Tafsir Maariful Quran
Quran Translation and Commentary by Maulana Mufti Mohammad Shafi. Translation by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim. Revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi UsmaniQuran Translation
Word for Word by
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh
& Kausar Khatri
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
19. Maryam Page 305 19. Maryam بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ كٓهٰیٰعٓصٓ۫ۚ Kaaf Ha Ya Ain Sad ذِكْرُ (A) mention رَحْمَتِ (of the) Mercy رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord عَبْدَهٗ (to) His servant زَكَرِیَّاۖۚ Zakariya اِذْ When نَادٰی he called رَبَّهٗ (to) his Lord نِدَآءً a call خَفِیًّا secret قَالَ He said رَبِّ My Lord اِنِّیْ Indeed, [I] وَهَنَ (have) weakened الْعَظْمُ my bones مِنِّیْ my bones وَ اشْتَعَلَ and flared الرَّاْسُ (my) head شَیْبًا (with) white وَّ لَمْ and not اَكُنْۢ I have been بِدُعَآىِٕكَ in (my) supplication (to) You رَبِّ my Lord شَقِیًّا unblessed وَ اِنِّیْ And indeed, I خِفْتُ [I] fear الْمَوَالِیَ the successors مِنْ after me وَّرَآءِیْ after me وَ كَانَتِ and is امْرَاَتِیْ my wife عَاقِرًا barren فَهَبْ So give لِیْ [to] me مِنْ from لَّدُنْكَ Yourself وَلِیًّاۙ an heir یَّرِثُنِیْ Who will inherit me وَ یَرِثُ and inherit مِنْ from اٰلِ (the) family یَعْقُوْبَ ۖۗ (of) Yaqub وَ اجْعَلْهُ And make him رَبِّ my Lord رَضِیًّا pleasing یٰزَكَرِیَّاۤ O Zakariya اِنَّا Indeed, We نُبَشِّرُكَ [We] give you glad tidings بِغُلٰمِ of a boy سْمُهٗ his name یَحْیٰی ۙ (will be) Yahya لَمْ not نَجْعَلْ We (have) assigned لَّهٗ [for] it مِنْ before قَبْلُ before سَمِیًّا (this) name قَالَ He said رَبِّ My Lord! اَنّٰی How یَكُوْنُ can لِیْ I have غُلٰمٌ a boy وَّ كَانَتِ while is امْرَاَتِیْ my wife عَاقِرًا barren وَّ قَدْ and indeed بَلَغْتُ I have reached مِنَ of الْكِبَرِ the old age عِتِیًّا extreme قَالَ He said كَذٰلِكَ ۚ Thus قَالَ said رَبُّكَ your Lord هُوَ It عَلَیَّ (is) easy for Me هَیِّنٌ (is) easy for Me وَّ قَدْ and certainly خَلَقْتُكَ I (have) created you مِنْ before قَبْلُ before وَ لَمْ while not تَكُ you were شَیْـًٔا anything قَالَ He said رَبِّ My Lord! اجْعَلْ Make لِّیْۤ for me اٰیَةً ؕ a sign قَالَ He said اٰیَتُكَ Your sign اَلَّا (is) that not تُكَلِّمَ you will speak النَّاسَ (to) the people ثَلٰثَ (for) three لَیَالٍ nights سَوِیًّا sound فَخَرَجَ Then he came out عَلٰی to قَوْمِهٖ his people مِنَ from الْمِحْرَابِ the prayer chamber فَاَوْحٰۤی and he signaled اِلَیْهِمْ to them اَنْ to سَبِّحُوْا glorify (Allah) بُكْرَةً (in) the morning وَّ عَشِیًّا and (in) the evening 19. Maryam Page 306 یٰیَحْیٰی O Yahya! خُذِ Hold الْكِتٰبَ the Scripture بِقُوَّةٍ ؕ with strength وَ اٰتَیْنٰهُ And We gave him الْحُكْمَ [the] wisdom صَبِیًّاۙ (when he was) a child وَّ حَنَانًا And affection مِّنْ from لَّدُنَّا Us وَ زَكٰوةً ؕ and purity وَ كَانَ and he was تَقِیًّاۙ righteous وَّ بَرًّۢا And dutiful بِوَالِدَیْهِ to his parents وَ لَمْ and not یَكُنْ he was جَبَّارًا a tyrant عَصِیًّا disobedient وَ سَلٰمٌ And peace be عَلَیْهِ upon him یَوْمَ (the) day وُلِدَ he was born وَ یَوْمَ and (the) day یَمُوْتُ he dies وَ یَوْمَ and (the) day یُبْعَثُ he will be raised حَیًّا۠ alive
(19:1) Kāf, Hā Yā, ‘Ain, Sād
(19:2) This is a narration of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zakariyyā
(19:3) When he called his Lord in a low voice
(19:4) He said, “My Lord, I am in a state that bones in my body have turned feeble, and the head has flared up grey with old age, and I never remained, My Lord, unanswered in my prayer to You
(19:5) I fear (my) kinsmen after me, and my wife is barren, so bless me with an heir, from Your own side
(19:6) who inherits me and inherits the house of Ya‘qūb. And make him, My Lord, a favourite one.”
(19:7) (Allah said) “O Zakariyyā, We give you the good news of a boy whose name is YaHyā. We did not create any one before him of the same name.”
(19:8) He Said, “My Lord, how shall there be a boy for me while my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme of old age?”
(19:9) He said, “So it is; your Lord said ‘it is easy for Me, and I did create you before, when you were nothing.’”
(19:10) He said, “My Lord, make for me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not (be able to) speak to the people for three (consecutive) nights, even though you will be sound in health.”
(19:11) Then he came out to his people from the place of prayer, and directed them by gestures to proclaim the purity of Allah at morning and evening
(19:12) (When the child was born, Allah said to him,) “O YaHyā, hold on to the Book firmly.” And We gave him wisdom, while he was still a child
(19:13) and (blessed him with) love from our own, and purity; and he was God-fearing
(19:14) and he was good to his parents; and he was not oppressive (or) disobedient
(19:15) Peace on him the day he was born, the day he dies and the day he will be raised alive
In the Holy Qur'an Surah Maryam has been placed immediately after Surah Al-Kahf, presumably because there appears some kind of similarity between the two Surahs. While the former deals with some unusual anecdotes, the latter also covers a number of extraordinary events.
كهيعص are letters known in Arabic as; حُرُوفِ مُقَطَّعَۃ whose meanings, like are known only to Allah Ta` ala and people should not even attempt to probe their meanings.
ان خیر الذکر الخفی ، وخیر الرزق ما یکفی
"Surely the best way to make supplication to Allah is in
undertone and the best sustenance is that which is sufficient for one's needs (i.e. neither more nor less than required) " (Qurtubi)
"Here I am that bones within me have turned feeble, and the head has flared up grey with old age." - 19:4
Human body becomes weak with the aging of bones, because it is the bones which keep the body firm and upright. When bones lose their strength, the whole body turns weak.
The literal meaning of اشْتَعَالَ is a sudden burst of fire. Here the word is used as a simile for grey hair covering the head like a glow of fire.
Mention of one's needs in supplication is desirable
Here Sayyidna Zakariyya (علیہ السلام) before making his supplication, mentioned about his weakness and old age by referring to his bones. One of the reasons for this was, as pointed out in the translation, that in his peculiar circumstances i.e. his old age and physical weakness, it was not appropriate for him to ask for a child. Another reason given by Imam Qurtubi in his commentary is, that for possible acceptance of supplication it is better to mention one's weakness, destitution and inadequacy. For this reason religious scholars have emphasized that one should recount Allah Ta` ala's blessings and his own exigency before making his supplication.
يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ
"Who inherits me and inherits the house of Ya` qub." - 19:6.
The religious scholars are all agreed that here the inheritance does not mean wealth, because in the first place, it has not been established that Sayyidna Zakariyya (علیہ السلام) had much wealth. Hence, the question as to who would inherit the same, does not arise. Secondly, it is inconsistent with the exalted position of a prophet to concern himself with such matters. And thirdly, a saying of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، which has been unanimously accepted by all religious scholars, says:
ان العلماء ورثۃ الأنبیاء لم یورثوا دینارا ولا درھما انما ورثوا العلم، فمن اخذہ اخذ بحظ وافر۔ (رواہ احمد و أبو داؤد وابن ماجۃ والترمذی)
"Indeed the knowledgeable scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, because the prophets do not leave any material wealth. Their legacy is knowledge. One who has acquired knowledge has received great fortune."
The above saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is also recorded in Al-Kafi, by Al-Kulaini, the well-known book of the Shiite school. It is narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari through Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لا نورث، ما ترکنا صدقۃ
"No one inherits our (i.e. prophets' ) wealth, because whatever wealth we leave behind is Sadaqah (Charity) (صدقۃ)."
In the verse itself after يَرِثُنِي the addition of the words يَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ (19:6) confirms the view that here the material inheritance is not implied, because the son, Yahya علیہ السلام ، could not have inherited the material wealth of the family of Sayyidna Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) ، which could only be inherited by their near relations and not by Sayyidna Yahya (علیہ السلام) . It is against the law of inheritance for distant relations to receive any part of inheritance in the presence of close relatives.
Ruh ul-Ma` ani quotes the following from Al-Kafi, by Al-Kulaini, the well-known Shi'ah scholar:
عن ابی البختری عن ابی عبداللہ قال : إن سلیمان ورث داؤد وإن محمَّدا صلى الله عليه وسلم ورث سلیمان
Sulayman Ali was the heir of Dawud (علیہ السلام) and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was the heir of Sulayman
It is quite obvious that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not inherit any material wealth from Sulayman (علیہ السلام) ، nor did Sulayman (علیہ السلام) receive any such inheritance from Dawud (علیہ السلام) . Clearly the reference here is to the wisdom and the knowledge which all prophets of Allah possess.
"We did not create any one before him of the same name." - 19:7.
The word سَمِی means "person having the same name." It also means "similar." If the first meaning is adopted here then it would suggest that no one else had the name Yahya before him. This fact also suggests that he possessed certain special attributes which were not granted to anyone else before him. And if we take the second meaning of the word سَمِی then it will mean that some of his attributes and situations were such that they were peculiar to him and were not shared by any other prophet, and that he was unique in the possession of those special attributes, for instance his self abnegation and denial of worldly comforts (حصُور). However, it does not necessarily follow that he was superior to all the prophets who preceded him, for the superiority of Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah (علیہ السلام) and Sayyidna Musa Kalimullah (علیہ السلام) over him is established and well known. (Mazhari)