ENTITLED, MARY;g REVEALED AT MECCA.g
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
C. H. Y. A. S.h A COMMEMORATION of the mercy of thy LORD towards his
servant Zacharias.i
When he called upon his LORD, invoking him in secret,
and said, O LORD, verily my bones are weakened, and my head is become
white with hoariness,
and I have never been unsuccessful in my prayers to thee, O LORD.
But now I fear my nephews, who are to succeed after me, for my wife is
barren:
wherefore, give me a successor of my own body from before thee; who may
be my heir, and may be an heir of the family of Jacob;k and grant, O LORD,
that he may be acceptable unto thee.
And the angel answered him, O Zacharias, verily we bring thee tidings of
a son, whose name shall be John;
we have not caused any to bear the same name before him.l
Zacharias said, LORD, how shall I have a son, seeing my wife is barren,
and I am now arrived at a great age,m and am decrepit?
10 The angel said, So shall it be: thy LORD saith, This is easy with me;
since I created thee heretofore, when thou wast nothing.
Zacharias answered, O LORD, give me a sign. The angel replied, Thy sign
shall be that thou shalt not speak to men for three nights, although thou be
in perfect health.
And he went forth unto his people, from the chamber, and he made signs
unto them,n as if he should say, Praise ye God in the morning and in the
evening.
And we said unto his son, O John, receive the book of the law, with a
resolution to study and observe it. And we bestowed on him wisdom, when he
was yet a child,
f Several circumstances relating to the Virgin Mary being mentioned in
this chapter, her name was pitched upon for the title.
g Except the verse of Adoration.
h See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, 47.
i See chapter 3. p. 36, &c.
j These were his brother's sons, who were very wicked men, and
Zacharias was apprehensive lest, after his death, instead of confirming the
people in the true religion, they should seduce them to idolatry.1 And some
commentators imagine that he made this prayer in private, lest his nephews
should overhear him.
k viz., In holiness and knowledge; or in the government and
superintendence of the Israelites. There are some who suppose it is not the
patriarch who is here meant, but another Jacob, the brother of Zacharias, or
of Imrân Ebn Mâthân, of the race of Solomon.2
l For he was the first who bore the name of John, or Yahya (as the
Arabs pronounce it); which fancy seems to be occasioned by the words of St.
Luke misunderstood, that none of Zacharias's kindred was called by that name:3
for otherwise John, or, as it is written in Hebrew, Johanan, was a common name
among the Jews.
Some expositors avoid this objection, by observing that the original
word samiyyan signifies, not only one who is actually called by the same name,
but also one who by reason of his possessing the like qualities and
privileges, deserves, or may pretend to the same name.
m The Mohammedan traditions greatly differ as to the age of Zacharias
at this time; we have mentioned one already:4 Jallalo'ddin says, he was an
hundred and twenty, and his wife ninety-eight; and the Sonna takes notice of
several other opinions.
n Some say he wrote the following words on the ground.
1 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 2 Iidem. 3 Luke i. 61.
and mercy from us, and purity of life;o and he was a devout person, and
dutiful towards his parents, and was not proud or rebellious.
Peace be on him the day whereon he was born, and the day whereon he shall
die, and the day whereon he shall be raised to life.
And remember in the book of the Koran the story of Mary; when she retired
from her family to a place towards the east,p
and took a veil to conceal herself from them; and we sent our spirit
Gabriel unto her, and he appeared unto her in the shape of a perfect man.q
20 She said, I fly for refuge unto the merciful God, that he may defend me
from thee: if thou fearest him, thou wilt not approach me.
He answered, Verily I am the messenger of thy LORD, and am sent to give
thee a holy son.
She said, How shall I have a son, seeing a man hath not touched me, and I
am no harlot?
Gabriel replied, So shall it be: thy LORD saith, This is easy with me;
and we will perform it, that we may ordain him for a sign unto men, and a
mercy from us: for it is a thing which is decreed.
Wherefore she conceived him;r and she retired aside with him in her womb
to a distant place;s
and the pains of child-birth came upon her near the trunk of a palm-
tree.t She said, Would to GOD I had died before this, and had become a thing
forgotten, and lost in oblivion.
And he who was beneath her called to her,u saying, be not grieved; now
hath GOD provided a rivulet under thee;
o Or, as the word also signifies, The love of alms-deeds.
p viz., To the eastern part of the temple; or to a private chamber in
the house, which opened to the east: whence, says al Beidâwi, the Christians
pray towards that quarter.
There is a tradition, that when the virgin was grown to years of
puberty, she used to leave her apartment in the temple, and retire to
Zacharias's house to her aunt, when her courses came upon her; and so soon as
she was clean, she returned again to the temple: and that at the time of the
angel's visiting her, she was at her aunt's on the like occasion, and was
sitting to wash herself, in an open place, behind a veil to prevent her being
seen.1 But others more prudently suppose the design of her retirement was to
pray.2
q Like a full-grown but beardless youth. Al Beidâwi, not contented
with having given one good reason why he appeared in that form, viz., to
moderate her surprise, that she might hear his message with less shyness,
adds, that perhaps it might be to raise an emotion in her, and assist her
conception.
r For Gabriel blew into the bosom of her shift, which he opened with
his fingers,3 and his breath reaching her womb, caused the conception.4 The
age of the Virgin Mary at the time of her conception was thirteen, or, as
others say, ten; and she went six, seven, eight, or nine months with him,
according to different traditions; though some say the child was conceived at
its full growth of nine months, and that she was delivered of him within an
hour after.5
s To conceal her delivery, she went out of the city by night, to a
certain mountain.
t The palm to which she fled, that she might lean on it in her travail,
was a withered trunk, without any head or verdure, and this happened in the
winter season; notwithstanding which it miraculously supplied her with fruits
for her refreshment;6 as is mentioned immediately.
It has been observed, that the Mohammedan account of the delivery of the
Virgin Mary very much resembles that of Latona, as described by the poets,7
not only in this circumstance of their laying hold on a palm-tree8 (though
some say Latona embraced an olive-tree, or an olive and a palm, or else two
laurels), but also in that of their infants speaking; which Apollo is fabled
to have done in the womb.9
u This some imagine to have been the child himself; but others suppose
it was Gabriel who stood somewhat lower than she did.10 According to a
different reading this passage may be rendered, And he called to her from
beneath her, &c. And some refer the pronoun, translated her, to the palm-
tree; and then it should be beneath it, &c.
1 Yahya, Al Beidâwi. 2 Al Zamakh. 3 Yahya.
4 Jallalo'ddin, Al Beidâwi.
5 Al Beidâwi, Yahya. 6 Iidem, Al Zamakh. 7 Vide Sikii not.
in Evang. Infant. p. 9, 21, &c. 8 Homer. Hymn. in Apoll.
Callimach. Hymn. in Delum. 9 Callimach. ibid. See Kor. chapter 3,
p. 57. 10 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.
and do thou shake the body of the palm-tree, and it shall let fall ripe
dates upon thee ready gathered.x
And eat, and drink, and calm thy mind.y Moreover, if thou see any man,
and he question thee,
say, Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Merciful: wherefore I will by no
means speak to a man this day.z
So she brought the child to her people, carrying him in her arms. And
they said unto her, O Mary, now hast thou done a strange thing:
O sister of Aaron,a thy father was not a bad man, neither was thy mother
a harlot.
30 But she made signs unto the child to answer them; and they said, How
shall we speak to him, who is an infant in the cradle?
Whereupon the child said, Verily I am the servant of GOD;b he hath given
me the book of the gospel, and hath appointed me a prophet.
And he hath made me blessed, wheresoever I shall be; and hath commanded
me to observe prayer, and to give alms, so long as I shall live;
and he hath made me dutiful towards my mother, and hath not made me proud
or unhappy.
And peace be on me the day whereon I was born, and the day whereon I
shall die, and the day whereon I shall be raised to life.
This was JESUS, the son of Mary; the Word of truth,c concerning whom they
doubt.
It is not meet for GOD, that he should have any son; GOD forbid! When he
decreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be; and it is.
And verily GOD is my LORD and your LORD; wherefore, serve him: this is
the right way.
Yet the sectaries differ among themselves concerning Jesus; but woe be
unto those who are unbelievers, because of their appearance at the great day.
Do thou cause them to hear, and do thou cause them to see,d on the day
whereon they shall come unto us to be judged: but the ungodly are this day in
a manifest error.
40 And do thou forewarn them of the day of sighing, when the matter shall
be determined, while they are now sunk in negligence, and do not believe.
Verily we will inherit the earth, and whatever creatures are therein;e
and unto us shall they all return.
x And accordingly she had no sooner spoken it than the dry trunk
revived, and shot forth green leaves, and a head loaded with ripe fruit.
y Literally, thine eye.
z During which she was not to speak to anybody, unless to acquaint them
with the reason of her silence: and some suppose she did that by signs.
a Several Christian writers think the Korân stands convicted of a
manifest falsehood in this particular, but I am afraid the Mohammedans may
avoid the charge;1 as they do by several answers. Some say the Virgin Mary
had really a brother named Aaron, who had the same father, but a different
mother; others suppose Aaron the brother of Moses is here meant, but say Mary
is called his sister, either because she was of the Levitical race (as by her
being related to Elizabeth, it should seem she was), or by way of comparison;
others say that it was a different person of that name who was contemporary
with her, and conspicuous for his good or bad qualities, and that they likened
her to him either by way of commendation of of reproach,2 &c.
b These were the first words which were put into the mouth of JESUS, to
obviate the imagination of his partaking of the divine nature, or having a
right to the worship of mankind, on account of his miraculous speaking so soon
after his birth.3
c This expression may either be referred to JESUS, as the Word of GOD;
or to the account just given of him.
d These words are variously expounded; some taking them to express
admiration4 at the quickness of those senses in the wicked, at the day of
judgment, when they shall plainly perceive the torments prepared for them,
though they have been deaf and blind in this life; and others supposing the
words contain a threat to the unbelievers, of what they shall then hear and
see; or else a command to Mohammed to lay before them the terrors of that
day.5
e i.e., Alone surviving, when all creatures shall be dead and
annihilated. See chapter 15, p. 192.
1 See chapter 3, p. 34, 35. 2 Al Zamakh., Al Beidâwi.
Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, &c. 3 Al Beidâwi, &c.
4 See chapter 18, p. 220. 5 Al Beidâwi.
And remember Abraham in the book of the Koran; for he was one of great
veracity, and a prophet.
When he said unto his father, O my father,f why dost thou worship that
which heareth not, neither seeth, nor profiteth thee at all?
O my father, verily a degree of knowledge hath been bestowed on me, which
hath not been bestowed on thee: wherefore follow me; I will lead thee into an
even way.
O my father, serve not Satan; for Satan was rebellious unto the Merciful.
O my father, verily I fear lest a punishment be inflicted on thee from
the Merciful, and thou become a companion of Satan.
His father answered, Dost thou reject my gods, O Abraham? If thou
forbear not, I will surely stone thee: wherefore leave me for a long time.
Abraham replied, Peace be on thee: I will ask pardon for thee of my LORD;
for he is gracious unto me.
And I will separate myself from you, and from the idols which ye invoke
besides GOD; and I will call upon my LORD; it may be that I shall not be
unsuccessful in calling on my LORD, as ye are in calling upon them.
50 And when he had separated himself from them, and from the idols which
they worshipped besides GOD,g we gave him Isaac and jacob; and we made each of
them a prophet,
and we bestowed on them, through our mercy, the gift of prophecy, and
children and wealth; and we caused them to deserve the highest commendations.h
And remember Moses in the book of the Koran: for he was sincerely
upright, and was an apostle and a prophet.
And we called unto him from the right side of Mount Sinai, and caused him
to draw near, and to discourse privately with us.i
And we gave him, through our mercy, his brother Aaron a prophet, for his
assistant.
Remember also Ismael in the same book; for he was true to his promise,j
and was an apostle, and a prophet.
And he commanded his family to observe prayer, and to give alms; and he
was acceptable unto his LORD.
And remember Edrisk in the same book; for he was a just person, and a
prophet:
and we exalted him to a high place.l
These are they unto whom GOD hath been bounteous, of the prophets of the
posterity of Adam, and of those whom we carried in the ark with Noah; and of
the posterity of Abraham, and of Israel, and of those whom we have directed
and chosen. When the signs of the Merciful were read unto them, they fell
down, worshipping, and wept:
f See chapter 6, p. 95, &c.
g By flying to Harrân, and thence to Palestine.
h Literally, We granted them a lofty tongue of truth.
i Or, as some expound it, And we raise him on high; for, say they, he
was raised to so great an elevation, that he heard the creaking of the pen
writing on the table of GOD'S decrees.1
j Being celebrated on that account; and particularly for his behaving
with that resignation and constancy which he had promised his father, on his
receiving GOD'S command to sacrifice him;2 for the Mohammedans say it was
Ismael, and not Isaac, whom he was commanded to offer.
k Or Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, who had that surname from
his great knowledge; for he was favoured with no less than thirty books of
divine revelations, and was the first who wrote with a pen, and studied the
sciences of astronomy and arithmetic, &c.3
The learned Bartolocci endeavours to show, from the testimonies of the
ancient Jews, that Enoch, surnamed Edris, was a very different person from the
Enoch of Moses, and many ages younger.4
l Some understand by this the honour of the prophetic office, and his
familiarity with GOD; but others suppose his translation is here meant: for
they say that he was taken up by GOD into heaven at the age of three hundred
and fifty, having first suffered death, and been restored to life; and that he
is now alive in one of the seven heavens, or in paradise.5
1 Idem. 2 Idem. 3 Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.
4 Bartol. Bibl. Rabb. part 2, p. 845. 5 Iidem, Abulfeda.
60 but a succeeding generation have come after them, who neglect prayer,
and follow their lusts; and they shall surely fall into evil:
except him who repenteth, and believeth, and doth that which is right;
these shall enter paradise, and they shall not in the least be wronged:
gardens of perpetual abode shall be their reward, which the Merciful hath
promised unto his servants, as an object of faith; for his promise will surely
come to be fulfilled.
Therein shall they hear no vain discourse, but peace;m and their
provision shall be prepared for them therein morning and evening.
This is paradise, which we will give for an inheritance unto such of our
servants as shall be pious.
We descend not from heaven, unless by the command of thy LORD: unto him
belongeth whatsoever is before us, and whatsoever is behind us, and whatsoever
is in the intermediate space; neither is thy LORD forgetful of thee.n
He is the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them:
wherefore worship him, and be constant in his worship. Dost thou know any
named like him?o
Man saith,p After I shall have been dead, shall I really be brought forth
alive from the grave?
Doth not man remember that we created him heretofore, when he was
nothing?
But by thy LORD we will surely assemble them and the devils to judgment;q
then will we set them round about hell on their knees:
70 afterwards we will draw forth from every sect such of them as shall have
been a more obstinate rebel against the Merciful;r
and we best know which of them are more worthy to be burned therein.s
There shall be none of you but shall approach near the same:t this is an
established decree with thy LORD.
Afterwards we will deliver those who shall have been pious, but we will
leave the ungodly therein on their knees.
m i.e., Words of peace and comfort; or the salutations of the angels,1
&c.
n These are generally supposed to have been the words of the angel
Gabriel, in answer to Mohammed's complaint for his long delay of fifteen, or,
according to another tradition, of forty days, before he brought him
instructions what solution he should give to the questions which had been
asked him concerning the sleepers, Dhu'lkarnein, and the spirit.2
Others, however, are of opinion that they are the words which the godly
will use at their entrance into paradise; and that their meaning is, We take
up our abode here at the command and through the mercy of God alone, who
ruleth all things, past, future, and present; and who is not forgetful of the
works of his servants.3
o That is, Deserving, or having a right to the name and attributes of
GOD.
p Some suppose a particular person is here meant, namely, Obba Ebn
Khalf.4
q It is said that every infidel will appear, at the day judgment,
chained to the devil who seduced him.5
r Hence, says al Beidâwi, it appears that GOD will pardon some of the
rebellious people. But perhaps the distinguishing the unbelievers into
different classes, in order to consign them to different places and degrees of
torment, is here meant.
s viz., The more obstinate and perverse, and especially the heads of
sects, who will suffer double punishment for their own errors and their
seducing of others.
t For the true believers must also pass by or through hell, but the
fire will be damped and the flames abated, so as not to hurt them, though it
will lay hold on the others. Some, however, suppose that the words intend no
more than the passage over the narrow bridge, which is laid over hell.6
1 See chapter 10, p. 151. 2 See before, p. 118, 119.
3 Al Beidâwi. 4 See chapter 16, p. 195. 5 Al
Beidâwi. 6 Idem. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 71.
When our manifest signs are read unto them, the infidels say unto the
true believers, Which of the two parties is in the more eligible condition,
and formeth the more excellent assembly?u
But how many generations have we destroyed before them, which excelled
them in wealth, and in outward appearance?
Say, Whosoever is in error, the Merciful will grant him a long and
prosperous life,
until they see that with which they are threatened, whether it be the
punishment of this life, or that of the last hour; and hereafter they shall
know who is in the worse condition, and the weaker in forces.
GOD shall more fully direct those who receive direction;
and the good works which remain forever are better in the sight of thy
LORD than worldly possessions, in respect to the reward, and more eligible in
respect to the future recompense.
80 Hast thou seen him who believeth not in our signs, and saith, I shall
surely have riches and children bestowed on me?x
Is he acquainted with the secrets of futurity; or hath he received a
covenant from the Merciful that it shall be so?
By no means. We will surely write down that which he saith; and
increasing we will increase his punishment;
and we will be his heir as to that which he speaketh of,y and on the last
day he shall appear before us alone and naked.
They have taken other gods, besides GOD, that they may be a glory unto
them.
By no means. Hereafter shall they deny their worship;z and they shall
become adversariesa unto them.
Dost thou not see that we send the devils against the infidels, to incite
them to sin by their instigations?
Wherefore be not in haste to call down destruction upon them; for we
number unto them a determined number of days of respite.
On a certain day we will assemble the pious before the Merciful in an
honourable manner, as ambassadors come into the presence of a prince:
but we will drive the wicked into hell, as cattle are driven to water:
90 they shall obtain no intercession, except he only who hath received a
covenant from the Merciful.b
They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue. Now have ye uttered an
impious thing:
it wanteth little but that on occasion thereof the heavens be rent, and
the earth cleave in sunder, and the mountains be overthrown and fall,
for that they attribute children unto the Merciful; whereas it becometh
not GOD to beget children.
u viz., Of us, or of you. When the Koreish were unable to produce a
composition to equal the Korân, they began to glory in their wealth and
nobility, valuing themselves highly on that account, and despising the
followers of Mohammed.
x This passage was revealed on account of al As Ebn Wayel, who being
indebted to Khabbâb, when he demanded the money, refused to pay it, unless he
would deny Mohammed; to which proposal Khabbâb answered, that he would never
deny that prophet, neither alive, nor dead, nor when he should be raised to
life at the last day; therefore replied al As, when thou art raised again,
come to me, for I shall then have abundance of riches, and children, and I
will pay you.1
y i.e., He shall be obliged to leave all his wealth and his children
behind him at his death.
z viz., At the resurrection; when the idolaters shall disclaim their
idols, and the idols their worshippers, and shall mutually accuse one
another.2
a Or, the contrary; that is to say, a disgrace instead of an honour.
b That is, except he who shall be a subject properly disposed to
receive that favour, by having possessed Islâm. Or, the words may also be
translated, according to another exposition, They shall not obtain the
intercession of any, except the intercession of him, &c. Or else, None shall
be able to make intercession for others, except he who shall have received a
covenant (or permission) from God; i.e., who shall be qualified for that
office by faith, and good works, according to GOD's promise, or shall have
special leave given him by GOD for that purpose.3
1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 2 See chapter 6, p. 90; chapter 10, p.
152, 153, &c. 3 Al Beidâwi. See chapter 2, p. 28, &c.
Verily there is none in heaven or on earth but shall approach the
Merciful as his servant. He encompasseth them by his knowledge and power, and
numbereth them with an exact computation:
and they shall all come unto him on the day of resurrection, destitute
both of helpers and followers.
But as for those who believe and do good works, the Merciful will bestow
on them love.c
Verily we have rendered the Koran easy for thy tongue, that thou mayest
thereby declare our promises unto the pious, and mayest thereby denounce
threats unto contentious people.
And how many generations have we destroyed before them? Dost thou find
one of them remaining? Or dost thou hear so much as a whisper concerning
them?
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