Surah 3. Aal-Imran

SAY: "O God, Lord of all dominion! Thou grantest dominion unto whom Thou willest, and takest away dominion from whom Thou willest; and Thou exaltest whom Thou willest, and abasest whom Thou willest. In Thy hand is all good. Verily, Thou hast the power to will anything.

  - Mohammad Asad

Say: "O Allah! Master of all the Kingship, You give the kingdom to whom You please and take away the kingdom from whomsoever You please; You give honor to whom You please and disgrace to whom You please; all the good is in Your hand; surely You have power over everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'O Allah! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honour whoever You please and disgrace who You please- all good is in Your Hands. Surely You 'alone' are Most Capable of everything.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty! Thou givest sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdrawest sovereignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt and Thou abasest whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is the good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "O Allah! Lord of Power (and Rule) thou givest Power to whom Thou pleasest and Thou strippest off power from whom Thou pleasest thou enduest with honor whom thou pleasest and thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest; in Thy hand is all Good. Verily over all things thou hast power. ³⁶⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. Q. ii. 80.

"Thou makest the night grow longer by shortening the day, and Thou makest the day grow longer by shortening the night. And Thou bringest forth the living out of that which is dead, and Thou bringest forth the dead out of that which is alive. And Thou grantest sustenance unto whom Thou willest, beyond all reckoning."

  - Mohammad Asad

You cause the night to pass into the day and You cause the day to pass into the night; You draw the living from the dead and You draw the dead from the living; and You provide sustenance for anyone You wish without measure."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

You cause the night to pass into the day and the day into the night. You bring forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living. And You provide for whoever You will without limit.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Thou causest the night to pass into the day, and Thou causest the day to pass into the night. And Thou bringest forth the living from the dead, and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living. And Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou choosest, without stint.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Thou causest the Night to gain on the Day and Thou causest the Day to gain on the Night; Thou bringest the Living out of the Dead and thou bringest the Dead out of the Living; and Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou pleasest without measure." ^{370 371 272}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Verses 238-39 are parenthetical, introducing the subject of prayer in danger. This is more fully dealt with in iv. 101-03.

True in many senses. In every twenty-four hours, night merges into day, and day into night, and there is no clear boundary between them. In every solar year, the night gains on the day after the summer solstice, and the day gains on the night after the winter solstice. But further, if light and darkness are viewed as symbols of (a) knowledge and ignorance, (b) happiness and misery, (c) spiritual insight and spiritual blindness, Allah's Plan or Will works here too as in the physical world, and in His hand is all Good.

We can interpret Dead and Living in even more senses than Day and Night: death physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual. Life and Death may also apply to collective, group, or national life. And who has ever solved the mystery of Life? But Faith refers it to Allah's Will and Plan.

LET NOT the believers take those who deny the truth for their allies in preference to the believers¹⁹ - since he who does this cuts himself off from God in everything - unless it be to protect yourselves against them in this way.²⁰ But God warns you to beware of Him: for with God is all journeys' end.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in cases where the interests of those "deniers of the truth" clash with the interests of believers (Manar III, 278). Regarding the deeper implications of the term "allies" (awliya'), see 4:139 and the corresponding note.

Lit., "unless you fear from them something that is to be feared". Zamakhshari explains this phrase as meaning, "unless you have reason to fear that they might do something which ought to be guarded against" - obviously referring to situations in which "those who deny the truth" are more powerful than the Muslims, and are therefore in a position to damage the latter unless they become their "allies" in a political or moral sense.

Let not the believers make unbelievers their protectors rather than the believers; anyone who does so will have nothing to hope for from Allah - except if you do so as a precaution to guard yourselves against their tyranny. Anyhow, Allah warns you to fear Him: because with Allah is your final refuge.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Believers should not take disbelievers as guardians instead of the believers- and whoever does so will have nothing to hope for from Allah- unless it is a precaution against their tyranny. And Allah warns you about Himself. And to Allah is the final return.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoso doeth that hath no connection with Allah unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them, taking (as it were) security. Allah biddeth you beware (only) of Himself. Unto Allah is the journeying.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers; if any do that in nothing will there be help from Allah; except by way of precaution that ye may guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (to remember) Himself for the final goal is to Allah. ³⁷³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If Faith is a fundamental matter in our lives our associations and friendships will naturally be with those who share our Faith. "Evil communications corrupt good manners": and evil company may corrupt Faith. In our ordinary every-day affairs of business, we are asked to seek the help of Believers rather than Unbelievers. Only in this way can our community be strong in organisation and unity. But where there is no question of preference, or where in self-defence we have to take the assistance of those not belonging to our Faith, that is permissible. In any case we must not weaken our Brotherhood: we must try to make it stronger if possible.

Say: "Whether you conceal what is in your hearts²¹ or bring it into the open, God knows it: for He knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and God has the power to will anything."

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "breasts". This is a reference to the real motives underlying the decision of a Muslim group or power to form an alliance with "those who deny the truth" in preference to, or against the legitimate interests of, other believers.

Say: "Whether you conceal what is in your heart or reveal it, it is known to Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'Whether you conceal what is in your hearts or reveal it, it is known to Allah. For He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah is Most Capable of everything.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say, (O Muhammad): Whether ye hide that which is in your breasts or reveal it, Allah knoweth it. He knoweth that which is in the heavens and that which is in the earth, and Allah is Able to do all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Whether ye hide what is in your hearts or reveal it Allah knows it all. He knows what is in the heavens and what is on earth. And Allah has power over all things.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

On the Day when every human being will find himself faced with all the good that he has done, and with all the evil that he has done, [many a one] will wish that there were a long sup of time between himself and that [Day]. Hence, God warns you to beware of Him; but God is most compassionate towards His creatures.

  - Mohammad Asad

He knows whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is in the Earth. Allah has full power over everything. On the Day of Judgement, when every soul will be confronted with whatever good it has done - as for its evil deeds, it will wish they were a long way off. Allah warns you to have His fear. Allah is full of kindness for His devotees.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Watch for' the Day when every soul will be presented with whatever good it has done. And it will wish that its misdeeds were far off. And Allah warns you about Himself. And Allah is Ever Gracious to 'His' servants.

  - Mustafa Khattab

On the day when every soul will find itself confronted with all that it hath done of good and all that it hath done of evil (every soul) will long that there might be a mighty apace of distance between it and that (evil). Allah biddeth you beware of Him. And Allah is full of pity for (His) bondmen.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"On the day when every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done and all the evil it has done it will wish there were a great distance between it and its evil. But Allah cautions you (to remember) Himself. And Allah is full of kindness to those that serve Him.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say [O Prophet]: "If you love God, follow me [and] God will love you and forgive you your sins; for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace."

  - Mohammad Asad

Tell the people O Muhammad: "If you sincerely love Allah, then follow me; Allah will also love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'If you 'sincerely' love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "If ye do love Allah follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say: "Pay heed unto God and the Apostle."

  - Mohammad Asad

Also tell them, "Obey Allah and His Rasool." Inspite of this, if they turn back then warn them, that Allah does not love the disobedient.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'Obey Allah and His Messenger.' If they still turn away, then truly Allah does not like the disbelievers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, Lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Obey Allah and His Apostle"; but if they turn back Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

BEHOLD, God raised Adam, and Noah, and the House of Abraham, and the House of 'Imran above all mankind,

  - Mohammad Asad

Indeed Allah exalted Adam, Nuh (Noah), the family of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Imran above all the worlds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people 'of their time'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all His) creatures.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Allah did choose Adam and Noah the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all people.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

in one line of descent.²² And God was all-hearing, all-knowing²³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "offspring of one another" - an allusion not merely to the physical descent of those prophets but also to the fact that all of them were spiritually linked with one another and believed in one and the same fundamental truth (Tabari). Thus, the above passage is a logical sequence to verses {31-32}, which make God's approval contingent upon obedience to His chosen message-bearers. The names which appear in this sentence circumscribe, by implication, all the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an inasmuch as most of them were descendants of two or more of these patriarchs. The House of 'Imran comprises Moses and Aaron, whose father was 'Imran (the Amram of the Bible), and Aaron's descendants, the priestly caste among the Israelites - thus including John the Baptist, both of whose parents were of the same descent (cf. the reference, in Luke i, 5, to John's mother Elisabeth as one "of the daughters of Aaron"), as well as Jesus, whose mother Mary - a close relation of John - is spoken of elsewhere in the Qur'an ( 19:28 ) as a "sister of Aaron": in both cases embodying the ancient Semitic custom of linking a person's or a people's name with that of an illustrious forebear. The reference to the House of 'Imran serves as an introduction to the stories of Zachariah, John, Mary, and Jesus.

My joining of this phrase with the following passage is in agreement with the interpretation advanced by Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida' (Manar III, 289).

They were the offsprings of one another. Allah hears all and knows all.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They are descendants of one another. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  - Mustafa Khattab

They were descendants one of another. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Offspring one of the other; and Allah heareth and knoweth all things. ³⁷⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Prophets in the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dispensation form one family literally. But the argument is wider. All men of faith form one family. If you love and obey Allah, love and obey His Messenger; your love, obedience and discipline will be the test of your Faith.

when a woman of [the House of] 'Imran prayed: "O my Sustainer! Behold, unto Thee do I vow [the child] that is in my womb, to be devoted to Thy service. Accept it, then, from me: verily, Thou alone art all-hearing, all-knowing!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah heard when the wife of Imran said, "O my Rabb! I dedicate to Your service what is in my womb. Please accept it from me. You alone hear all and know all."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Remember' when the wife of 'Imran said, 'My Lord! I dedicate what is in my womb entirely to Your service,¹ so accept it from me. You 'alone' are truly the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., dedicating the child to service in the temple.

(Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: My Lord I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold! a woman of Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto thee what is in my womb for Thy special service so accept this of me for Thou hearest and knowest all things." ^{375 376}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Now we begin the story of Jesus. As a prelude we have the birth of Mary and the parallel story of John the Baptist, Yahya the son of Zakariya. Yahya's mother Elisabeth was a cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke i. 36), and therefore John and Jesus were cousins by blood, and there was a spiritual cousinhood in their birth and career. Elisabeth was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke i. 5), of a priestly family which went back to Aaron the brother of Moses and son of Imran. Her husband Zakariya was actually a priest, and her cousin Mary was presumably also of a priestly family. By tradition Mary's mother was called Hannah (in Latin, Anna, and in English, Anne), and her father was called Imran. Hannah is therefore both a descendant of the priestly house of Imran and the wife of Imran,-"a woman of Imran" in a double sense,

Muharrar = freed from all worldly affairs and specially dedicated to Allah's service. She expected a son, who was to be a special devotee, a miraculous son of the old age of his parents, but Allah gave her instead a daughter. But that daughter was Mary the mother of Jesus, the chosen one among the women: iii. 42.

But when she had given birth to the child,²⁴ she said: "O my Sustainer! Behold, I have given birth to a female" - the while God had been fully aware of what she would give birth to, and [fully aware] that no male child [she might have hoped for] could ever have been like this female²⁵ - "and I have named her Mary. And, verily, I seek Thy protection for her and her offspring against Satan, the accursed."

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to her" - implying that it was a girl.

Lit., "and the male is not [or "could not be"] like the female". Zamakhshari reads these words as forming part of the parenthetic sentence relating to God's knowledge, and explains them thus: "The male [child] which she had prayed for could not have been like the female which she was granted" - which implies that Mary's excellence would go far beyond any hopes which her mother had ever entertained.

When she gave birth to a girl instead of a boy, she said: "My Rabb! I have given birth to a girl," - Allah knew very well what she had delivered - "and that the male is not like the female, I have named her Maryem (Mary) and I seek Your protection for her and her children from the mischief of Shaitan, the accursed."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

When she delivered, she said, 'My Lord! I have given birth to a girl,'- and Allah fully knew what she had delivered- 'and the male is not like the female.¹ I have named her Mary, and I seek Your protection for her and her offspring from Satan, the accursed.'²

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Service at the temple was hosted by males only.

 The prayers of Mary’s mother were answered. In a ḥadîth collected by Bukhâri and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) says, “Every child is touched by Satan when they are born—and they cry because of this contact—except Jesus and his mother.”

And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female--Allah knew best of what she was delivered--the male is not as the female; and Lo! I have named her Mary, and Lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

When she was delivered she said: "O my Lord! behold! I am delivered of a female child!" And Allah knew best what she brought forth, "and nowise is the male like the female. I have named her Mary and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One the Rejected." ^{377 378}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The mother of Mary expected a male child. Was she disappointed that it was a female child? No, for she had Faith, and she knew that Allah's Plan was better than any wishes of hers. Mary was no ordinary girl: only Allah knew what it was that her mother brought forth.

The female child could not be devoted to Temple service under the Mosaic law, as she intended. But she was marked out for a special destiny as a miracle-child, to be the mother of the miracle-child Jesus. She was content to seek Allah's protection for her against all evil. There is a certain sense of pride in the girl on the part of the mother.

And thereupon her Sustainer accepted the girl-child with goodly acceptance, and caused her to grow up in goodly growth, and placed her in the care of Zachariah²⁶ Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her provided with food. He would ask: "O Mary, whence came this unto thee?" She would answer: "It is from God; behold, God grants sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all reckoning."²⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

As is evident from verse {44} of this surah, the guardianship of Mary was entrusted to Zachariah - who was not only her relative but also a priest attached to the Temple - after lots had been drawn to decide which of the priests should have the responsibility for this girl who, in consequence of her mother's vow, was to be dedicated to Temple service (Tabari).

In spite of all the legends quoted in this connection by most of the commentators, there is no indication whatsoever either in the Qur'an or in any authentic Tradition that these provisions were of a miraculous origin. On the other hand, Tabari quotes a story to the effect that when, in his old age, Zachariah became unable to support Mary by his own means, the community decided to assume this responsibility through another of its members, who thereupon provided her daily with food. Whether this story is authentic or not, Mary's answer to Zachariah reflects no more and no less than her deep consciousness of God as the ultimate Provider.

Her Rabb graciously accepted that girl. He made her grow up as a good girl and entrusted her to the care of Zakariya. Whenever Zakariya entered the sanctuary to see her, he found with her food. He asked, "O Maryem! From where did you get it?" She replied, "It came from Allah. In fact, Allah gives to whom He wants without measure."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So her Lord accepted her graciously and blessed her with a pleasant upbringing- entrusting her to the care of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions. He exclaimed, 'O Mary! Where did this come from?' She replied, 'It is from Allah. Surely Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty; to the care of Zakariya was she assigned. Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Mary! whence (comes) this to you?" She said: "From Allah: for Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure." ³⁷⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Mary grew under Allah's special protection. Her sustenance, under which we may include both her physical needs and her spiritual food, came from Allah, and her growth was indeed a "goodly growth" which I have tried to express in the Text by the words "purity and beauty". Some aprocryphal Christian writings say that she was brought up in the Temple to the age of twelve like a dove, and that she was fed by angels.

In that self-same place, Zachariah prayed unto his Sustainer, saying: "O my Sustainer! Bestow upon me [too], out of Thy grace, the gift of goodly offspring; for Thou, indeed, hearest all prayer."

  - Mohammad Asad

Thereupon Zakariya prayed to his Rabb saying: "O my Rabb! Grant me a righteous child as Your special favor; surely You hear all prayers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then and there Zachariah prayed to his Lord, saying, 'My Lord! Grant me- by your grace- righteous offspring. You are certainly the Hearer of 'all' prayers.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

There did Zakariya pray to his Lord saying: "O my Lord! grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure; for Thou art He that heareth prayer!" ³⁸⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus, of John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus, and of Jesus, the prophet of Israel, whom Israel rejected, occurred in that order chronologically, and are told in that order. They are all inter-connected. Zakariya prayed for no ordinary son. He and his wife were past the age of parenthood. Seeing the growth of Mary, he prayed for some child from Allah,- "from Thee, a progeny that is pure". To his surprise, he is given a son in the flesh, ushered in by a special Sign.

Thereupon, as he stood praying in the sanctuary, the angels called out unto him: "God sends thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] John, who shall confirm the truth of a word from God,²⁸ and [shall be] outstanding among men, and utterly chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous."

  - Mohammad Asad

In view of the fact that the expression kalimah if often used in the Qur'an to denote an announcement from God, or a statement of His will, or His promise (e.g., 4:171 , 6:34 and {115}, 10:64 , 18:27 , and so forth), we must conclude that in the above passage, too, the "word from God" which would be confirmed by the birth of John (described in the Gospels as "John the Baptist") refers to a divine promise given through revelation: and this, indeed, is the interpretation adopted by the famous philologist Abu 'Ubaydah Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna, who lived in the second century H. and devoted most of his labours to the study of rare expressions in the Arabic language; his identification, in the context under discussion, of kalimah with kitab ("revelation" or "divine writ") has been quoted by Razi in his commentary on this verse and is, moreover, agreeable with a similar announcement conveyed to Mary regarding the birth of Jesus (see verse {45} of this surah).

As he stood praying in the Mahrab (a prayer place in the sanctuary) the angels called out to him saying: "Allah gives you good news of a son to be named Yahya (John), he will confirm the word of Allah, he will be a great leader and chaste, a Prophet and a righteous man."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So the angels called out to him while he stood praying in the sanctuary, 'Allah gives you good news of 'the birth of' John who will confirm the Word of Allah and will be a great leader, chaste, and a prophet among the righteous.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah, lordly, chaste, a Prophet of the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

While he was standing in prayer in the chamber the angels called unto him: "Allah doth give thee glad tidings of Yahya witnessing the truth of a Word from Allah and (be besides) noble chaste and a Prophet of the (goodly) company of the righteous." ³⁸¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Notice: "a Word from Allah", not "the Word of Allah", the epithet that mystical Christianity uses for Jesus. As stated in iii. 59 below, Jesus was created by a miracle, by Allah's word "Be", and he was.

[Zachariah] exclaimed: "O my Sustainer! How can I have a son when old age has already overtaken me, and my wife is barren?" Answered [the angel]: "Thus it is: God does what He wills."

  - Mohammad Asad

He said: "O my Rabb! How can I have a son now that I have reached an old age and my wife is barren?" "Such is the will of Allah" he replied, " Allah does what He wants."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Zachariah exclaimed, 'My Lord! How can I have a son when I am very old and my wife is barren?' He replied, 'So will it be. Allah does what He wills.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when age hath overtaken me already and my wife is barren? (The angel) answered: So (it will be). Allah doeth what He will.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son seeing I am very old and my wife is barren?" "Thus" was the answer "doth Allah accomplish what He willeth."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali