19. [Maryam, Mecca 44]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
فَأَتَتْ
بِهِ قَوْمَهَا
تَحْمِلُهُ...
19: 27. At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms).
...قَالُوا يَا مَرْيَمُ لَقَدْ جِئْتِ شَيْئًا فَرِيًّا ﴿٢٧﴾
They said:
"O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!
C2480. The amazement of the people knew no bounds. In any case they were ready to think the worst of her, as she had disappeared from her kin for some time. But now she comes, shamelessly parading a babe in her arms! How she had disgraced the house of Aaron, the fountain of priesthood!
We may suppose that the scene took place in the Temple in Jerusalem, or in Nazareth.
19: 28. "O sister of Aaron!
C2481. Aaron the brother of Moses was the first in the line of Israelite priesthood.
Mary and her cousin Elisabeth (mother of Yahya) came of a priestly family, and were therefore, "sisters of Aaron" or daughters of 'Imran (who was Aaron's father). See n. 375 to 3:35.
Mary is reminded of her high lineage and the unexceptionable morals of her father and mother. How, they said, she had fallen, and disgraced the name of her progenitors!
... مَا كَانَ أَبُوكِ امْرَأَ سَوْءٍ وَمَا كَانَتْ أُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا ﴿٢٨﴾
thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"
19: 29. But she pointed to the babe.
C2482. What could Mary do?
How could she explain?
Would they, in their censorious mood, accept her explanation?
All she could do was to point to the child, who, she knew, was no ordinary child. And the child came to her rescue. By a miracle he spoke, defended his mother, and preached-to an unbelieving audience.
...قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَن كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا ﴿٢٩﴾
They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
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 Blessed wheresoever 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.
مَا كَانَ
لِلَّهِ أَن
يَتَّخِذَ مِن
وَلَدٍ سُبْحَانَهُ...
19: 35. It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son.
Glory be to Him!
...إِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ ﴿٣٥﴾
When He determines a matter, He only says to it,
"Be,"
and it is.
C2487. Begetting a son is a physical act depending on the needs of men's animal nature. Allah Most High is independent of all needs, and it is derogatory to Him to attribute such an act to Him. It is merely a relic of pagan and anthropomorphic materialist superstitions.
وَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ رَبِّي
وَرَبُّكُمْ
فَاعْبُدُوهُ
هَذَا صِرَاطٌ
مُّسْتَقِيمٌ ﴿٣٦﴾
19: 36. Verily, Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye:
this is a Way that is straight.
C2488. As opposed to the crooked superstitions which take refuge in all sorts of metaphysical sophistries to prove three in one and one in three. In the Quran there is no crookedness (18:1). Christ's teaching was simple, like his life, but the Christians have made it crooked.
فَاخْتَلَفَ
الْأَحْزَابُ
مِن بَيْنِهِمْ...
19: 37. But the sects differ among themselves:
...فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن مَّشْهَدِ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴿٣٧﴾
and woe to the Unbelievers because of the (coming) Judgment of a momentous Day!
C2489. Judgment. the word in the original is Mash-had, which implies many things:
- the time or place where evidence is taken, as in a Court of Judgment;
- the time or place where people are produced (to be judged); and
- the occasion for such production for the taking of evidence.
A very expressive phrase for the Day of Judgment.
أَسْمِعْ
بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ
يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا...
19: 38. How plainly will they see and hear, the Day that they will appear before Us!
...لَكِنِ الظَّالِمُونَ الْيَوْمَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿٣٨﴾
But the unjust today are in error manifest!
C2490. Cf. 50:22. and that whole passage, where the Resurrection is described.
وَأَنذِرْهُمْ
يَوْمَ الْحَسْرَةِ
إِذْ قُضِيَ
الْأَمْرُ...
19: 39. But warn them of the Day of Distress, when the matter will be determined:
C2491. Hasrat: Sighs, sighing, regrets, distress.
...وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٣٩﴾
for (behold), they are negligent and they do not believe!
إِنَّا
نَحْنُ نَرِثُ
الْأَرْضَ
وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا ...
19: 40. It is We Who will inherit the earth, and all beings thereon:
C2492. Cf. 3:180. n. 485; 15:23, n. 1964,
Material property passes from one to another: when one dies, another inherits it. Allah gives life and death, and all that survives after physical death goes back to Allah, the original source of all things.
... وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
to Us will they all be returned.
Other Versions:
19: 27
Asad And in time she returned to her people, carrying the child with her. They said: “O Mary! Thou hast indeed done an amazing thing!
Pickthall Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.
Transliteration Fa atat bihi qaumaha_ tahmiluh qa_lu_ ya_ maryamu laqad ji'ti sai an fariy ya_
19: 28
Asad O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man, nor was thy mother a loose woman!”
Pickthall Oh sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
Transliteration Ya_ ukhta ha_ru_na ma_ ka_na abu_kim ra a sau iw wa ma_ ka_nat um muki baghiy ya_
19: 29
Pickthall Then she pointed to him. They said How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?
Transliteration Fa asa_rat ilaihi qa_lu_ kaifa nukal limu man ka_na fil mahdi shabiy ya_
19: 30
Asad [But] he said: “ Behold, I am a servant of God. He has vouchsafed unto 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,
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.
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
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.
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