English - Chapter 19 - Maryam

Kaf Ha' Ya' ‘Ayn Suad

This is a reminder of blessings that your Lord bestowed on His servant Zakariya

when he invoked his Lord in secret

saying: "O Lord! Surely my bones have weakened and the hair of my head glistens with grey, while I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, O Lord

Surely, I fear about my relatives after me, for my wife is barren, grant me a heir by Your grace

who should inherit me and inherit the posterity of Jacob, and make him, O my Lord, a desirable person

We answered his prayer saying: "O Zakariya! Surely We give you the good news of a son, his name shall be John: a name that no one has had before him

He asked: "O Lord! How shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have become impotent from old age

The answer came: "So shall it be. Your Lord says: ‘It shall not be a difficult task for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing at all

Zakariya said "O my Lord! Give me a Sign". He said: "Your sign is that for three nights you shall not be able to speak to the people even being sound in health

After this Zakariya came out of the shrine and asked his people, through sign language, to glorify Allah in the morning and in the evening

To John, when he became old enough, We said: " Hold firmly to the Book." We granted him wisdom, while he was yet a boy

and also granted him kindness and purity by Our grace, and he grew up a pious man

dutiful to his parents - he was neither arrogant nor disobedient

Peace be on him the day he was born, the day of his death and the Day he will be raised to life again

O Muhammad, relate to them the story of Mary in the Book (The Qur'an) when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East

She chose to be secluded from them. We sent to her Our angel and he appeared before her as a grown man

She said: "I seek Rahman’s (Allah’s) protection against you, leave me alone if you are Godfearing

He said: "Don’t be afraid, I am merely a messenger from your Lord to tell you about the gift of a holy son

She said: "How shall I bear a son, no man has ever touched me nor am I unchaste

The angel replied: "So shall it be -Your Lord 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

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

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

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

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

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’

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

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

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

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

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

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

Such was Jesus the son of Mary, and this is the True statement about him concerning which they are in doubt

It is not befitting to the majesty of Allah that He Himself should beget a son! He is far above this; for when He decrees a matter He need only say: "Be" and it is

Jesus declared, Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: therefore serve Him. This is the Right Way

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So when he left them and the deities whom they worshipped besides Allah, We granted him descendants like Isaac and Jacob, and We made each of them a Prophet

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

Relate to them the story of Moses in the Book; surely he was a chosen man and was a Messenger, a Prophet

We called him from the right side of Mount Tur and honored him to come closer for exclusive conversation

We made his brother Haroon a Prophet with Our blessing and assigned him as his assistant

Also relate to them the story of Ishmael in the Book; he was a man of his word and was a Messenger, a Prophet

He commanded his people to establish Salah and give Zakah, and was the one with whom his Lord was well pleased

Also relate to them the story of Idris in the Book; he was a Truthful man, a Prophet

whom We raised to a lofty place

These are some of the Prophets on whom Allah bestowed His favors from among the descendants of Adam and of those whom We carried in the Ark with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. Whenever the Revelations of the Compassionate (Allah) were recited to them, they fell to prostrate and weep

But the generations who succeeded them abandoned the Salah and started following their lusts; so they will soon face the consequences of their deviation

However, those who repent, become believers and do good deeds, will be admitted to Paradise and will not be wronged in the least

They will be granted the Gardens of Eden which the Merciful has promised to His servants, even though they have not seen them, and His promise shall be fulfilled

There they will hear no nonsense, but only the words of peace; and they will be provided their sustenance day and night

Such is the Paradise which We shall give as an inheritance to those of Our Servants who lead a pious life

The angel Gabriel who brought this revelation after a long interval said: "We do not descend from heaven except by the command of your Lord; to Him belongs whatever is before us and whatever is behind us and all that lies in between. Your Lord is never forgetful

He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and of all that lies in between, so worship Him, be steadfast in His worship. Do you know any other being with the qualities like Him

Man says: "What! Once I am dead, shall I be raised to life again

Does not man remember that We created him before out of nothing

By your Lord, We will call them to account in the company of all their Satans and set them on their knees around the Fire of Hell

then from every sect We will certainly drag out its stoutest rebels against the Compassionate (Allah)

Certainly We know best who deserves most to be burned therein

There is not a single one of you, who shall not pass over it, this absolute decree of your Lord is unavoidable

then We will deliver those who were pious and leave the wrongdoers therein humbled on their knees

When Our Clear Revelations are recited to them the unbelievers say to the believer: "Which one, of the two of us, have fine dwelling and better companions

Don’t they see, how many generations have We destroyed before them, who were far greater in riches and in splendor

Tell them: "Anyone who has gone astray, the Compassionate (Allah) prolongs his respite and extends an opportunity until they see about which they were warned; - be it a worldly scourge or the Hour of Doom - then they will realize whose is the worst dwelling and whose are the weak companions

In fact, Allah increases in guidance those who seek guidance; everlasting are only the good deeds, which are the best in the sight of your Lord to earn you a better reward and yield you the best fruit

Have you noticed the words of that person who rejects Our Revelations yet boasts: "I shall always be given wealth and children

Has he gained knowledge of the Unseen or has he been awarded a contract by the Compassionate (Allah)

By no means! We write down what he says and We will make his punishment long and terrible

We will inherit all that he boasts of, and he will come back to Us all alone leaving all these things behind

They have taken other deities for worship besides Allah, so that they should be a source of strength to them

By no means! Those very deities will renounce their worship and turn against them

Don’t you see that We have sent down to the unbelievers Satans who incite them against the Truth

Therefore be not in haste against them, their days are numbered

The Day will surely come when We will gather the righteous like honored guests before the Compassionate (Allah)

and drive the criminals to Hell like thirsty cattle are driven to water

None shall have the power to intercede except the one who may receive the sanction of the Compassionate (Allah)

Those who say: "The Compassionate (God) has begotten a son

certainly preach such a monstrous falsehood

that the very Heavens might crack, the earth might cleave asunder and the mountains might crumble to pieces

at their ascribing a son to the Compassionate (God)

It is not befitting to the Compassionate (God) that He should beget a son

There is none in the heavens and in the earth but must come to the Compassionate (Allah) in full submission

He has a comprehensive knowledge and has kept strict count of all His creatures

and every one of them will come to Him individually on the Day of Resurrection

Surely the Beneficent will bring about love for those who believe and do good deeds

We have made this Qur’an easy in your own language so that you may give good news to the righteous and warn the headstrong contentious folk

How many generations have We destroyed before them! Can you see any of them, or hear even a sound of them