19. Surah Maryam

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ...   

19: 30.  He said:

"I am indeed a servant of Allah:

...آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا ﴿٣٠﴾

He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;

وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ...   

19: 31.  "And He hath made me Blessedwheresoever I be,

...وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا ﴿٣١﴾

and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;

C2483. There is a parallelism throughout the accounts of Jesus and Yahya, with some variations. Both the parallelisms and the variations are interesting.

For instance Jesus declares at the very outset that he is a servant of Allah, thus negativing the false notion that he was Allah or the son of Allah.

The greatness of Yahya is described in 19:12-13 in terms that are not applied to Jesus, but the verses 19:14-15 as applied to Yahya are in almost identical terms with those applied to Jesus here (19:32-33).

Devotion in Prayer and Charity is a good description of Christ at its best, and pity, purity, and devotion in Yahya are a good description of the ways leading to Prayer and Charity, just as John led to Jesus.

وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا ﴿٣٢﴾

19: 32.  "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;

C2484. Overbearing violence is not only unjust and harmful to those on whom it is practised; it is perhaps even more harmful to the person who practices it, for his soul becomes turbid, unsettled, and ultimately unhappy and wretched,-the state of those in Hell. Here the negative qualities are "not overbearing or miserable."

As applied to John they were "not overbearing or rebellious." John bore his punishment from the State without any protest or drawing back.

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا ﴿٣٣﴾

19: 33.  "So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

C2485. Cf. 19:15, and n. 2469.

Christ was not crucified (4:157). (R).

ذَلِكَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ...   

19: 34.  Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary:

...قَوْلَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِي فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ ﴿٣٤﴾

(it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.

C2486. The disputations about the nature of Jesus Christ were vain, but also persistent and sanguinary. The modem Christian churches have thrown them into the background, but they would do well to abandon irrational dogmas altogether.

Asad’s Version:

19: 30

Asad [But] he said: “ Behold, I am a servant of God. He has vouchsafed unto revelation and made me a prophet,

Yusuf Ali He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;

Pickthall He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,

Transliteration Qa_la in ni abdul la_h a_ta_niyal kita_ba wa ja'a ani nabiy ya_

19: 31

Asad and made me blessed wherever I may be; and He has enjoined upon me prayer and charity as long as I live,

Yusuf Ali "And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;

Pickthall And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive,

Transliteration Wa ja'alani muba_rakan aina ma_ kuntu wa ausha_ni bis sala_ti waz zaka_ti ma_ dumtu hay ya_

19: 32

Asad and [has endowed me with] piety towards my mother; and He has not made me haughty or bereft of grace.

Yusuf Ali "(He) hath made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable;

Pickthall And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest.

Transliteration Wa bar ram biwa_lidati wa lam yaj'alni jab ba_ran syaqiy ya_

19: 33

Yusuf Ali "So Peace is on me the day I was born the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

Pickthall Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!

Transliteration Was sala_mu 'alay ya yauma wulidtu wa yauma amu_tu wa yauma ub'atsu hay ya_

19: 34

Asad Such was, in the words of truth, Jesus the son of Mary, about whose nature they so deeply disagree.

Yusuf Ali Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth about which they (vainly) dispute.

Pickthall Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.

Transliteration Za_lika 'isab nu maryam qaulal haq qil lazi fihi yamtaru_n