In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Zachariah and the birth of John (19:1–15)
K. H. Y. ʿH. Z. The mention of thy Lord’s mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he called on his Lord with a secret calling. Said he, ‘My Lord! verily, my bones are weak, and my head flares with hoariness; — and I never was unfortunate in my prayers to Thee, my Lord! 5 But I fear my heirs after me, and my wife is barren; then grant me from Thee a successor, to be my heir and the heir of the family of Jacob, and make him, my Lord! acceptable.’
‘O Zachariah! verily, we give thee glad tidings of a son, whose name shall be John. We never made a namesake of his before.’
Said he, ‘My Lord! how can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached through old age to decrepitude?’
10 He said, ‘Thus says thy Lord, It is easy for Me, for I created thee at first when yet thou wast nothing.’
Said he, ‘O my Lord! make for me a sign.’ He said, ‘Thy sign is that thou shalt not speak to men for three nights (though) sound.’
Then he went forth unto his people from the chamber, and he made signs to them: ‘Celebrate (God’s) praises morning and evening!’
‘O John! take the Book with strength;’ and we gave him judgment when a boy, and grace from us, and purity; and he was pious and righteous to his parents, and was not a rebellious tyrant.
15 So peace upon him the day he was born, and the day he died, and the day he shall be raised up alive.
The annunciation to Mary and the birth of Jesus (19:16–26)
And mention, in the Book, Mary; when she retired from her family into an eastern place; and she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; and we sent unto her our spirit; and he took for her the semblance of a well-made man. Said she, ‘Verily, I take refuge in the Merciful One from thee, if thou art pious.’ Said he, ‘I am only a messenger of thy Lord to bestow on thee a pure boy.’
20 Said she, ‘How can I have a boy when no man has touched me, and when I am no harlot?’ He said, ‘Thus says thy Lord, It is easy for Me! and we will make him a sign unto man, and a mercy from us; for it is a decided matter.’
So she conceived him, and she retired with him into a remote place. And the labour pains came upon her at the trunk of a palm tree, and she said, ‘O that I had died before this, and been forgotten out of mind!’ and he called to her from beneath her, ‘Grieve not, for thy Lord has placed a stream beneath thy feet; 25 and shake towards thee the trunk of the palm tree, it will drop upon thee fresh dates fit to gather; so eat, and drink, and cheer thine eye; and if thou shouldst see any mortal say, “Verily, I have vowed to the Merciful One a fast, and I will not speak to-day with a human being.”’
Jesus speaks from the cradle (19:27–33)
Then she brought it to her people, carrying it; said they, ‘O Mary! thou hast done an extraordinary thing! O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a bad man, nor was thy mother a harlot!’
30 And she pointed to him, and they said, ‘How are we to speak with one who is in the cradle a child?’ He said, ‘Verily, I am a servant of God; He has brought me the Book, and He has made me a prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I be; and He has required of me prayer and almsgiving so long as I live, and piety towards my mother, and has not made me a miserable tyrant; and peace upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised up alive.
‘That is Jesus the son of Mary’ (19:34–40)
35 That is, Jesus the son of Mary, — by the word of truth whereon ye do dispute!
God could not take to himself any son! celebrated be His praise! when He decrees a matter He only says to it, ‘BE,’ and it is; and, verily, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him; this is the right way.
And the parties have disagreed amongst themselves, but woe to those who disbelieve, from the witnessing of the mighty day! they can hear and they can see, on the day when they shall come to us; but the evildoers are to-day in obvious error!
40 And warn them of the day of sighing, when the matter is decreed while they are heedless, and while they do not believe.
Verily, we will inherit the earth and all who are upon it, and unto us shall they return!
‘The Merciful has taken a son’ rejected (19:88–95)
They say, ‘The Merciful has taken to Himself a son:’ — ye have brought a monstrous thing! The heavens well-nigh burst asunder thereat, and the earth is riven, and the mountains fall down broken, that they attribute to the Merciful a son! but it becomes not the Merciful to take to Himself a son! there is none in the heavens or the earth but comes to the Merciful as a servant; He counts them and numbers them by number, 95 and they are all coming to Him on the resurrection day singly.
