Surah 19. Maryam

Kãf-Ha-Ya-'Aĩn- Ṣãd.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Kaf. Ha. Ya. `Ain. Sad. ²⁴⁵⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is the only Sura which begins with these five Abbreviated Letters, K.,H.,Y.,A.,S. For Abbreviated Letters generally, see Appendix 1.

'This is' a reminder of your Lord's mercy to His servant Zachariah,

  - Mustafa Khattab

(This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His Servant Zakariya. ²⁴⁵⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Mercy of Allah to Zakriya was shown in many ways: (1) in the acceptance of his prayer; (2) in bestowing a son like Yahya; and (3) in the love between father and son, in addition to the work which Yahya did as Allah's Messenger for the world. Cf. iii. 38-41 and notes. There the public ministry was the point stressed; here the beautiful relations between the son and the father.

when he cried out to his Lord privately,

  - Mustafa Khattab

Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret ²⁴⁵⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In secret: because he feared that his own family and relatives were going wrong (xix. 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.

saying, 'My Lord! Surely my bones have become brittle, and grey hair has spread across my head, but I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord!

  - Mustafa Khattab

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! ²⁴⁵⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

And I am concerned about 'the faith of' my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So grant me, by Your grace, an heir,

  - Mustafa Khattab

"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 ²⁴⁵⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

who will inherit 'prophethood' from me and the family of Jacob, and make him, O Lord, pleasing 'to You'!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

"(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!" ²⁴⁶⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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?

'The angels announced,' 'O Zachariah! Indeed, We give you the good news of 'the birth of' a son, whose name will be John- a name We have not given to anyone before.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(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." ²⁴⁶¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

He wondered, 'My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

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?"

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

An angel replied, 'So will it be! Your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing!''

  - Mustafa Khattab

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!' " ^{2462 2463}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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. xix. 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.

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.

Zachariah said, 'My Lord! Grant me a sign.' He responded, 'Your sign is that you will not 'be able to' speak to people for three nights, despite being healthy.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(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." ^{2464 2465}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The "Sign", was in order to convince Zakariya that the Lord's promise was true.

Compare this verse with iii. 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 Ummat 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 iii. 41, "In the evening and in the morning"-showing again that the point of view is reversed.

So he came out to his people from the sanctuary, signalling to them to glorify 'Allah' morning and evening.

  - Mustafa Khattab

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.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

'It was later said,' 'O John! Hold firmly to the Scriptures.' And We granted him wisdom while 'he was still' a child,

  - Mustafa Khattab

(To his son came the command): "O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him wisdom even as a youth. ^{2466 2467}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Time passes. The son is born. In this section of the Sura the centre of interest is Yahya, and the instruction is now given to him. 'Keep fast hold of Allah's revelation with all your might': for an unbelieving world had either corrupted or neglected it, and Yahya (John the Baptist) was to prepare the way for, Jesus, who was coming to renew and re-interpret it.

Hukm, translated Wisdom, implies something more than Wisdom; it is the Wisdom or Judgment that is entitied to judge and command, as in the matter of denouncing sin.

as well as purity and compassion from Us. And he was God-fearing,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And pity (for all creatures) as from Us and purity: he was devout ²⁴⁶⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

and kind to his parents. He was neither arrogant nor disobedient.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And kind to his parents and he was not overbearing or rebellious.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Peace be upon him the day he was born, and the day of his death, and the day he will be raised back to life!

  - Mustafa Khattab

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)! ²⁴⁶⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.