Surah Maryam 19:51-65 - Quran Translation Commentary

(19:58) Those were some of the Prophets whom Allah favored, from the seed of Adam and of those We carried (in the boat) with Nuh; and of the seed of Ibrahim and Isra’il⁶⁹ - of those We guided and chose. When verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them they fell down prostrate, crying.⁷⁰

(19:59) Then came after them a posterity⁷¹ who wasted away the Prayer⁷² and followed lusts;⁷³ so they will soon meet with destruction.⁷⁴

(19:60) Except for him who repented, believed and worked righteousness. Such of them will indeed enter Paradise and will not be wronged in the least.

(19:61) Gardens of Eden that the Most Merciful has promised His slave in the Unseen.⁷⁵ Indeed, His promise has to come to pass.

(19:62) They will not hear any loose talk therein, except for peace.⁷⁶ And for them is therein their provision morning and evening.⁷⁷

(19:63) That is the Paradise We shall grant as inheritance to those of Our slaves who had been godfearing.

(19:64) And (the angels say) ‘We descend not but by the command of your Lord.⁷⁸ To Him belongs all that is before us and behind us, and all that is between them.’⁷⁹ And your Lord was not such as to forget.⁸⁰

(19:65) Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them. Therefore, worship Him and forbear in His service.⁸¹ Do you know anyone of a (similar) Name as He?⁸²

Commentary

60. The textual “mukhlas” is also read as “mukhlis” meaning, sincere in his religion, sincere to his Lord (Ibn Jarir and others).

61. Another understanding is that Musa heard the call made from his right hand side. The meaning however can be wider. In Asad’s words, “I.e., to the right side from the standpoint of Moses, as he was facing Mount Sinai (Tabari). However, it is much more probable that the term ‘right side’ has here, as elsewhere in the Qur’an the abstract connotation of ‘blessedness.’”

62. The opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Abu al-`Aliyyah and others was that Allah took him so close that he heard the movement of the Pens (Tabari). That is, that of the Pens held by the angels writing down the Tawrah (Razi, Ibn Kathir).

The report is in several collections and has been termed as Sahih by Hakim. But the reference in the hadith seems obviously to the time when Musa experienced Mi`raj which implies that it was not specific to our Prophet (saws) although most complete in his case (Alusi).

63. Being true to the promise is specifically mentioned as Isma`l’s quality because he stayed true to the promise he gave to his father that he will not flinch when the knife is applied to his throat. Otherwise, of course, all Prophets were endowed with this quality. Our own Prophet was particular about it even before he was chosen for the mission. `Abdullah ibn abi al-Hamsa’ says in a report of Abu Da’ud

بَايَعْتُ النَّبِىَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِبَيْعٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُبْعَثَ وَبَقِيَتْ لَهُ بَقِيَّةٌ فَوَعَدْتُهُ أَنْ آتِيَهُ بِهَا فِى مَكَانِهِ فَنَسِيتُ ثُمَّ ذَكَرْتُ بَعْدَ ثَلاَثٍ فَجِئْتُ فَإِذَا هُوَ فِى مَكَانِهِ فَقَالَ يَا فَتَى لَقَدْ شَقَقْتَ عَلَىَّ أَنَا هَا هُنَا مُنْذُ ثَلاَثٍ أَنْتَظِرُكَ.

“I made a deal with the Prophet in pre-Islamic days. I paid him partly and told him to wait at the spot for the rest. However, as I went off to fetch, I entirely forgot about it. I happened to pass by the place after three days and found him right there. He remarked, “Young man, you put me into hardship. I am waiting for you here since three days” (Qurtubi).

But the hadith has been declared not quite trustworthy by some authorities, while Ibn Kathir evinces some confidence (Au.).

64. Ibn Kathir points out here that while mentioning Is-haq, Allah qualified him as a Prophet, while mentioning Isma`il, he qualified him both as Prophet and a Messenger. This demonstrates the superiority of Isma`il over Is-haq. This is strengthened by a Prophetic statement which says, “Indeed, of the sons of Ibrahim, Allah chose Isma`il..”

There is a lack of clarity about the exact functions of a Prophet (nabiyy). This rises from the simple fact that we do not know enough about the anbiya’ of the past. Previous nations have not preserved their history to any degree of credibility. In fact, the term nabiyy itself has been variously understood. In the words of Mawdudi, “Lexicographers disagree as to the exact meaning of the word nabi. Some consider it to be the derivative of the term naba’ and denotes ‘to give news and hence the word nabi means someone who brings news. Others consider it to be derived from nabu, meaning height and elevation.. Accordingly, nabi is a person who holds a high, elevated position.”

What in any case, is the difference between a Prophet and a Messenger? Mujahid answered in very simple terms. He said, as in Ibn Abi Hatim, “Prophets are those who are revealed to, but not sent to a people. In contrast, Messengers are those who are given revelations, and, in addition, are sent to a people” (Shawkani).

Alusi adds: However, a Messenger need not carry a new Shari`ah altogether. According to one opinion, sometimes he is sent with the Shari`ah of a previous Messenger, to a people who had not received a revealed Shari`ah earlier. This is the case with Isma`il. A new Shari`ah was not revealed to him. But rather, he carried the Shari`ah of Ibrahim to a people – in this case the Jurham tribe – who had not received any Shari`ah through any earlier Messenger.

Yusuf Ali simplifies it while writing about Musa: “.. he was a prophet (nabi), in that he received inspiration; and he was a messenger (rasul) in that he had a Book of Revelation, and an Ummat or organized community, for which he instituted laws.”

65. Ibn Kathir writes: Allah (swt) has also said about Prayers (66: 6):

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ [التحريم : 6]

“Believers! Save yourselves and your homefolk from a Fire whose fuel is men and stones. It is in charge of such angels as are harsh, tough, who do not disobey Allah, but rather do as they are ordered.”

And the Prophet has said,

رَحِمَ اللَّهُ رَجُلا قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى وَأَيْقَظَ امْرَأَتَهُ ، فَإِنْ أَبَتْ نَضَحَ فِي وَجْهِهَا الْمَاءَ ، رَحِمَ اللَّهُ امْرَأَةً قَامَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّتْ وَأَيْقَظَتْ زَوْجَهَا ، فَإِنْ أَبَى نَضَحَتْ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْمَاءَ

“May Allah show mercy to a man who got up in the depth of the night and Prayed, and woke up his wife. If she did not respond, he sprinkled water on her face. May Allah show mercy to the woman who got up in the depth of night, Prayed, and woke her husband up. If he did not respond, she sprinkled water on his face.” The hadith is in Abu Da’ud and Ibn Majah.

It was declared as of strong chain by Al-Arna’ut (Au.).

66. In the absence of a hadith, opinions vary about Idris. But many see him as the first Messenger (rasul) after Adam, being a grand grandfather of Nuh. He was given 30 scriptures (Alusi). Ibn Mas`ud however thought that Idris and Ilyas were one and the same person (Alusi, Shawkani).

Majid adds: “(He is) Probably the Enoch of the Bible .. who lived for 365 years (Ge. 5: 18-21). But Yusuf Ali rightly expresses his doubts. He writes, “Idris is mentioned twice in the Qur’an, viz., here and in xxi. 85, where he is mentioned among those who patiently persevered. His identification with the Biblical Enoch, who ‘walked with God’ (Gen. v. 21-24), may or not be correct. Nor are we justified in interpreting verse 57 here as meaning the same thing as in Gen. v. 24 (‘God took him’), that he was taken up without passing through the portals of death.”

67. “This is perhaps to refute the opinion held by a section of the Jews that Enoch was ‘inconsistent in his piety (JE. V. p. 178),’ or that ‘he was light-minded and inclined to sin again’ (Rashi, On Genesis, p. 93)” – Majid.

68. Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Dahhak and others have said that Idris was raised up to the fourth or sixth heaven, where he died. Our Prophet had met him in the fourth heaven when he himself had gone there during his Mi`raj journey (Tabari, Ibn Kathir). Many of those who believe that he was taken up to the heavens think that he went up alive (Alusi). However, there is no hadith to this effect and the earliest commentators seem to have been, as pointed out by Majid, influenced by Jewish traditions (Au.).

69. The commentators have used this verse to conclude that Idris appeared before Nuh. For, in the words of Mawdudi, (with the modification of names), “Of the Messengers mentioned here, Yahya, `Isa and Musa are descendants of Ya`qub and Isma`il; Is-haq and Ya`qub are descendants of Ibrahim, and Ibrahim is a descendant of Nuh. This leaves only Idris and it is to him alone that the expression ‘descendant of Adam’ might be applied.”

70. It is reported that once ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab recited this chapter, prostrated himself at this point and remarked, “Here is the prostration, but where is the crying?!” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Majah, Is-haq b. Rahwayh and Bazzar have a report coming down through Sa`id b. Waqqas. The Prophet said,

اتلوا القرآن وابكوا فان لم تبكوا فتباكوا

“Recite the Qur’an and cry. If you can not, then attempt to cry” (Alusi).

According to some scholars, the above report does not meet with the strict conditions of acceptance. But Haythami expressed some confidence in it (Au.).

71. The allusion is to the evil posterity of every nation: Jews, Christians, Muslims etc. (Ibn Jarir and others). Mujahid has said that this class of people will emerge near the end of the world (Qurtubi).

72. Although stray opinions say that the allusion by “wasting away of the Prayers” is to delaying or neglecting them, the preferred opinion is that the allusion is to not Praying at all (Ibn Jarir). The opinion of Ibn Mas`ud, Nakha`i, Qasim, Mujahid and ‘Umar b. `Abdul `Aziz was that delaying the Prayers beyond the sanctioned time is to be “wasting it.” Some have said that to pray at home is also to waste it (Shafi`).

In other words, the opinion of the Salaf is split between interpreting it as “not praying at all,” and “doing the prayers badly.”

Ibn Mas`ud said that not doing the prayers on time is to “waste it.” He was told, “But we thought not doing it at all was to be wasting it.” He replied, “That’s kufr.”

Abu Sa`id al-Khudri reports a hadith preserved by Ahmad wherein the Prophet (saws) said,

يكون خلف بعد ستين سنة، أضاعوا الصلاة واتبعوا الشهوات، فسوف يلقون غيا. ثم يكون خلف يقرءون القرآن لا يعدو تراقيهم. ويقرأ القرآن ثلاثة: مؤمن، ومنافق، وفاجر". قال بشير (3) : قلت للوليد: ما هؤلاء الثلاثة؟ قال: المؤمن مؤمن به، والمنافق كافر به، والفاجر يأكل به

“An evil set of followers will appear after sixty years. They will waste away the Prayers and follow lust. They will meet with their destruction. They will be followed by successors worse than them. They will recite the Qur’an but it will not go beyond their throats. And the Qur’an is read by three kinds of people: believers, hypocrites and the corrupt (fasiq).” The narrator was asked about the three. What exactly did the Prophet mean? He replied, “A believer who believes in it. An hypocrite who disbelieves in it. And a corrupt person who makes money out of it” (Ibn Kathir).

The earlier part of the hadith is in Hakim who declared it Sahih (Shawkani). Hakim’s opinion is seconded by Dhahabi. As such the report is also in Ibn Hibban and Ahmad (S. Ibrahim).

Qurtubi discusses the question of Salah in detail. He quotes ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab as saying, “Whoever neglected the Prayers will neglect everything else all the more.” Hudhayfa saw a man doing his Prayers badly. He asked him, “Since how long have you been Praying?” The man answered, “Forty years.” Hudhayfa said, “If you died Praying the way you did just now, you will die on a religion other than that of Muhammad.” The Prophet (saws) has said in reports coming down from several sources that the first thing to be accounted for is Prayers. If one gets through it, he will get through the rest of the deeds also. According to a report in Abu Da’ud, the Prophet said, “If a man’s Prayers are wanting in quality or quantity, Allah will command the angels to look into his Nawafil (supererogatory). If the shortage is met, good. It is after that, that other deeds will be looked into.”

73. `Ali is reported to have said that to construct palatial houses or use such vehicles or put on such clothes as which attract attention of the people, constitutes “following the lust” (Qurtubi, Shafi`).

Mujahid remarked that the allusion is to those of the Ummah (near the end of the world) who will leap on each other in the streets like the cattle and donkey, neither fearing the One in the heavens, nor shying from the people on the earth (Ibn Kathir).

The above is now taking place in the non-Muslim world, which is not likely to be curbed, but could spread to Muslims (Au.).

74. The translation of “ghayy” as destruction is more or less literal. Some of the earliest commentators however, have thought that “ghayy” is the name of a valley in Hell where pus, blood, vomit and refuse of the inhabitants is collected. A hadith is also quoted in support (Tabari), but it has been judged Da`if by the experts (S. Ibrahim). The prevalent meaning has been that of destruction (Alusi).

75. That is, the promised Gardens of Eden are at present beyond the ken of sense perception (Au.).

76. Yusuf Ali comments: “Salam, translated ‘Peace’, has a much wider significance. It includes (1) a sense of security and permanence, which is unknown in this life; (2) soundness, freedom from defects, perfection as in the word saleem; (3) preservation, salvation, deliverance, as in the word sallama; (4) salutation, accord with those around us; (5) resignation, in the sense that we are satisfied and not discontented; (6) the ordinary meaning of Peace, i.e., freedom from any jarring element. All these shades of meaning are implied in the word Islam.”

77. Of the textual word “rizq”, the sense of providence is only one shade of the meaning. In Yusuf Ali’s words, “Rizq: literally sustenance or means of subsistence; the term covers all the means of perfect satisfaction of body and soul.”

It is said that in pre-Islamic times very few people could afford both lunch and dinner. The few who could were thought to be a fortunate class. Hence the Qur’anic words “morning and evening” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi and others).

Mujahid, Qatadah and Zuhayr b. Muhammad have said that there will be no morning or evening in Paradise. It is only the opening and closing of the Paradise doors or pulling aside of the curtains that will be indicative of passage of time in between. The allusion therefore, by morning and evening, is not to fixed hours for lunch and dinner, but rather, to the fact that the victuals will be in constant supply.

Hasan al-Busri has said in this context that the doors of Paradise will be made of see-through material and will operate on command: when told ‘open’, they will open up, and when told ‘close’, they will close up (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Hasan Busri’s report about Paradise doors seems a step ahead of the present day sophisticated automatic glass doors, which are sensor-operated, and not sonar-operated. Indeed, sonar operated devices are still a distant dream, voice classification and recognition being a major hurdle (Au.).

Ibn Kathir expands on the pleasures available in Paradise. The Prophet said in a report of the Sahihayn,

أَوَّلُ زُمْرَةٍ تَلِجُ الْجَنَّةَ صُورَتُهُمْ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ لَا يَبْصُقُونَ فِيهَا وَلَا يَمْتَخِطُونَ وَلَا يَتَغَوَّطُونَ آنِيَتُهُمْ فِيهَا الذَّهَبُ أَمْشَاطُهُمْ مِنْ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَمَجَامِرُهُمْ الْأَلُوَّةُ وَرَشْحُهُمْ الْمِسْكُ وَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ زَوْجَتَانِ يُرَى مُخُّ سُوقِهِمَا مِنْ وَرَاءِ اللَّحْمِ مِنْ الْحُسْنِ لَا اخْتِلَافَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَلَا تَبَاغُضَ قُلُوبُهُمْ قَلْبٌ وَاحِدٌ يُسَبِّحُونَ اللَّهَ بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا

“The first group to enter Paradise will have faces like the full moon. They will not spit therein, or cleanse their noses, nor would they need to use water closets. Their crockery and combs will be of gold and silver. Their censers made of aloes wood. Their sweat like musk. Each of them will have two wives whose bone marrow of the shins will be visible through the flesh. Such will be their beauty. There will be no differences between them, nor any rancor: hearts united like the hearts of a single man. They will sing Allah’s glory morning and evening.”

78. It is widely reported that once Jibril did not appear for a long while. When the Prophet expressed his anxiety this verse was revealed (Ibn Jarir). But Bukhari reports the following as the context of revelation of this verse. Ibn `Abbas said, “The Prophet asked Jibra’il, ‘What prevents you from coming oftener?’” In response Allah (swt) revealed this verse (Qurtubi).

The absence happened after the Prophet inquired Jibril about the people of the Cave and Dhu al-Qarnayn. His long absence evoked the pagans to allege that Muhammad’s God had abandoned him (Alusi and others).

According to reports in Ibn Abi Hatim, Tabarani and Ahmad, Jibra’il once delayed in coming by several days (some say 12, some others say forty days). The Prophet asked him the reason. He replied,

وكيف نأتيكم وأنتم لا تقصون أظفاركم ولا تنقون براجمكم ولا تستاكون

“(How can we come) when you do not clean your teeth (with Miswak: Ibn Abi Hatim), do not clip your nails, do not clip your moustaches, and do not clean your finger joints”.

The above report is from Ibn abi Shaybah’s collection, but its strength could not be established (Au.).

(The Qur’an used the term “we” rather than “I” because there were a variety of angels who came to the Prophet). A hadith in Ahmad reports Umm Salamah (the Prophet’s wife) as saying,

أَصْلِحِي لَنَا الْمَجْلِسَ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْزِلُ مَلَكٌ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ إِلَيْهَا قَطُّ

“Once the Prophet (saws) told me, ‘Clean up the house for today an angel is coming down to the earth who has never been here earlier’” (Ibn Kathir).

Shu`ab al-Arna’ut thought that the hadith is weak (Au.).

79. According to some of the Salaf, the allusion is to this world, the Hereafter, and whatever is in between them. There have been other explanations too such as, the past, the future and the present (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). In short, all that is covered by space and time from eternity onwards (Thanwi).

80. That is, if the angel did not come for a while it was not because Allah (swt) had forgotten to send him (Qurtubi). Everything that happens in the cosmos, is well attended after its creation. It should not be imagined that Allah forgot about a thing, or does not care about it (Au.)

Ibn Kathir and Shawkani, quote a hadith from Ibn abi Hatim which brings out this point. The Prophet said,

مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ فِى كِتَابِهِ فَهُوَ حَلاَلٌ وَمَا حَرَّمَ فَهُو حَرَامٌ وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ عَافِيَةٌ فَاقْبَلُوا مِنَ اللَّهِ عَافِيَتَهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُنْ نَسِيًّا

“What Allah declared in His Book as lawful is lawful, and what He declared unlawful is unlawful. And whatever He did not speak about is out of deliberate overlooking. Therefore, accept from Allah what he deliberately overlooked. For, Allah was not such as to forget.” Then the Prophet recited this verse.

The report is strong enough: Haythamiyy (Au.).

81. That is, the requirement is not for the occasional type of devotion, but rather, through and through one’s life, on regular basis, without a break (Thanwi).

82. The translation reflects a more or less literal meaning. Some commentators of old have said (as in Tabari, Ibn Kathir and others) that one of the meanings that “samiyyun” affords is someone who has no one “equal,” or “similar” to him.