Asad’s introduction to this sura:
All the authorities agree in that this surah belongs to the Mecca period; …sixth and possibly even as early as the fifth year of the Prophet’s mission, …………the Prophet’s cousin recited it before the Negus (i.e., King) of Abyssinia in order to explain the Islamic attitude towards Jesus (as per Ibn Hisham). …..]
19. Surah Maryam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
19: 1. Kaf Ha Ya 'Ayn Sad.
C2455. This is the only Surah which begins with these five Abbreviated Letters, Kaf Ha Ya 'Ayn Sad.
For Abbreviated Letters generally, see Appendix 1.
As stated in my note 25, such Letters are Symbols of which the true meaning is known to Allah alone. We should not be dogmatic about any conjectures that we make.
According to the interpretation of the last letter Sad, suggested in n. 989 to 7:1, I should be disposed to accept Sad with the meaning of Qasas, i.e. stories of the Prophets.
The main figures referred to here are:
- Zakariya,
- Yahya,
- Maryam,
- ‘Isa, and
- Ibrahim:
the others are mentioned but incidentally.
The strong letter
- inZaKariya is K;
- inIbraHim, H;
- inYahYa and perhaps MarYam, Y; and
- in ‘Isa – ‘A ((‘Ayn).
- H also comes in Harun (Aaron), and
- the Arabic Ya’ comes in all the names including Ismail and Idris.
I offer this suggestion with some difference.
The suggestion of the TafsirKabir is that the letters stand for attributes of Allah;
- K for Kafi (the One sufficient in Himself);
- H for Hadi (He who guides);
- Y for Yad (Hand as symbol of Power and Authority;
Cf. 48:10.
“The Hand of Allah is above their hands”);
- ‘A for Alim (the All Knowing); and
- S for Sadiq (The True One).
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.
Other versions:
19: 1 [ Maryam (Mary), Mecca 44 ]
Yusuf Ali Kaf. Ha. Ya. `Ain. Sad.
Pickthall Kaf. Ha. Ya. Ain. Sad.
Transliteration Ka_f ha_ ya_ 'ai in sha_d
-----------------------------------------------
[ Ali’s note: 2455 This is the only Sura which begins with these five Abbreviated Letters, K.,H.,Y.,A.,S. For Abbreviated Letters generally, see Appendix 1. (19.1) ]
----------------------------------------
19: 2
Asad An account of the grace which thy Sustainer bestowed upon His servant Zachariah (note 2):
Yusuf Ali (This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His Servant Zakariya.
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,
Yusuf Ali Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret
Pickthall When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,
Transliteration Iz na_da_ rab bahu_ nida_ an khafiy ya_
2. Surah Al Baqarah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
والَّذِينَ
يُؤْمِنُونَ
بِمَا أُنزِلَ
إِلَيْكَ وَمَا
أُنزِلَ مِن
قَبْلِكَ...
2: 4. And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time,
... وَبِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾
and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.
C28. Righteousness comes from a secure faith, from sincere devotion to Allah, and from unselfish service to Man.
أُوْلَـئِكَ
عَلَى هُدًى
مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ
وَأُوْلَـئِكَ
هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
﴿٥﴾
2: 5. They are on (true) guidance, from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper.
C29. Prosperity must be taken as referring to all the kinds of bounty which we discussed in the note 2:3 above.
The right use of one kind leads to an increase in that and other kinds, and that is prosperity.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ ...
2: 6. As to those who reject Faith,
C30. Kafara kufr, kafr, and derivative forms of the word, imply a deliberate rejection of Faith as opposed to a mistaken idea of Allah or faith, which is not inconsistent with an earnest desire to see the truth. Where there is such desire, the grace and mercy of Allah gives guidance.
But that guidance is not efficacious when it is deliberately rejected and the possibility of rejection follows from the grant of free will.
The consequence of the rejection is that the spiritual faculties become dead or impervious to better influences.
See also n. 93 to 2:88.
... سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٦﴾
it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.
خَتَمَ
اللّهُ عَلَى
قُلُوبِهمْ
وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ
...
2: 7. Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing,
C31. All actions are referred to Allah. Therefore, when we get the penalty of our deliberate sin, and our senses become impervious to good, the penalty is referred to the justice of Allah.
... وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ...
and on their eyes is a veil;
... وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عظِيمٌ ﴿٧﴾
great is the penalty they (incur).
C32. The penalty here is the opposite of the prosperity referred to in 2:5. As we go down the path of sin, our penalty gathers momentum, just as goodness brings its own capacity for greater goodness.
وَمِنَ
النَّاسِ مَن
يَقُولُ آمَنَّا
بِاللّهِ
وَبِالْيَوْمِ
الآخِرِ ...
2: 8. Of the people there are some who say:
"We believe in Allah and the Last Day,"
C33. We now come to a third class of people, the hypocrites.
They are untrue to themselves, and therefore their hearts, they soon pass into the category of those who deliberately reject light.
... وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٨﴾
but they do not (really) believe.
يُخَادِعُونَ
اللّهَ وَالَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا...
2: 9. Fain would they deceive Allah and those who believe,
... وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلاَّ أَنفُسَهُم وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴿٩﴾
but they only deceive themselves and realize (it) not!
فِي
قُلُوبِهِم
مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ
اللّهُ مَرَضاً...
2: 10. In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease,
C34. The insincere man who thinks he can get the best of both worlds by compromising with good and evil only increased the disease of his heart, because he is not true to himself.
Even the good which comes to him he can pervert to evil. So the rain which fills out the ear of corn or lends fragrance to the rose also lends strength to the thorn or adds strength to the poison of the deadly nightshade.
... وَلَهُم عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ ﴿١٠﴾
and grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves).
وَإِذَا
قِيلَ لَهُمْ
لاَ تُفْسِدُواْ
فِي الأَرْضِ
...
2: 11. When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth,"
... قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ ﴿١١﴾
they say: "Why, we only want to make peace!"
أَلا
إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ
الْمُفْسِدُونَ
وَلَـكِن لاَّ
يَشْعُرُونَ
﴿١٢﴾
2: 12. Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize (it) not.
C35. Much mischief is caused (sometimes unwittingly) by people who think that they have a mission of peace, when they have not even a true perception of right and wrong.
By their blind arrogance they depress the good and encourage the evil.
وَإِذَا
قِيلَ لَهُمْ
آمِنُواْ كَمَا
آمَنَ النَّاسُ
...
2: 13. When it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe"
... قَالُواْ أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاء ...
they say: "Shall we believe as the fools believe?" --
... أَلا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاء وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣﴾
nay,
of a surety they are the fools but they do not know.
C36. This is another phase of the hypocrite and the cynic.
"Faith" he says, "is good enough to fools."
But his cynicism may be the greatest folly in the eyes of Allah.
وَإِذَا
لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ قَالُواْ
آمَنَّا...
2: 14. When they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe,"
C37. A deeper phase of insincerity is actual duplicity. But it never pays in the end. If we compare such a man to a trader, he loses in the bargain.
... وَإِذَا خَلَوْاْ إِلَى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُواْ ...
but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say:
... إِنَّا مَعَكْمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِؤُونَ ﴿١٤﴾
"We are really with you, we (were) only jesting."
اللّهُ
يَسْتَهْزِىءُ
بِهِمْ ...
2: 15. Allah will throw back their mockery on them,
... وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿١٥﴾
and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (to and fro).
Other versions:
2: 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.
Yusuf Ali Praying: "O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest O my Lord in my prayer to Thee!
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) ]
-----------------------------------------
2: 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.
Yusuf Ali "Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself
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. ]
2: 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!”
Yusuf Ali "(One that) will (truly) represent me and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!"
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)
-----------------------------------------------
2: 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.’”
Yusuf Ali (His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: his name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."
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_
------------------------------------------
[ 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)]
--------------------------------------------
2: 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?”
Yusuf Ali He said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from 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_
2: 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.’”
Yusuf Ali He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before when thou hadst been 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.]
2: 10
Asad [Zachariah] prayed: “O my Sustainer! Appoint a sing 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]
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_
2: 11
Yusuf Ali So Zakariya came out to his people from his chamber: he told them by signs to celebrate Allah's praises in the morning and in the evening.
Pickthall Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night.
Transliteration Fakhraja 'ala_ qaumihi minal mihra_bi fa auha_ ilaihim an sab bihu_ bukrataw wa asyiy ya_
2: 12
Asad [And when the son was born and grew up, he was told,] “O John! Hold fast unto the divine writ with [all thy] strength!” - - for We granted him wisdom while he was yet a little boy,
Yusuf Ali (To his son came the command): "O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him wisdom even as a youth.
Pickthall (And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold the Scripture. And We gave him wisdom when a child.
Transliteration Ya_ yahya_ khudzil kita_ba biquw wah wa a_taina_hul hukma sabiy ya_
2: 13
Asad as well as, by Our grace, [the gift of] compassion and purity; and he was [always] conscious of Us.
Yusuf Ali And pity (for all creatures) as from Us and purity: he was devout
Pickthall And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout,
Transliteration Wa hana_nam mil ladun na_ wa zaka_h wa ka_na taqiy ya_
2: 14
Asad and full of piety towards his parents; and never was he haughty or rebellious.
Yusuf Ali And kind to his parents and he was not overbearing or rebellious.
Pickthall And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious.
Transliteration Wa bar ran biwa_lidaihi wa lam yakun jab bara_n ashiy ya_
2: 15
Asad Hence, [God’s] peace was upon him on the day when he was born, and on the day of his death, and will be [upon him] on the day when he shall be raised to life [again].
Yusuf Ali So Peace on him the day he was born the day that he dies and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!
Pickthall Peace on him the day be was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!
Transliteration Wa sala_mun 'alaihi yauma wulida wa yauma yamu_tu wa yauma yub'atsu hay ya_
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[Ali’s notes: 2468 John the Baptist did not live long. He was imprisoned by Herod, the tetrarch (provincial ruler under the Roman Empire), whom he had reproved for his sins, and eventually beheaded at the instigation of the woman with whom Herod was infatuated. But even in his young life, he was granted (1) wisdom by Allah, for he boldly denounced sin; (2) gentle pity and love for all Allah's creatures, for he moved among the humble and lowly, and despised "soft raiment"; and (3) purity of life, for he renounced the world and lived in the wilderness. All his work he did in his youth. These things showed themselves in his conduct, for he was devout, showing love to Allah and to Allah's creatures, and more particularly to his parents (for we are considering that aspect of his life): this was also shown by the fact that he never used violence, from an attitude of arrogance, nor entertained a spirit of rebellion against divine Law. (19.13)
2469 This is spoken as in the life-time of Yahya. Peace and Allah's Blessings, were on him when he was born; they continue when he is about to die an unjust death at the hands of a tyrant; and they will be specially manifest at the Day of Judgment. (19.15) ]
21. Surah Al Anbiya'
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.
وَالَّتِي
أَحْصَنَتْ
فَرْجَهَا ...
21: 91. And (remember) her who guarded her chastity:
C2748. Mary the mother of Jesus.
Chastity was her special virtue: with a son of virgin birth, she and Jesus became a miracle to all nations. That was the virtue with which they (both Mary and Jesus) resisted evil.
... فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهَا مِن رُّوحِنَا...
We breathed into her of Our Spirit,
...وَجَعَلْنَاهَا وَابْنَهَا آيَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٩١﴾
and We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples.
Other versions:
21:89 [al-Anbiyaa, Mecca 73]
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} And so We responded unto him, and bestowed upon him the gift of John, having made his wife fit to bear him a child: 86 [and,]
verily, these [three] would vie with one another in doing good works, and would call unto Us in yearning and awe; and they were always humble before Us.
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21:91
AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our
spirit 87 and caused her, together with her son, to become a symbol [of Our grace] Unto all people. 88
