Surah 19. Maryam

[The angel] answered: "Thus it is; [but] thy Sustainer says, 'This is easy for Me;¹⁵ and [thou shalt have a son,] so that We might make him a symbol unto mankind and an act of grace from Us."¹⁶ And it was a thing decreed [by God]:

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. the identical phrase in verse {9} above, relating to the announcement of John's birth to Zachariah. In both these cases, the implication is that God can and does bring about events which may be utterly unexpected or even inconceivable before they materialize. In connection with the announcement of a son to Mary, the Qur'an states in {3 :47} that "when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, 'Be' - and it is": but since neither the Qur'an nor any authentic Tradition tells us anything about the chain of causes and effects (asbab) which God's decree "Be" was to bring into being, all speculation as to the "how" of this event must remain beyond the scope of a Qur'an-commentary. (But see also note [87] on {21: 91}.)

One of the several meanings of the term ayah is "a sign" or, as elaborately defined by Raghib, "a symbol" (cf. surah {17}, note [2]). However, the sense in which it is most frequently used in the Qur'an is "a [divine] message": hence, its metonymic application to Jesus may mean that he was destined to become a vehicle of God's message to man - i.e., a prophet - and, thus, a symbol of God's grace. - As regards the words "thou shalt have a son" interpolated by me between brackets, a statement to this effect is implied in the subsequent phrase beginning with "so that" (Zamakhshari and Razi).

The angel replied: "So shall it be - Your Rabb says: `It is easy for Me. We wish to make him a Sign for mankind and a blessing from Us' - and this matter has already been decreed".

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He replied, 'So will it be! Your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me. And so will We make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.' It is a matter 'already' decreed.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is a matter (so) decreed." ^{2473 2474}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The mission of Jesus is announced in two ways (1) he was to be a Sign to men; his wonderful birth and wonderful life were to turn an ungodly world back to Allah; and (2) his mission was similar to that of all prophets of Allah. But the point here is that the Israelites, to whom Jesus was sent, were a hardened race, for whom the message of Jesus was truly a gospel of Mercy.

For anything that Allah wishes to create, He says "Be", and it is (Cf. iii. 47). There is no interval between His decree and its accomplishment, except such as He imposes by His decree. Time may be only a projection of our own minds in this world of relativity.

and in time she conceived him, and then she withdrew with him to a far-off place.

  - Mohammad Asad

So she conceived the child and she retired with him to a remote place.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a remote place.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a place.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So she conceived him and she retired with him to a remote place. ²⁴⁷⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The annunciation and the conception, we may suppose, took place in Nazareth (of Galilee), say 65 miles north of Jerusalem. The delivery took place in Bethlehem about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. It was a remote place, not only with reference to the distance of 71 miles, but because in Bethlehem itself the birth was in an obscure corner under a palm-tree, from which perhaps the babe was afterwards removed to a manger in a stable.

And [when] the throes of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree,¹⁷ she exclaimed: "Oh, would that I had died ere this, and had become a thing forgotten, utterly forgotten!"

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., compelling her to cling to it for support: thus stressing the natural, normal circumstances of this childbirth, attended - as is the case with all women - by severe labour pains.

The pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She cried in her anguish: "Ah! Would that I had died before this, and been long forgotten!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then the pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She cried, 'Alas! I wish I had died before this, and was a thing long forgotten!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" ²⁴⁷⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

She was but human, and suffered the pangs of an expectant mother, with no one to attend on her. The circumstances being peculiar, she had got far away from her people.

Thereupon [a voice] called out to her from beneath that [palm-tree]:¹⁸ "Grieve not! Thy Sustainer has provided a rivulet [running] beneath thee;

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "from beneath her". However, Qatadah (as quoted by Zamakhshari) interprets this as meaning "from beneath the palm-tree".

An angel from beneath the palm-tree consoled her, saying: "Do not grieve! Your Rabb has provided a brook at your feet.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So a voice¹ reassured her from below her, 'Do not grieve! Your Lord has provided a stream at your feet.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This was the voice of baby Jesus. Some say it was Gabriel.

Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-free): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

and shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards thee: it will drop fresh, ripe dates upon thee.

  - Mohammad Asad

If you shake the trunk of this palm-tree, it will drop fresh ripe dates in your lap.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And shake the trunk of this palm tree towards you, it will drop fresh, ripe dates upon you.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And shake the trunk of the palm tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. ²⁴⁷⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Unseen Providence had seen that she should not suffer from thirst or from hunger. The rivulet provided her with water also for ablutions.

Eat, then, and drink, and let thine eye be gladdened! And if thou shouldst see any human being, convey this unto him:¹⁹ 'Behold, abstinence from speech have I vowed unto the Most Gracious; hence, I may not speak today to any mortal.'"²⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "say" - but since actual speech would contradict what follows, the "saying" implies here a communication by gestures.

In its primary sense, the term sawm denotes "abstinence" or "self-denial"; in the present context it is synonymous with samt ("abstinence from speech"); in fact-as pointed out by Zamakhshari - the latter term is said to have figured in the Qur'an-copy belonging to 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud (possibly as a marginal, explanatory notation).

So eat, drink and refresh yourself. If you see anyone, tell him: `I have vowed a fast to Rahman (Allah), so I will not speak to anyone today'."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So eat and drink, and put your heart at ease. But if you see any of the people, say, 'I have vowed silence¹ to the Most Compassionate, so I am not talking to anyone today.''

  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., fast ˹from speech˺. Linguistically, ṣawm means to abstain from something, such as food, speaking, and playing.

So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man say `I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.' " ^{2478 2479}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cool thine eye: An idiom for "comfort thyself and be glad". The literal meaning should not, however, be lost sight of. She was to cool her eyes (perhaps full of tears) with the fresh water of the rivulet and take comfort that a remarkable babe had been born to her. She was also to look around, and if any one came near, she was to decline all conversation. It was quite true: she was under a vow, and could not talk to any one.

She was to decline all conversation with man or woman, on the plea of a vow to Allah. The "fast" here does not mean abstinence literally from eating and drinking. She has just been advised to eat the dates and drink of the stream. It means abstinence from the ordinary household meals, and indeed from human intercourse generally.

And in time she returned to her people, carrying the child with her.²¹ They said: "O Mary! Thou hast indeed done an amazing thing!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "she came with him to her people, carrying him".

Carrying the baby, she came back to her people. They said: "O Maryam! You have brought something hard to believe!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then she returned to her people, carrying him. They said 'in shock', 'O Mary! You have certainly done a horrible thing!

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

At length she brought the (babe) to her people carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! ²⁴⁸⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

O sister of Aaron!²² Thy father was not a wicked man, nor was thy mother a loose woman!"

  - Mohammad Asad

In ancient Semitic usage, a person's name was often linked with that of a renowned ancestor or founder of the tribal line. Thus, for instance, a man of the tribe of Banu Tamim was sometimes addressed as "son of Tamim" or "brother of Tamim". Since Mary belonged to the priestly caste, and hence descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses, she was called a "sister of Aaron" (in the same way as her cousin Elisabeth. the wife of Zachariah, is spoken of in Luke i, 5, as one "of the daughters of Aaron").

O sister (a woman from the noble family) of Haroon! Your father was not a bad man nor your mother an unchaste woman".

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O sister of Aaron!¹ Your father was not an indecent man, nor was your mother unchaste.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., his twin in virtue. They meant that they did not expect her to do something like that because they held her in high esteem like Aaron, Moses’ brother (perhaps because she was his descendant).

Oh sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a man of evil nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" ²⁴⁸¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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 iii. 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!

Thereupon she pointed to him. They exclaimed: "How can we talk to one who [as yet] is a little boy in the cradle?"

  - Mohammad Asad

In response she merely pointed towards the baby. They said: "How can we talk to a babe in the cradle?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So she pointed to the baby. They exclaimed, 'How can we talk to someone who is an infant in the cradle?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then she pointed to him. They said How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" ²⁴⁸²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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. See iii. 46, and n. 388.

[But] he said:²³ "Behold, I am a servant of God. He has vouchsafed unto me revelation and made me a prophet,²⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Although the Qur'an mentions in 3:46 that Jesus would "speak unto men [while yet] in his cradle" - i.e., would be imbued with wisdom from his early childhood - verses {30-33} seem to be in the nature of a trope, projecting the shape of things to come by using, for the sake of emphasis, the past tense to describe something that was to become real in the future. (See also next note.)

Since it is not conceivable that anyone could be granted divine revelation and made a prophet before attaining to full maturity of intellect and experience, 'Ikrimah and Ad-Dahhak - as quoted by Tabari - interpret this passage as meaning, "God has decreed (qada) that He would vouchsafe unto me revelation...", etc., thus regarding it as an allusion to the future. Tabari himself applies the same interpretation to the next verse, explaining it thus: "He has decreed that He would enjoin upon me prayer and charity". However, the whole of this passage (verses {30-33}) may also be understood as having been uttered by Jesus at a much later time - namely, after he had reached maturity and been actually entrusted with his prophetic mission: that is to say, it may be understood as an anticipatory description of the ethical and moral principles which were to dominate the adult life of Jesus and particularly his deep consciousness of being only "a servant of God".

Whereupon the baby spoke out: "I am indeed a servant of Allah. He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Jesus declared, 'I am truly a servant of Allah. He has destined me to be given the Scripture and to be a prophet.

  - Mustafa Khattab

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

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

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

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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

  - Mohammad Asad

His blessing is with me wherever I go. He has commanded me to establish Salah and give Zakah as long as I shall live.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He has made me a blessing wherever I go, and bid me to establish prayer and give alms-tax as long as I live,

  - Mustafa Khattab

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

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; ²⁴⁸³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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 xix. 12-13 in terms that are not applied to Jesus, but the verses xix. 14-15 as applied to Yahya are in almost identical terms with those applied to Jesus here (xix. 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.

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

  - Mohammad Asad

He has exhorted me to honor my mother and has not made me domineering, hard to deal with.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and to be kind to my mother. He has not made me arrogant or defiant.

  - Mustafa Khattab

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

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"(He) hath made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable; ²⁴⁸⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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 practises 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.

"Hence, peace was upon me on the day when I was born, and [will be upon me] on the day of my death, and on the day when I shall be raised to life [again]!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I shall die and the Day I shall be raised to life again".

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I will be raised back to life!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

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

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"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)"! ²⁴⁸⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xix. 15, and n. 2469. Christ was not crucified (iv. 157).

SUCH WAS, in the words of truth, Jesus the son of Mary, about whose nature they so deeply disagree.²⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "about whom they are in doubt", or "about whom they [vainly] dispute": an allusion to the many conflicting views about the nature of Jesus and his origins, ranging from the blasphemous Jewish assertion that he was a "false prophet" and the product of a shameful, illicit union (cf. 4:156 ), to the Christian belief that he was "the son of God" and, therefore, God incarnate. In this connection, see also 3:59 and the corresponding note [47].

Such was Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam, and this is the True statement about him concerning which they are in doubt.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That is Jesus, son of Mary. 'And this is' a word of truth, about which they dispute.

  - Mustafa Khattab

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

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth about which they (vainly) dispute. ²⁴⁸⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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

It is not conceivable that God should have taken unto Himself a son: limitless is He in His glory!²⁶ When He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it "Be" - and it is!

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [96] on {2: 116}.

It is not befitting to the majesty of Allah that He Himself should beget a son! He is far above this (weakness to get a son for name, fame, help or continuity of race); for when He decrees a matter He need only say: "Be" and it is.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It is not for Allah to take a son! Glory be to Him. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, 'Be!' And it is!

  - Mustafa Khattab

It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter He only says to it "Be" and it is. ²⁴⁸⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.