should be raised in becoming the mother of John the Baptist; and by implication his also, in becoming the father of John.
...إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا...
These three were ever quick in emulation in good works:
they used to call on Us with love and reverence,
...وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ ﴿٩٠﴾
and humble themselves before Us.
Asad’s Version:
21:89
AND [thus did We deliver] Zachariah when he cried out unto his Sustainer: "O my Sustainer! Leave me not childless! But [even if Thou grant me no bodily heir, I know that] Thou wilt remain when all else has ceased to be!" 85
(21:90)
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[[ Asad’s notes –
85 Lit., "Thou art the best of inheritors" - a phrase explained in note 22 on 15:23. The words interpolated by me between brackets correspond to Zamakhshari's and Razi's interpretation of this phrase. For more detailed references to Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, see 3:37
ff. and 19:2 if.
86 Lit., "for We had made his wife fit for him", i.e., after her previous barrenness. ]]
