Verses 16–40
This is a shift from the account of John to that of Jesus. There is a great similarity between the two stories. Both their births were miraculous. Jesus was given rightful guidance and Prophethood when he was still a boy, like John. He gave tidings that he was dutiful to his mother, and that he was neither haughty, nor was he wretched and that peace was on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life, just as God said about John. There are other similarities between them. Further, John corroborated what Jesus said and believed in him.
Commentary
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انْتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا ١٦
(19:16) And mention Mary in the Book when she drew aside (intabadhat) from her family to an eastern place.
“The Book” means the Qur’an or a chapter (sūrah) because a chapter is a part of the Book. Part of the Book is also scripture. Both possible interpretations mean the same thing, really, and there is little gain in the insistence by some that the second interpretation should be given preponderance and selected.
Nabdh, according to al-Rāghib, means throwing away something worthless, [something] that is not paid any attention to. One says nabadhahu when one throws something away thinking little of it and not caring about it. Intibādh means keeping away from people and entering into seclusion.
Mary, Amram’s daughter, was the Messiah’s mother. “Mary” refers to the account of Mary. Idh (when) is the adverbial noun of time (ẓarf) for the words that follow. The words, she drew aside … etc. up to the end of the account are the “contents” of the adverbial noun of time (maẓrūf), that is, the account of Mary. This means: “Remember, Muḥammad, in this Book, the account of Mary when she drew aside from her family to an eastern place”. It is as if this means, the east of the mosque.
فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا
(19:17) So she took a veil (ḥijāban) (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man.
A ḥijāb is what covers something and conceals it from others. It was as if she concealed [herself] from her family and cut herself off from them to devote herself to worship, as alluded to by [the verse]:… whenever Zachariah entered the sanctuary to (see) her, he found with her food ().
This was discussed in the exegesis of the verse [in Eng. vol. 6].
It is said that she would stand in worship in the mosque until she menstruated. She would then stand in worship in Zachariah’s house. Then when she became [ritually] pure again, she would go back to the mosque. While she was in an enclosed area of her abode, having put up a screen between her and her family to bathe, Gabriel came in the form of a beardless, well-made young man to visit her, so she sought refuge in God from him.
Author’s comment: There is no evidence in support of this detailed account in the wording. The reader already knows that the verse in Sūrah Āl-ʿImrān is not free of support for the previous interpretation.
It appears from the context that the subject of “appeared” in [the clause], then We sent to her Our Spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man, is the pronoun referring to the Spirit. Hence it was the Spirit sent to her which appeared to her as a well-made man. The meaning of, fa tamaththala lahā basharan, is that he [the Spirit] appeared and she saw him as human—in her sight he was manifest in a human form while in essence (fī nafsihi) he remained a Spirit and not a human.
If he was not a human or a jinn, he was an Angel in the sense of the third creation described by God in His Book and called malak (Angel). He refers to the Angel of revelation in the Qur’an and calls him Gabriel: Whoever is the enemy of Gabriel—for surely he revealed it to your heart; calls him a spirit in (): Say: The holy spirit has revealed it from your Lord (); and The faithful spirit has descended with it, upon your heart (); and calls him a Messenger in: Most surely, it is the Word brought by an honored Messenger ().
All this supports the interpretation that the “Spirit” sent to her by God was Gabriel.
Applying [the following verses]: When the Angels said: O Mary, surely God gives you good news with a word from Him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary (); … She said: My Lord! when shall there be a son (born) to I me, and man has not touched me? He said: Even so, God creates what He pleases; when He has decreed a matter, He only says to it, Be, and it is (), to the verses under discussion, leaves no doubt that what the Angels said to Mary and their dialogue with her there was the same as what the Spirit says to her here. Reference to Gabriel as the Angels, despite it being in the plural, is like referring to something said by a single person as something said by a group because of the group’s sharing the same form, custom or habit. There are many examples in the Qur’an, such as: They say: If we return to Medina, the mighty will surely drive out the meaner therefrom; and to God belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know (), and And when they said: O God! if this is the truth from You, then rain upon us stones from Heaven or inflict on us a painful punishment ().
Each of these was said by one person.
The Spirit is referred to as God’s Spirit out of gratification and to give a sense of greatness. The meaning of the Spirit (rūḥ) was discussed [Eng. vol. 25] under the exegesis of: And they ask you about the soul (al-rūḥ). Say: The soul is one of the commands of my Lord, and you are not given aught of knowledge but a little ().
Some claim, in a weak exegesis, that the spirit referred to in [verse] is Jesus, but that the subject of tamaththala (there appeared) is Gabriel. The problem with this interpretation is obvious.
An example of poor recitation is Rūḥannā instead of rūḥunā (Our Spirit). They take ruḥanna as being the name of the Angel sent to Mary implying that he is not the same as Gabriel, the faithful Spirit. The problem with this interpretation is also obvious.
Discourse
The discussion “Discussion of What Tamaththala (Manifested) Means” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنْكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقِيًّا ١٨
(19:18) She said: Surely I fly for refuge from you to the beneficent God, if you (in kunta) are one guarding (against evil) (taqiy).
She hastened to speak to him because of the shock of his coming to her. She thought he was a human intruder, come to harm her, so she sought refuge in the Beneficent (al-Raḥmān) to benefit from God’s all encompassing beneficence. Indeed, this is the goal of all the obedient devotees to God alone who have cut themselves off from all but Him. Her use of the conditional—if you are one guarding (against evil)—is either to hold the addressee to a quality he claims for himself or a quality that he holds in himself. Hence, the expression of this conditional judgement becomes leverage over the addressee. Guarding against evil is a fine attribute. It is difficult for a person to deny that he is doing it or admit to not guarding against evil. The whole sentence can be interpreted as something along the lines of, “Verily, I seek the refuge and protection of the Beneficent from you if you are one guarding against evil—you should be one who guards against evil. Your piety should stop you from interfering with me and meaning me harm”. The verse is like something addressed to the believers, similar to: … and be careful of (your duty to) God if you are believers ();… and on God should you rely if you are believers ().
It is possible that the word in (if) in in kunta (if you are) is a negative particle meaning, “you are not one who guards against evil because you have invaded my privacy and come in to see me without my permission”. However the first of the two interpretations is more in conformity with the context. A third opinion that taqiy was the name of either a bad or good man should not be given any weight.
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا
(19:19) He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I will give you a boy who will grow up properly (zakiyyan).
This is the Spirit’s [Gabriel’s] reply to Mary. A short answer is given to make it known that he is not a human as she thought, so that her fear will vanish. Then she will be encouraged by the good news. Zakiyy means one who develops properly and grows well.
All of the stories mentioned in this chapter (sūrah) are harmoniously beautiful. God referred to Zachariah and granting him John, [He] referred to Mary and granting her Jesus, [He] referred to Abraham and granting him Isaac and Jacob, and [He] referred to Moses and granting him Aaron.
قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا
(19:20) She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?
“A mortal touching her” is an allusion to marriage, made the opposite, as it is, to being unchaste in reference to fornication. On its own, “a mortal touching her” could mean either. That is why He contents Himself with just saying: and no mortal has yet touched me in the story, as told in Sūrah Āl-ʿImrān, to express both cases. The question is rhetorical, that is: “How can I have a child if a man has never associated with me, either lawfully, through marriage, or unlawfully, through fornication”.
The context is testimony to the fact that she understood from, That I will give you a boy who will grow up properly … that he would give him to her immediately. That is why she said: and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste, in repudiation of having ever been married or fornicated in the past.
قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ ۖ وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ آيَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِنَّا ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرًا مَقْضِيًّا
(19:21) He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy for Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed.
That is, the Spirit [Gabriel] said. Kadhālika (even so) means “as I have described to you”. Then he said: your Lord says: It is easy for Me. What was said above about the story of Zachariah and John also explains these two sentences.
… and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us: This gives some of the reason for the creation of the Messiah in this miraculous fashion. The phrase is joined with a conjunction to an implied phrase, that is: “We created him by blowing in his soul without a father for such and such a reason, We will make him a sign for the people through his nature and a mercy from Us through his message and the miracles (āyāt) at his hands”. Implying some of the purpose and joining, with a conjunction, that which is implied to that which is expressly stated, is a commonly used device in the Qur’an, for example:… and that he might be of those of certitude ().
There is in this device an allusion to the fact that divine purposes are too great to be comprehended by our understanding or expressed properly by mere words.
… and it is a matter which has been decreed: This is an indication of the inevitability of the matter of this boy who will grow up properly. It cannot be prevented by resistance or prayer.
فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانْتَبَذَتْ بِهِ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا
(19:22) So she conceived him; then withdrew herself with him to a remote place.
The word qaṣiyy means remote, that is, she conceived the child, went off on her own, and withdrew herself with him to a place far away from her family.
فَأَجَاءَهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَىٰ جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًّا
(19:23) And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her (fa ajāʾahā) to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten!
Ijāʾa is the fourth form of jāʾ. One says ajāʾahu and jāʾ bihi to mean the same thing that is, he brought it. In this verse, it is an allusion to compelling and forcing. Makhāḍ and ṭalq both mean the pains of childbirth. Jidhʿ al-nakhla means the trunk of the palm tree. Nasy or nisy are similar in form to watr and witr and it means something insignificant that is normally forgotten. This means that when she withdrew herself from her people to a place far away from them, the contractions forced and compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree to give birth to her child.
Reference to it as the trunk of a palm tree, as opposed to simply a palm tree, gives the impression that it was dried out and devoid of its verdure. She said, out of embarrassment on account of her people: “Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been an insignificant thing not paid any attention to and forgotten such that people cannot come upon it as they will come upon me”.
فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا
(19:24) Then (the child) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you;
It is apparent from the context that the subject of the verb in, Then (the child) called out, refers to Jesus and not to the previously mentioned Spirit. This interpretation is supported by the use of the qualification from beneath her. The qualification fits the newborn in relation to his mother at his birth better than it does the Angel calling out. This interpretation is further supported by the pronouns in the surrounding context that refers to Jesus.
There is a claim that the pronoun refers to the Spirit [Gabriel]. The Spirit being under her is explained by her being on a hillock when she gave birth, the Spirit standing under the hillock and calling out to her from under it. However, there is no evidence in the wording in support of that interpretation.
It is also reasonable to infer that he called out to her chronologically follows, She said: Oh, would that I … and that she can only have said these words at the moment of giving birth or after. He then followed it up with by saying: Grieve not …
Grieve not was said to comfort her because of the profound grief and sadness that had descended upon her; there is no calamity that is more hard and bitter for an ascetic, devout woman—especially if she is a virgin—than to be accused of dishonor, especially if she is from a household known both presently and in the past for virtue and purity, and especially if she has no way to defend herself against the accusation and the opponent has evidence against her. That is why he indicated to her not to talk to anyone and he took it upon himself to defend her. That would be incontrovertible proof.
Surely your Lord has made a stream (sariyyan) to flow beneath you: A sariyy could mean a body of water or alternatively it could mean a sublime, noble person. The former is more appropriate to the context. The indication of this from the context is, So eat and drink, as is obvious.
The alternative claim is that it means the latter and applies to Jesus. The reader will already have realized that the context does not support this. In any event, this sentence, right up to the end of what he says, is [meant] to encourage Mary.
وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا
(19:25) And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates.
The word hazz means to shake violently. It is narrated on the authority of al-Farrāʾ that the Arabs say either hazzahu, meaning he shook it or hazza bihi, meaning he shook with it. The third form musāqaṭa means the same as the fourth form isqāṭ and it signifies to make fall or to drop. The subject of the verb tusāqiṭ is the palm tree. Reference to shaking the trunk but attributing the dropping to the nakhla, meaning the palm tree, also gives the impression that the palm tree was dried and only grew leaves and bore fresh ripe fruit there and then. Ruṭab can mean either ripe or unripe dates. Janī means that which is picked. Al-Qāmūs al-muḥīṭ says that it is narrated that janī is only said of something which has been freshly picked.
فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا ۖ
(19:26) So eat and drink and refresh the eye.
The expression qirār al-ʿayn, which literally means the settling of the eye, is an allusion to delight. Aqarr Allāh ʿalayka means “May God make you happy”. Hence the verse means: “So eat the fresh, ripe dates that fall down, drink from the stream which is beneath you and be happy, not sad”. Eating and drinking are evidence of happiness and joy. A bereaved person is too distracted to take pleasure in delicious food and refreshing drink because he is preoccupied by his bereavement. Put all together, it means: “Eat of the fresh, ripe dates, drink from the stream and be happy with what God has given you—not sad. As for the people’s accusation and interrogation which you fear, keep quiet and do not speak to anyone because I will take care of you”.
فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنْسِيًّا ٢٦
(19:26) Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the beneficent [God], so I shall not speak to any man today.
What is meant by fast is a vow of silence, as indicated by what is made logically consequential to that phrase: so I shall not speak to any man today. Similarly, it can be inferred from the context that it was something which was customary at that time and would be easily accepted as an excuse for being silent. Insiyy is the adjective pertaining to ins, the opposite of jinn. It means a human being. The mā in fa immā tarayinna, then if you see, is supplementary (zā’idah). The basis of it is “if you see any mortal then say…” In sum, it means: “If you see any mortal and he speaks to you or asks you about the matter of the child then say…” What is intended by “say” is to make understood through sign language. Making understood through sign language can be called “saying”. Al-Farrāʾ says that the Arabs call everything that reaches a person kalām, meaning speech, regardless of how it reaches him, provided it was not emphasized by a verbal noun [in this case kalām] acting as a corroborative (tawkīd). If, however, the verbal noun (that is, kalām) is used than that which is communicated is deemed as actual speech (ḥaqīqaht-ul kalām).
It would not be unreasonable to infer from, surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent, in light of the context, that he asked her to make an intention to fast straight away, vowing it as an undertaking upon herself to God so that she would not be telling them something that was not true. In any event, then if you see, follows on logically from, and refresh the eye. Hence, the meaning is: “Do not speak to any mortal. Do not answer anyone who asks you about me. Instead, refer the matter to me and I will spare you the trouble of answering their questions and I will cast away their accusations”.
فَأَتَتْ بِهِ قَوْمَهَا تَحْمِلُهُ ۖ قَالُوا يَا مَرْيَمُ لَقَدْ جِئْتِ شَيْئًا فَرِيًّا ٢٧
(19:27) And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Mary! surely you have done a strange thing.
The two pronouns, that is, in “with him and carrying him” refer to Jesus. The question is rhetorical triggered by what they saw of the shocking state of her affair coupled with her history of asceticism and withdrawal from people, her being Amram’s daughter and of the family of Aaron, the Saint. Fariyy is an unprecedented serious offence. Alternatively, it is said that it comes from the word iftirāʾ which means a lie in allusion to the renounced, repugnant deed. The verse that follows supports the first interpretation. The meaning of the verse is obvious.
يَا أُخْتَ هَارُونَ مَا كَانَ أَبُوكِ امْرَأَ سَوْءٍ وَمَا كَانَتْ أُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا
(19:28) O sister of Aaron! your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman.
Majmaʿ al-bayān says that there are four opinions as to who is meant by Aaron (Hārūn): 1) A good Israelite man to whom every good man is said to be related. Based on this interpretation, “being a sister” means “being like”; “sister of Aaron” means one who is like Aaron. 2) He was her half-brother from the side of her father. 3) It means Aaron, brother of Moses to whom God spoke (al-Kalīm). Based on this interpretation, being a sister means “being related to”, the same way people say “sister of Tamīm” (ukht Tamīm). 4) He was a man notorious for prostitution and immorality.
Baghy refers to a prostitute. The meaning of the verse is obvious.
فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ ۖ قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا ٢٩
(19:29) But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who was (man kāna) a child in the cradle (mahd)?
Her pointing to him referred them to him [Jesus], to answer them and reveal the truth of the matter. This constituted doing what he had told her when he was born: Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent, so I shall not speak to any man today, as discussed above.
A mahd is a cot prepared for a baby and in which he is put to sleep. Alternatively it is claimed that in this verse mahd means his mother’s lap. Alternatively, it is claimed that it means murabbāt, that is, a rocking cradle. A further alternative claim is that it is the place he settled on. The underlying assumption for many of these interpretations is that she had not yet made a cradle for him. The truth is, that is the literal meaning of the verse and there is no evidence that she had not yet made a cradle for him at that time. It may be that the people assailed her and spoke to her after she returned home, settled down and made him a cradle or a rocking cradle.
The verse has been challenged on the pretext that use of the word kāna, meaning ‘was’, defeats the purpose because the context dictates that the people should deem speaking to one who is a child in the cradle to be preposterous and not speaking to one who was a child in the cradle before that. Everyone—man or woman—spoken to by people was a child in the cradle at some time before they were spoken to and there is nothing preposterous in that.
The first response to that is that sometimes the past tense refers to the distant past, while [other times] it refers to the recent past just before the present. The wrong meaning is only rendered if the word kāna (was) in the verse means the distant past. However, if it is the recent past, just before the present—which is the time when it is proposed that they spoke to him—there is no danger of the wrong meaning being rendered. This explanation is provided by al-Zamakhsharī in al-Kashshāf.
Author’s reply: Even though the above response refutes the objection, it does not apply to the underlying reason for their refusal to speak to Jesus. They were only refusing to converse with him because he was at present a child in the cradle not because he had a little earlier been a child in the cradle. Thus kāna is supplementary.
A second explanation is that the clause, How should we speak is giving an account of the past. Man, meaning ‘who’, in man kāna is a relative pronoun. Put all together, the meaning is: “How can we speak to those characterized as being in the cradle. We have not spoken to them ever before such that we should speak to this one now”. This explanation is also provided by al-Zamakhsharī in al-Kashshāf.
Author’s reply: Even though more than one person has deemed it to be correct, it is an interpretation which is counter intuitive.
A third explanation offered to clear the objection regarding the use of kāna is that kāna is supplementary that provides emphasis without any indication as to tense, while man kāna fī l-mahd, who was in the cradle, is the inchoative (mubtadaʿ) and enunciative (khabar) and sabiyyan is an emphasized circumstantial qualifier (ḥāl).
Author’s reply: There is no evidence for this. Furthermore, it is an addition that causes unnecessary confusion, besides which, it is said that kāna is a supplement that indicates tense but not the current state.
A fourth explanation is that the word man, meaning ‘who’, in the verse is conditional and kāna fī l-mahd sabiyyan, was a child in the cradle, is its condition. Kayfa nukallimu, how should we speak, is the consequent clause of the conditional sentence (jazāʾ al-sharṭ). Put all together, it means: “Someone who is a child in the cradle cannot be spoken to”. The past tense when used in the conditional sentence refers to the future, thus there is no problem.
Author’s reply: It is obvious contrivance.
It could be said that kāna is not indicative of any tense because the grammatical context of the sentence is that of a condition and its consequent meaning: “Someone who is a child in the cradle cannot be spoken to”. Alternatively, it could be said that kāna is used to indicate lasting, if not permanent, applicability between the adjective and the noun it describes, as in: Say: Glory be to my Lord; am I (hal kuntu) aught but a mortal messenger? ()
That is, humanity and Prophethood have materialized in me so I cannot do what a human Prophet cannot do. … and whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority, so let him not exceed the just limits in slaying; surely he (wa kāna) is (or was) aided ().
That is, aid is concomitant to him by Our making the past (māḍī) adjective concomitant to the noun.
Thus, the verse at hand means: “How should we speak to a child in the earliest infancy in his cradle who was and will remain an infant for some time”. God knows best.
قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا ٣٠
(19:30) He said: Surely I am a servant of God; He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet;
This is the beginning of his response. He did not address the problem of his birth, about which they continued to pester Mary, because his speaking during his infancy—a miracle—and the truth he told made his position clear. Further, he sends a greeting of peace upon himself at the end of his speech, thereby testifying to his purity and his being clear of any abomination or filth. Part of his purity was the legitimacy of his birth (ṭahārat mawlidihi).
He began by saying: Surely I am a servant of God; he acknowledged his servitude to God and thereby refuted the extreme beliefs held by those who elevate him above his station and thus he completed the case against them. Similarly, he concludes by saying: And surely God is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him.
“He has given me the book” is a tiding of his having been given the Book. The apparent meaning is the Gospel.
The words, and made me a Prophet informs of his Prophethood. The difference between being a Prophet and being a Messenger was discussed in the discussion on Prophethood [in Ar. vol. 2] under “The Difference between Nubuwwah (Prophethood) and Risālah (Messengership)”. At that time, he was just a Prophet. Thereafter, God chose him to be a Messenger. The literal meaning of the words is that he had already been given the Book and Prophethood and not that it is a tiding of what was yet to come.
وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا٣١
(19:31) And He has made me blessed (mubārakan) wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and zakat so long as I live.
His being blessed (mubārak) wherever he may be means his being the locus of baraka. Baraka means an increase in goodness. He was truly of benefit to people; he taught them beneficial knowledge, exhorted them to good deeds, gave them a morally enriching education, healed the blind and lepers, reformed the strong, and helped the weak.
The words, and He has enjoined on me prayer and zakat … are an allusion to prayer and the zakat being made part of his code of religious law. Ṣalāt (prayer) is a particular kind of devotion to God and zakat is monetary charitable expenditure. This is what Qur’anic custom settled on—always mentioning prayer and the zakat together; they are linked together in some twenty places. Accordingly, no attention should be paid to those who say that zakat means purification and cleansing of the soul and not charitable giving.
وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا ٣٢
(19:32) And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed;
That is: “He has made me affectionate and compassionate with people. Part of that is being dutiful to my mother and I am not haughty and wretched with regard to everyone else”. Jabbār is someone who makes people put up with whatever he wants but is unwilling to put up with anything from them. It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ʿAṭāʾ that jabbār means someone who does not give sincere advice and shaqiyy is someone who does not take sincere advice.
وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدْتُ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا
(19:33) And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.
This is a greeting of peace on himself at the three universal stages which receive him in his being and his existence. It was explained above at the end of the story of John.
Granted, there is a difference between the two greetings. The greeting of peace in the story of John is in the indefinite, which indicates kind, whereas in this story it is additionally augmented with the definite article of kind (al-). This further deepens the emphasis on the genus and communicates a broader more encompassing expression of peace. Another difference is that it is God who sends a greeting of peace upon John, whereas it is Jesus who sends a greeting of peace on himself.
ذَٰلِكَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ۚ قَوْلَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِي فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ ٣٤
(19:34) Such is Jesus, son of Mary; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute (yamtarūn).
It is apparent that this verse and the following one [] are expostulatory. The third verse [] is the end of Jesus’ speech.
Such is Jesus, son of Mary, is an allusion to the whole story told about him and the explanation of his attributes, that is, that which God mentioned—how he was born, his servanthood to God, his being given the Book, and his being made a Prophet as he described to the people—is Jesus son of Mary.
Qawl al-ḥaqq (the saying of truth) is made accusative by something which is implied, that is, “I say the saying of truth (aqūl qawl al-ḥaqq).”The expression, yamtarūn in verse 34, means they complain or dispute with each other. This describes Jesus. Together it means: “That is Jesus son of Mary about whom they complain or dispute with each other”.
Some have also said that qawl al-ḥaqq (the saying of truth) means kalimat al-ḥaqq (the word of truth), that is, Jesus, because God called him His Word in: … and His Word which He communicated to Mary ();… gives you good news with a Word from Him (). … a Word from God ().
Based on this interpretation, qawla al-ḥaqq is laudative. However, the first interpretation is supported by God’s words elsewhere which mean the same:… the truth from your Lord, so be not of the disputers ().
مَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ مِنْ وَلَدٍ ۖ سُبْحَانَهُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ٣٥
(19:35) It is not befitting that God should take to Himself a son! glory be to Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it “Be”, and it is.
This is a denial and refutation of the claim by Christians that the Messiah is the “Son of God.” The phrase, when He has decreed a matter He only says to it “Be”, and it is, is proof of the refutation. The word qaḍā, meaning decreed, is only used to indicate the impossibility of their claim. That is because one [generally] wants a son for assistance in one’s daily affairs yet God has no need for that. He never fails to get what He wants—when He has decreed a matter He only says to it, “Be”, and it is. Further, a son constitutes part of the father’s existence which he sets apart from himself, then gradually raises him until he becomes an individual like him. God has no need for this graduality when achieving His deeds. Nor is there any like Him. Whatever He wants, is, without any delay or transition, and is never like Him. A similar interpretation was presented in the exegesis of: And they say: God has taken to himself a son. Glory be to Him ().
وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ ۚ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ ٣٦
(19:36) And surely God is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.
This is joined by the conjunction ‘and’ to, Surely I am a servant of God (). It is part of what Jesus said. Part of the proof of that is the exact same verse appearing in the direct speech quotation of his invitation to his people where his story is told in Sūrah Āl-ʿImrān. Similarly Sūrah al-Zukhruf [The Ornaments of Gold] reads: Surely God is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path: But parties from among them differed, so woe to those who were unjust because of the chastisement of a painful day ().
Thus there is no reason some exegetes should have thought it possible that the verse starts afresh and is the beginning of something said by God or is something He told the Prophet to say: And surely God is my Lord and your Lord … Furthermore, the context does not support either of these two interpretations. Rather, it is part of what Jesus said. He concluded his speech by acknowledging that he has a Lord (marbūb) just as he began his speech by testifying to his servanthood to God so as to eradicate the extreme beliefs held by those who elevate him above his station and to complete the case against them.
فَاخْتَلَفَ الْأَحْزَابُ مِنْ بَيْنِهِمْ ۖ فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ مَشْهَدِ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ ٣٧
(19:37) But parties from among them disagreed with each other, so woe to those who disbelieve, at the scene of a tremendous day.
The word aḥzāb is the plural of ḥizb, meaning a group which has a different opinion from everyone else. Fa akhtalafa al-aḥzāb means each ḥizb said something different from the others. The only reason the verse says min baynihim is because among them were those who remained firmly with the truth. It may be claimed that the word min (from) is supplementary and that the part which is fundamental is ikhtalafa al-aḥzāb baynahum, parties among them disagreed, but the problem with this interpretation is obvious.
Wayl is a word of threat which means severe punishment. Mashhad is a noun of place beginning with the letter Mīm and means the witnessing.
Stories about Jesus and the salient points on the disagreements the Christians had over him were discussed in detail in Ar. vol. 3 of this book. (Eng. vol. 6)
أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا ۖ لَٰكِنِ الظَّالِمُونَ الْيَوْمَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ٣٨
(19:38) How clearly shall they hear and how clearly shall they see on the day when they come to Us; but the unjust this day are in manifest error.
The expression asmiʿ bihim wa abṣir means: “How clearly shall they hear and how clearly shall they see on the day when they come to Us and return to Us, on the Day of Resurrection? The truth of the matter over which they disagreed will become clear to them”. This is as acknowledged by them: Our Lord! we have seen and we have heard, therefore send us back, we will do good; surely (now) we are certain ().
The disjunctive in, but the unjust this day are in manifest error is to prevent a mistaken belief that if the unjust hear and see on the Day of Resurrection and the truth is revealed to them, they will be rightly guided and be fortunate to attain knowledge and certainty. God disjunctively states that they will not benefit from that or be rightly guided. Instead, the unjust will be in manifest error on that day on account of their unjustness. Judgment Day is a day of requital, not a day to action. On that day they will only find what they had done before and the effect of what they had acquired in their past for their day. All possibility for starting afresh on the Day of Resurrection and acting with the expectation of future reward is no more. In other words, the disposition (malaka) for error became embedded in them in this world and, with the advent of death, they are cut off from having any choice. There is nothing left for them but to live compelled in the error within which they have trapped themselves with no chance of remediation. So the revelation of the truth and the manifestation of reality avails them not.
One exegete says that the verse means that the Prophet is being told to make the people hear and see by explaining that on the day when they are summoned for reckoning and punishment they will be in manifest error. This is an absurd interpretation which does not apply to the verse at all.
وَأَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْحَسْرَةِ إِذْ قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٣٩
(19:39) And warn them of the day of intense regret, when the matter shall have been decided; and they are (now) in negligence and they do not believe.
It is apparent from the context that when the matter shall have been decided explains what the day of intense regret means. There is in it an allusion to the fact that the intense regret will only come to them because the matter will have been destined and decreed. Destiny (qaḍāʾ) of the matter only causes intense regret if the person whose matter is decided loses what delights his eye, is his soul’s desire, is the core of his happiness, is what he could have achieved for himself and he sees no joy in living without it because of his heart’s attachment to it and infatuation with it. Everyone knows that people are not happy to lose something like this even if they have to endure unpleasantness to keep it. Hence, if it does become the case that one fails to achieve this goal, it is just that negligence diverted them from it and so made them remiss with regard to it. That is why He follows up what He says with: and they are (now) in negligence and they do not believe. The meaning is, and God knows best: “and make them fear a day on which the matter shall have been decided, such that eternal doom would be inevitable for them. They will be cut off from their eternal happiness in which there would have been the delight for their eyes and they will feel immeasurable, intense regret over it because they were negligent in this world, and did not travel the path that would have directed them and let them go straight to it, that is, believing in God alone and denying that He has any son or partner”.
What was said above makes it unnecessary to discuss the various explanations offered by exegetes of this verse. And God is the Guide.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَرِثُ الْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ ٤٠
(19:40) Surely We inherit the earth and all those who are on it, and to Us they shall be returned.
Al-Rāghib says in his Mufradāt: Wirātha and irth means the transfer of property to you from someone else, who is deceased, without a contract or anything in lieu of a contract. One can either say warithtu mālan ʿan Zayd, meaning “I inherited money from Zayd” or warithtu Zaydan, meaning “I inherited Zayd”.
It is as if the verse is a confirmation and a kind of explanation of what He says in the previous verse: quḍiya al-amr, the matter shall have been decided. It means: “This decision is simple and easy for Us because We shall inherit the earth and all of you, and, you shall be returned to Us”. Inheritance of the earth takes place when they leave it by dying—and so it is left behind for God. As for inheritance from the earth’s inhabitants it is through their dying, leaving everything they owned to God . Thus, these two sentences mean the same thing: “We shall inherit the earth from them”.
We could interpret the verse more precisely than that—as meaning that God will be the only One who remains after everything comes to an end. He will remain after the earth comes to an end. He will take possession of all that the earth held of its very existence as well as the traces of its existence. He will remain after mankind comes to an end, and take possession of what man used to own—as He said, ownership will be exclusive to Him: To whom belongs the kingdom this day? To God, the One, the Subduer (of all) (). And We will inherit of him what he says, and he shall come to Us alone ().
What this inheritance really means is that everyone returns and is assembled before Him. Thus, and to Us they shall be returned is an explanatory phrase joined with a conjunction equivalent to an explanation of the second sentence or to both sentences put together but with attention focused on rational beings as opposed to others, or, on account of everything coming forward as a rational being that day.
This explanation is better than the accusation of repetition concomitant to the first explanation because it is like saying, “I inherited Zayd’s property and from Zayd”.
Ending the story of Jesus with this verse is not at all inappropriate because God’s inheriting is one of the proofs of His not having a son. A father only wants a son as an heir. One who inherits everything has no need for a son.
Examining Narrations
- Majmaʿ al-bayān says on the authority of al-Bāqir that he, that is, Gabriel took the neck of her [Mary’s] tunic in his mouth, blew in it and the child was immediately fully grown in her womb, the same way children are normally fully grown in women’s wombs after nine months. Thereafter, she exited the bathing area, heavily pregnant. Her aunt then looked at her, dumbfounded. Mary passed in front of her, embarrassed from her aunt and Zachariah. It is said that her pregnancy lasted nine hours.
Author’s comment: This is also narrated on the authority of al-Ṣādiq. Some oral traditions say that her pregnancy lasted six months.
- Majmaʿ al-bayān says about (the Words), Oh, would that I had died before this. … : She only wished for death as narrated on the authority of al-Ṣādiq because she could not find among her people a rightly guided one endowed with depth of perception to exalt her person from accusation.
- Majmaʿ al-bayān says regarding, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you: Gabriel stamped his foot and sweet water appeared. Alternatively it is claimed that instead Jesus stamped his foot and a source of running water appeared, as narrated on the authority of al-Bāqir.
- The Prophet said regarding (the Words), surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you: It is a river.
Author’s comment: There is another oral tradition in al-Durr al-manthūr on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar on the authority of the Prophet that it means a river which God made flow forth for her to drink from.
- Al-Khiṣāl says on the authority of ʿAlī in the narration known as ḥadīth al-ʾarbaʿmiʾa, the narration of the four hundred: A pregnant woman can eat and be remedied by nothing better than fresh dates. God said to Mary: And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates: So eat and drink and refresh the eye.
Author’s comment: This interpretation is narrated in a number of oral traditions narrated by Ahl al-Sunna on the authority of the Prophet and by the Shia on the authority of al-Bāqir.
- al-Ṣādiq said: Fasting is not just from food and drink. He then said: Mary said: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent, that is, a vow of silence. [One edition says: “that is, silence”.] So if you engage in fasting, guard your tongues, avert your gazes and do not dispute with each other or envy each other.
- al-Mughīra b. Shuʿba said: The Prophet sent him to Najran and the people said: Have you not read: “O sister of Aaron” even though they are separated by this [much time] and that [many generations]. So he mentioned this question to the Prophet . So he replied: Did you not tell them that they were named after their Prophets and the pious ones among them?
Author’s comment: The hadith is cited in full in al-Durr al-manthūr and in an abridged version in Majmaʿ al-bayān on the authority of al-Mughīra on the authority of the Prophet . The hadith means that Aaron, as in “O sister of Aaron” refers to a man named after Aaron the Prophet—Moses’ brother. There is no indication in it that he [that is, the man] was pious as some mistakenly believe.
- al-Ṣādiq said: And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, means of abundant benefit to others.
Author’s comment: This is also narrated on the authority of the Prophet . The wording of the hadith is: The Prophet said: Jesus’ words, And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, mean: He made of me abundant benefit to people wherever I went.
- The Prophet said: And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, means a teacher and mentor [who teaches good behavior].
- Burayd al-Kināsī said: I asked al-Bāqir: Was Jesus son of Mary a commanding proof (ḥujjah) from God over the people of his time when he spoke from the cradle? He replied: At that time he was a Prophet and God’s commanding proof (hujjah) but not yet a Messenger. Did you not hear what He says: He said: Surely I am a servant of God; He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet; And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and zakat so long as I live (). I asked: At that time, as he was in the cradle, was he God’s ḥujjah over Zachariah? He replied: Jesus as he then was, was God’s sign and a mercy from God to Mary when he spoke—and spoke on her behalf. He was a Prophet and God’s commanding proof over whoever heard what he said at that moment. He then kept silent and did not speak again until he was two years old. Zachariah was then God’s commanding proof—Mighty and Sublime is He—for the two years after Jesus fell silent. Then Zachariah passed away and so his son John inherited the Book and Wisdom while yet a young boy. Do you not hear His Words, Mighty and Sublime is He:
() O John! take hold of the book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child?
Then, when he [Jesus] turned seven, he spoke of Prophethood and being a Messenger when he began to receive revelation. Jesus was then the ḥujjah over John and all the people. The world has not been left for a single day, O Abā Khālid, without a commanding proof of God (ḥujjah) over the people since the day God created Adam and made him dwell on the earth.
- Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyā said: I said to al-Riḍā: We used to ask you before you were granted Abū Jaʾfar and you would reply: God will grant me a son. God did grant you one and our eyes were delighted. May God never let us see the day you die but if it does come, to whom [will the divine successorship go]? He then pointed to Abū Jaʾfar who was standing before him. I said: May I be made your sacrifice. This is a boy of three. He replied: That won’t do you any harm. Jesus rose with [the role of] God’s commanding proof (ḥujjah) when he was a boy of three.
Author’s comment: Something similar is said in some other oral traditions.
- Muʿāwiya b. Wahb said: I asked al-Ṣādiq what is the best thing by which the servants can get closer to their Lord and which is most beloved to Him, Mighty and Sublime is He and he replied: I know nothing after knowledge (maʿrifah) better than this prayer. Do you not see that the pious servant Jesus son of Mary said: and He has enjoined on me prayer and zakat so long as I live ()?
- ʿUyūn al-akhbār says via its chain of narration back to a hadith by al-Ṣādiq: Another example is recalcitrance toward parents because God, Mighty and Sublime is He, says in direct speech attributed to Jesus’ in the Qur’an, that someone who is recalcitrant toward his parents is “haughty, wretched”: And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed.
Author’s comment: It is apparent from the oral tradition that he has treated “and He has not made me insolent, unblessed” as a phrase, introduced by a conjunction, explanatory to “And dutiful to my mother”.
- God’s Messenger said: When the people of Heaven enter Heaven and the people of hell enter hell, “O People of Heaven”, will be said to them, and they will come out and look around. “O People of hell”, will be said to them, and they will come out and look around. Death will be brought like [in the form of] the finest ram. They will be asked: “Do you know death?” They will reply: “This. This [pointing to the ram, is death]” They will all know it. He said: He will come forward and be slaughtered. Then it will be said to them, “O People of Heaven, [you will have] eternity, and no death”, and it will be said, “O People of hell, [you will have] eternity, and no death”. He said: That is what, And warn them of the day of intense regret … means.
- Majmaʿ al-bayān says: Our Companions narrated this on the authority of Abū Jaʾfar (al-Bāqir) and Abū ʿAbdillāh (Jaʾfar al-Ṣādiq). The ending says: Thereafter the people of Heaven will rejoice greatly. If any of them were to die on that day they will die of joy. The people of hell will wail loudly. If any of them were to die [on that day], they will die [out of grief and sorrow].
Author’s comment: Words to the same effect are narrated by compilers of hadith collections apart from Muslim, for example, al-Bukhārī, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nisāʾī, al-Ṭabarī, etc. on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, Abū Hurayra, Ibn Masʿūd, and Ibn ʿAbbās.
- Tafsīr, al-Qūmmī says, regarding [the Words], Surely We inherit the earth and all those who are on it: “Everything created by God is inherited by God on the Day of Resurrection”.
Author’s comment: This second interpretation is one of the two meanings of the verse discussed above in its exegesis.
A more familiar example to the readers will be Abū l-Fadl’s family relationship to some of the enemies. The enemies referred to him and his brothers as Bani ukhtina (sons of our sister). They did not literally means sons of their sister but rather sons of a female member of our tribe or clan. (Trans.) ↩︎
An adjective expressing or containing praise. (Ed.) ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr cited by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Ṣaghīr and Ibn Mardawayh on the authority of al-Barāʾ b. ʿĀzib ↩︎
Al-Kāfī via its chain of narration on the authority of Jarrāḥ al-Madāʾinī ↩︎
Saʿd al-Suʿūd by Ibn Ṭawūs from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad al-Azdī’s book, told by Sammāk b. Ḥarb ↩︎
Al-Kāfī and Maʿānī l-akhbār ↩︎
al-Durr al-manthūr on the authority of compilers of hadith collections on the authority of Abū Hurayra ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr cited by Ibn ʿUdayy and Ibn ʿAsākir on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd ↩︎
Ḥujjah is a term used to describe a person endowed by God with special manifest attributes and a source of guidance to people over whom he has the right of obedience. (Ed.) ↩︎
Al-Kāfī via its chain of narration ↩︎
ibid ↩︎
ibid ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān narrated by Saḥīḥ Muslim via a chain of narration quoting Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī. ↩︎