Surah 19. Maryam

And [thus it was that Jesus always said]: "Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer; so worship [none but] Him: this [alone] is a straight way."²⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 3:51 and 43:64 .

Isa declared, Verily Allah is my Rabb and your Rabb: therefore serve Him. This is a Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Jesus also declared,' 'Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him 'alone'. This is the Straight Path.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight. ²⁴⁸⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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 Qur-an there is no crookedness (xviii. 1). Christ's teaching was simple, like his life, but the Christians have made it crooked.

And yet, the sects [that follow the Bible] are at variance among themselves [about the nature of Jesus]!²⁸ Woe, then, unto all who deny the truth when that awesome Day will appear!²⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., either rejecting him entirely, as do the Jews, or - as is the case with the Christians - deifying him.

Lit., "from the manifestation (mashhad) of an awesome Day", i.e., the Day of Judgment.

Inspite of this, the sects from among them are divided concerning Jesus. So woe to the disbelievers who shall be punished after witnessing this Truth on the Great Day of Judgement.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Yet their 'various' groups have differed among themselves 'about him', so woe to the disbelievers when they face a tremendous Day!

  - Mustafa Khattab

The sects among them differ: but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful Day.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But the sects differ among themselves: and woe to the Unbelievers because of the (coming) Judgment of a momentous Day! ²⁴⁸⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Judgment: the word in the original is Mash-had, which implies many things: (1) the time or place where evidence is taken, as in a Court of Judgment; (2) the time or place where people are produced (to be judged); and (3) the occasion for such production for the taking of evidence. A very expressive phrase for the Day of Judgment.

How well will they hear and see [the truth] on the Day when they come before Us! Today, however, these evildoers are obviously lost in error:

  - Mohammad Asad

They will be able to see and hear very clearly on that Day when they will appear before Us! But today these wrong doers, neither want to hear nor see the Truth and, are in manifest error.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

How clearly will they hear and see on the Day they will come to Us! But today the wrongdoers are clearly astray.

  - Mustafa Khattab

See and hear them on the Day they come unto Us! Yet the evil-doers are today in error manifest.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

How plainly will they see and hear the Day that they will appear before Us! But the unjust today are in error manifest! ²⁴⁹⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. 1. 22. and that whole passage, where the Resurrection is described.

hence, warn them of [the coming of] the Day of Regrets, when everything will have been decided - for as yet they are heedless, and they do not believe [in it].

  - Mohammad Asad

O Muhammad, forewarn them about the Day of intense regret when this matter will be decided, even though at present they are paying no heed and do not believe.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And warn them 'O Prophet' of the Day of Regret, when all matters will be settled, while they are 'engrossed' in heedlessness and disbelief.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And warn them of the Day of anguish when the case hath been decided. Now they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But warn them of the Day of Distress when the matter will be determined: for (behold) they are negligent and they do not believe! ²⁴⁹¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hasrat: Sighs, sighing, regrets, distress.

Behold, We alone shall remain after the earth and all who live on it have passed away,³⁰ and [when] unto Us all will have been brought back.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "We alone shall inherit the earth and all who are on it". For an explanation of this metaphoric use of the concept of "inheritance", see surah {15}, note [22].

Ultimately, all things will perish and it is We, Who will inherit the earth and all that is on it, and to Us shall they return.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, it is We Who will succeed the earth and whoever is on it. And to Us they will 'all' be returned.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! We inherit the earth and all who are thereon, and unto Us they are returned.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It is We Who will inherit the earth and all beings thereon: to Us will they all be returned. ²⁴⁹²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. iii. 180. n. 485; xv. 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.

AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Abraham.³¹ Behold, he was a man of truth, [already] a prophet

  - Mohammad Asad

The mention of Abraham and his subsequent, unavailing plea to his father to recognize God's oneness and uniqueness connects with the preceding discourse, under the same aspect, on the true nature of Jesus as a mortal human being and a mere servant of the One and Only God.

Relate to them the story of Ibrahim from the Book (The Qur'an), he was a truthful Prophet.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And mention in the Book 'O Prophet, the story of' Abraham. He was surely a man of truth and a prophet.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And make mention (O Muhammad) in the Scripture of Abraham. Lo! he was a saint, a Prophet.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Also mention in the Book (the story of) Abraham: he was a man of Truth a prophet.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

when he spoke [thus] unto his father: "O my father! Why dost thou worship something that neither hears nor sees and can be of no avail whatever to thee?

  - Mohammad Asad

Remember when he said to his father: "O my father! Why do you worship something that can neither hear nor see, nor yet profit you in any way?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Remember' when he said to his father, 'O dear father! Why do you worship what can neither hear nor see, nor benefit you at all?

  - Mustafa Khattab

When he said unto his father: O my father! Why worshippest thou that which heareth not nor seeth, nor can in aught avail thee?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold he said to his father: "O my father! why worship that which heareth not and seeth not and can profit thee nothing? ²⁴⁹³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The reference to Abraham here is in relation to his tender solicitude for his father, who had not received the light of Unity, and to whom Abraham wanted to be a guide and friend.

"O my father! Behold, there has indeed come to me [a ray] of knowledge such as has never yet come unto thee:³² follow me, then; I shall guide thee onto a perfect way.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., a cognition of God's existence and uniqueness through intellectual insight (cf. {6:74-82}).

O my father! I have been given some knowledge which has not come to you, so follow me: I'll guide you to the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O dear father! I have certainly received some knowledge which you have not received, so follow me and I will guide you to the Straight Path.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O my father! Lo! there hath come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee. So follow me, and I will lead thee on a right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O my father! to me hath come knowledge which hath not reached thee: so follow me: I will guide thee to a Way that is even and straight. ^{2494 2495}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Some are more receptive of Light than others. It is their duty and privilege to guide and point to the right Way.

Sawiyan-right, smooth, even; complete, perfect; hence the derived meaning: in xix. 10, in full possession of all the physical senses; in that context, 'not dumb': in xix. 17, when the angel appears in the form of a man, 'completely like' a man, a man 'in all respects.'

"O my father! Do not worship Satan - for verily, Satan is a rebel against the Most Gracious!³³

  - Mohammad Asad

The absurdity inherent in the attribution of divine qualities to anything or anyone but God is here declared, by implication, to be equivalent to "worshipping" the epitome of unreason and ingratitude symbolized in Satan's rebellion against his Creator. In this connection it should be noted that the term shaytan is derived from the verb shatana, signifying "he was [or "became"] remote [from the truth];' (Lisan al-'Arab, Taj al-'Arus); hence, the Qur'an describes every impulse that inherently offends against truth, reason and morality as "satanic", and every conscious act of submission to such satanic influences as a "worship of Satan".

O my father! Do not worship Shaitan: for Shaitan is disobedient to the Compassionate (Allah).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O dear father! Do not worship Satan. Surely Satan is ever rebellious against the Most Compassionate.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O my father! Serve not the devil. Lo! the devil is a rebel unto the Beneficent.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O my father! serve not Satan: for Satan is a rebel against (Allah) Most Gracious. ²⁴⁹⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The rebellion is all the more heinous and inexcusable, considering that Allah is Most Just, Most Merciful, Most Gracious.

O my father! I dread lest a chastisement from the Most Gracious befall thee, and then thou wilt become [aware of having been] close unto Satan!"³⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

According to Zamakhshari and Razi, the construction of this clause (beginning with "so that") is meant to bring out the idea that one's belated realization, in the hereafter, of having been "close unto Satan" is the most terrible consequence of deliberate sinning.

O my father! I fear that a punishment of the Beneficent may afflict you, and you may become a friend of the Shaitan".

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O dear father! I truly fear that you will be touched by a torment from the Most Compassionate, and become Satan's companion 'in Hell'.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

O my father! Lo! I fear lest a punishment from the Beneficent overtake thee so that thou become a comrade of the devil.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O my father! I fear lest a Penalty afflict thee from (Allah) Most Gracious so that thou become to Satan a friend." ²⁴⁹⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

To entertain a feeling of friendliness, instead of aversion, to Evil, is in itself a degradation of our nature, a Penalty which Allah imposes on our deliberate rejection of the Truth. And the friendliness to Evil also implies the sharing of the outlawry of Evil.

He answered: "Dost thou dislike my gods, O Abraham? Indeed, if thou desist not, I shall most certainly cause thee to be stoned to death! Now begone from me for good!"

  - Mohammad Asad

His father replied: "How dare you renounce my gods O Ibrahim? If you do not stop this folly, I will indeed stone you to death: so be gone from my house this very moment!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He threatened, 'How dare you reject my idols, O Abraham! If you do not desist, I will certainly stone you 'to death'. So be gone from me for a long time!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: Rejectest thou my gods, O Abraham? If thou cease not, I shall surely stone thee. Depart from me a long while!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(The father) replied: "Dost thou hate my gods O Abraham? If thou forbear not I will indeed stone thee: now get away from me for a good long while!" ²⁴⁹⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Note the gentle persuasive tone of Abraham in his speeches in xix. 42-45 (for we may suppose those sentences to sum up a long course of arguments) and in xix. 47-48, contrasted with the brusque and repellent tone of the father's reply in this verse. The one was the outcome of the true Light which had come to Abraham from Allah, as the other was the outcome of Pagan arrogance and the worship of brute force. The spiritual lesson from this episode of Abraham's life may be stated in four propositions: (1) the pious son is dutiful to his father and wishes him well in all things, material and spiritual, (2) if the father refuses Allah's Light, the son will do his utmost to bring such Light to the father; (3) having received the Light, the son will never renounce that Light, even if he has to forfeit his father's love and renounce his home; (4) even if the father repels him and turns him out, his answer will be a soft answer, full of love and forgiveness on the one hand, but firmness on behalf of Truth on the other.

[Abraham] replied: "Peace be upon thee! I shall ask my Sustainer to forgive thee: for, behold, He has always been kind unto me.

  - Mohammad Asad

Ibrahim said: "Peace be upon you: I will pray to my Rabb for your forgiveness, surely He is ever Kind to me.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Abraham responded, 'Peace be upon you! I will pray to my Lord for your forgiveness. He has truly been Most Gracious to me.

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: Peace be unto thee! I shall ask forgiveness of my Lord for thee. Lo! He was ever gracious unto me.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Abraham said: "Peace be on thee: I will pray to my Lord for thy forgiveness: for He is to me Most Gracious. ²⁴⁹⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. ix. 114, where this promise of Abraham to pray for his father is referred to, and its limitations pointed out.

But I shall withdraw from you all and from whatever you invoke instead of God, and shall invoke my Sustainer [alone]: it may well be that my prayer [for thee] will not remain unanswered by my Sustainer."³⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "that I will not be unfortunate in the prayer to my Sustainer".

I am leaving you and those whom you invoke besides Allah: I will call upon my Rabb and I am sure my prayers to my Rabb will not be ignored".

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As I distance myself from 'all of' you and from whatever you invoke besides Allah, I will 'continue to' call upon my Lord 'alone', trusting that I will never be disappointed in invoking my Lord.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

I shall withdraw from you and that unto which ye pray beside Allah, and I shall pray unto my Lord. It may be that, in prayer unto my Lord, I shall not be unblest.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And I will turn away from you (all) and from those whom ye invoke besides Allah: I will call on my Lord: Perhaps by my prayer to my Lord I shall be not unblest." ²⁵⁰⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Abraham left his father and the home of his fathers (Ur of the Chaldees) and never returned. He left because he was turned out, and because it was not possible for him to make any compromise with what was false in religion. In return for abuse, he spoke gentle words. And he expressed his fervent hope that at least he (Abraham) would have Allah's blessing in reply to his prayers. Here was a prefigurement of another Hijrat many centuries later! In both cases the prayer was abundantly fulfilled.

And after he had withdrawn from them and from all that they were worshipping instead of God, We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob, and made of them a prophet;

  - Mohammad Asad

So when he left them and the deities whom they worshipped besides Allah, We granted him descendants like Ishaq and Ya'qoob, and We made each of them a Prophet.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So after he had left them and what they worshipped besides Allah, We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and made each of them a prophet.

  - Mustafa Khattab

So, when he had withdrawn from them and that which they were worshipping beside Allah. We gave him Isaac and Jacob. Each of them We made a Prophet.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

When he had turned away from them and from those whom they worshipped besides Allah We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob and each one of them We made a prophet. ²⁵⁰¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob are mentioned here as carrying on one line of Abraham's traditions. The other line was carried on by Isma'il, who is mentioned independently five verses lower down, as his line got special honour in the Holy Prophet of Islam. That is why his mention comes after that of Moses. Cf. xxi. 72.

We bestowed upon them [manifold] gifts out of Our grace, and granted them a lofty power to convey the truth [unto others].³⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "a lofty language of truth" or "of truthfulness" - the term lisan ("language" or "tongue") being used here metonymically for what may be pronounced by the tongue (Zamakhshari). An alternative interpretation of the phrase, advanced by many commentators, is "granted them a lofty renown for truth" or "truthfulness", or simply "a most goodly renown".

We bestowed on them Our Mercy and We granted them honor of being mentioned with true high respect.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We showered them with Our mercy, and blessed them with honourable mention.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 On a daily basis, Muslims invoke Allah’s blessings upon Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) and his family and Prophet Abraham (ﷺ) and his family, in both obligatory and optional prayers.

And We gave them of Our mercy, and assigned to them a high and true renown.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We bestowed of Our Mercy on them and We granted them lofty honor on the tongue of truth. ²⁵⁰²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Abraham and his son and grandson Isaac and Jacob, and their line, maintained the banner of Allah's truth for many generations, and they won deservedly high praise-the praise of truth-on the tongues of men. Abraham prayed that he should be praised by the tongue of truth among men to come in later ages: xxvi. 84. Ordinary praise may mean nothing: it may be due to selfish flattery on the part of others or artful management by the person praised. Praise on the tongue of sincere truth is praise indeed!