In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
19-1 Sufficient, Guide, Blessed, Knowing, Truthful God.
كٓهيعٓصٓ (۱)
19-1a: Umm Hani has narrated from the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, that the letters represent the attributes of Allah کاف ھاد عالم صادق Sufficient Guide Knowing Truthful. In this case the letter یا will be an interjection or vocative particle. However, in the commentary by Sa’id ibn Jubayr in Ibn al Athir, the meaning of the letters is mentioned as (under the word یمن ) کاف ھاد یمین عزیز صادق where یا stands for یمین . The meaning of یامن and یمین is given as the Blessed one, in the same way as the meaning of قادر and قدیر is the Powerful one.
19-2 A mention of the mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zacharias —
ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُۥ زَكَرِيَّآ (۲)
19-3 When he called upon his Lord, crying in secret.a
إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ نِدَآءً خَفِيًّۭا (۳)
19-3a: خَفِيًّۭا – خفیّ is that which is hidden, concealed, invisible. نِدَآءً خَفِيًّۭا means his voice was concealed from the people.
This chapter is started with the mention of Prophet Zacharias to show that in the same era as Prophet Jesus, pious people lived before him. The Bible records about Prophet Zacharias and his wife: They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless (Luke 1:6). The real purpose of this chapter is to provide conclusive arguments against Christian beliefs. One of their core beliefs is the unique sinlessness of Prophet Jesus, so the verses show how the Quran holds all prophets to be sinless. Hence it begins with the mention of a prophet whom the Christian scriptures admit as righteous and flawless, and it includes his wife in the same category.
Secrecy and earnest supplication in prayer: The rule for prayer is elsewhere given as: ٱدْعُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًۭا وَخُفْيَةً : Call on your Lord humbly and in secret (7:55). تضرع means to beseech, implore, beg for, request. Praying secretly is not incompatible with earnest beseeching, and in fact imploring God is best done when praying secretly from people. Our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, in addition to the supplications he made for humanity in his daily prayers, supplicated mostly in the night prayer, or tahajjud, which is offered at a time when others are unaware. This command is for the majority of supplications, but it is not necessary for every prayer to be privately done. Some prayers are offered collectively in gatherings and collective supplications have their own special atmosphere of humble pleading. However, the major portion of our supplications should be made privately.
19-4 He said: My Lord, my bones are weakened, and my head flares with hoariness, and I have never been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee, my Lord.a
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ ٱلْعَظْمُ مِنِّى وَٱشْتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأْسُ شَيْبًۭا وَلَمْ أَكُنۢ بِدُعَآئِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّۭا (۴)
19-4a: عَظْمُ – Its plural is عِظام and it means bone, as in فَكَسَوْنَا ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ لَحْمًۭا : then We clothe the bones with flesh (23:14). عَظُمَ الشَّیۡءُ is a bone to grow until large, and from there the word is used metaphorically for anything to be or become great, big, large, to grow, become grand, and magnificent whether intellectually or physically. عظیم great is derived from it. The singular is used here to evidence the gender.
ٱشْتَعَلَ – شَعۡل means fire when it blazes and اِشتعال means to fly into anger, and when used to describe color, it means for hair to turn mostly white.
شَيْبًۭ – It is the greying of hair (R- LA).
Acceptance of Prophet Zacharias’ prayers and its reason: بِدُعَآئِكَ can be interpreted in two ways. The first is in my prayer to You and the second is your calling me to your submission. If the first interpretation is adopted, then the meaning will be: After praying to you I have never been devoid of blessings. Prophet Zacharias said this because maybe during that time people made public supplications but were spiritually far from God. The message conveyed is that Allah does not waste prayers made in sincerity. According to the second interpretation, the meaning will be: By submitting to You, I have not been deprived of any blessing. In both cases the message is that a person does not suffer any deprivation or loss by fully submitting to God. The common interpretation is that all prayers of Prophet Zacharias had been accepted, but I do not think such a statement fits the context. The meaning cannot be: my previous supplications have been granted, so grant this as well. Rather, Prophet Zacharias is describing the general condition of his time, how people don’t devotedly serve Allah, supplicate to Him sincerely, or obey Him and hence they are devoid of His blessings, however he has obeyed and submitted to Allah and been enriched. He mentions his old age because he can see that the time of his death is near, and he is worried as to what will become of his nation after he is gone. This is made clear in the next verse إِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى : I fear my kinsfolk after me (19:5) I am afraid that after my death (based on the meaning of مِن وَرَآءِى ) evil people will cause harm to the nation rather than any kind of benefit.
19-5 And I fear my kinsfolk after me, and my wife is barren, so grant me from Thyself an heir
وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًۭا فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّۭا (۵)
19-6 Who should inherit me and inherit of the Children of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, acceptable (to Thee).
يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَٱجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّۭا (۶)
19-6a: رَضِي – It can be interpreted in two ways: مرضی: One with whom God is pleased and راضی One who is pleased with God, as in رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ well pleased; well pleasing (89:28). For رضا refer to 3-15a.
What Prophet Zacharias means by inheritance: What is it that Prophet Zacharias is worried about? Is it that he cannot see anyone after him to guide his nation on the right path or is it that he has strived to build a fortune, and he cannot see a worthy successor to take care of it? Do prophets and righteous people worry about their fortune or about their nation? The Shia sect and another mistaken group thinks that by يَرِثُنِى is meant an inheritor for his fortune. There can be no greater insult for a righteous person than to say that after reaching old age and seeing death staring him in the face, he is worried that his paternal cousins will inherit his fortune and hence he prays that he should have a son who can take care of his assets. This is an affront to the Quranic words. The addition to يَرِثُنِى inherit me of وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ inherit of the Children of Jacob is sufficient to reject such an erroneous interpretation. Was there an ancestral inheritance of the Children of Jacob that Prophet Zacharias did not get, and he now desires that those lands and possessions of Prophet Jacob that have been passed down should be inherited by this heir as well? These are foolish ideas. The inheritance of righteous people is knowledge and guidance. Allah had sanctified the Israelite nation, or the Children of Prophet Jacob, with special spiritual blessings and guidance, and that is what is meant here by inheritance. By inherit me is meant to inherit the knowledge that Prophet Zacharias had been given.
19-7 O Zacharias, We give thee good news of a boy, whose name is John: We have not made before anyone his equal.a
يَـٰزَكَرِيَّآ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَـٰمٍ ٱسْمُهُۥ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّۭا (۷)
19-7a: مسمّی – Refer to 13-33a. It means namesake and also equal to or the like of. The meaning here as the like of is attributed to Mujahid, Ata and others.
What is meant by none equal to Prophet John: For the name John refer to 3-38a. It is stated in the Bible: And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name (Luke 1:59-61). If مسمی is taken to mean namesake, it means there has not been anyone in their family by this name. If indeed there had never been a person named John, this is not anything meritorious to be mentioned in the Quran. What it really means is that there has been none equal to him before.
The sinlessness of Prophet John: The question arises: in what way was there none equal to him? Some commentators say that it is because Prophet John never sinned against God and sinful thoughts never even crossed his mind. There is also a hadith: ما من احد من ولد اٰدم الا وقد اخطأ او ھم بخطیئة اِلّا یحیٰی بن زکریا علیہما اسلام لم بخطیئة و لم یعملھا There is none from the sons of Adam but that he committed a fault or an intention to commit a fault except for John, son of Zacharias, for he never made any intention to commit a fault or committed any fault. Interestingly, there is a similar admission in the gospel: Verily I say unto you, Among them who are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). In reality the statement only applies to his generation, as is indicated in the reason for naming him John in note 3-39a. The name Yahya یحییٰ , the Arabic version of John, shows that he will not be a sinner, unlike most in his generation. The prayer of Prophet Zacharias also hints at the general moral decrepitude of the time and it refers specifically to that generation. It is possible that the Quranic words hint that the attributes possessed by Prophet John will be such that they have not been given to any other in the Israelite dispensation. This would be a reference to his prophethood because in the Israelite dispensation every prophet came as a manifestation of particular attributes which had not been manifested by any prior prophet.
19-8 He said: My Lord, how shall I have a son, and my wife is barren, and I have reached extreme old age?a
قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى غُلَـٰمٌۭ وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًۭا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ ٱلْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّۭا (۸)
19-8a: عِتِيًّۭا – عَتَی (verbal noun عُتُوّا and عِتِّی ) means was arrogant and exceeded the limits, acted tyrannically, as in عَتَوْ عُتُوًّۭا كَبِيرًۭا revolt in great revolt (25:21) and عَتَتْ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهَا : rebelled against the commandment of its Lord (65:8). The meaning here of عِتِیّ is a state which is irredeemable (R) or going to extremes (LA). Similar words are used in the chapter Al
‘Imran; refer to 3-40a.
19-9 He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord says: It is easy to Me, and indeed I created thee before, when thou wast nothing.
قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَىَّ هَيِّنٌۭ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْـًۭٔا (۹)
19-10 He said: My Lord, give me a sign. He said: Thy sign is that thou speak not to people three nights, being in sound health.a
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةًۭ ۚ قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَـٰثَ لَيَالٍۢ سَوِيًّۭا (۱۰)
19-10a: سَوِيًّۭا – سَوِیّ is that which in its manner and condition is free from extremes, as in: أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلصِّرَٰطِ ٱلسَّوِىِّ : follower of the even path (20:135). رجلٌ سویٌ is one who in his manners and disposition is of even keel, not exceeding and not falling short (R). The majority take the meaning of سَوِیّ as being well, not suffering from any disability (RM). For further explanation, refer to 3-41a.
19-11 So he went forth to his people from the sanctuary and proclaimed to them: Glorify (Allah) morning and evening.
فَخَرَجَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْمِحْرَابِ فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِمْ أَن سَبِّحُوا۟ بُكْرَةًۭ وَعَشِيًّۭا (۱۱)
19-12 O John, take hold of the Book with strength. And We granted him wisdom when a child,a
يَـٰيَحْيَىٰ خُذِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِقُوَّةٍۢ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّۭا (۱۲)
19-12a: حُكْمَ – Refer to 10-1b. It refers to wisdom or understanding of the Book of Allah (IJ).
Most commentators have taken the Book to mean the Torah. There is no problem if the Book is the Torah since all the Israelite prophets acted in accordance with the Torah and asked the people to do the same. Even the teachings of Prophet Jesus make it obligatory to act according to the Torah. However, most probably, by Book is meant Prophet John’s own book because the time of his ministry is being mentioned. What comes next وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّۭا : And We granted him wisdom when a child refers to the time before his prophethood, to the prerequisites of prophethood which are given from the very beginning and include understanding, wisdom, mercy, piety, and avoiding sin. The principle of the sinlessness of prophets is established simultaneously. In my opinion, the second interpretation of the Book is preferable because يَـٰيَحْيَىٰ خُذِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِقُوَّةٍ : O John, take hold of the Book with strength is a direct revelation.
19-13 And kind-heartedness from Us and purity. And he was dutiful,a
وَحَنَانًۭا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَزَكَوٰةًۭ ۖ وَكَانَ تَقِيًّۭا (۱۳)
19-13a: حَنَان – حَنِیۡن is affectionate yearning and حَنَان means mercy or kind-heartedness (R). حَنَّان is an attributive name of Allah, and means extremely merciful (LA). حَنَانًۭا مِّن لَّدُنَّا can be interpreted to mean took mercy on him or, put mercy into his heart. The latter meaning has been adopted in the translation because three things are mentioned that are bestowed on prophets right from the beginning: love for the creation of Allah born out of kind-heartedness, zakat, and abstaining from evil.
زَكَوٰة – Its literal meaning is growth, increase, which is achieved by the blessing of Allah and a derivative isزَكَوٰة which is given from one’s wealth. Here, as well as in غُلَـٰمًۭا زَكِيًّۭا a pure boy (19:19) we see individuals selected for purity because Allah makes some of his servants learned and pure of nature, and these traits are not acquired through a learning process, but received through the grace of Allah (R). Since تقویٰ or protection from sin is mentioned separately in this verse, growth in goodness which occurs through the blessing of Allah is meant, instead of simply the avoiding of sins.
19-14 And kindly to his parents, and he was not insolent, disobedient.
وَبَرًّۢا بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُن جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّۭا (۱۴)
19-15 And peace on him the day he was born and the day he died, and the day he is raised to life!a
وَسَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّۭا (۱۵)
19-15a: Peace is mentioned here on three occasions, the day of birth, the day of death and the day of resurrection. Thus, the concept of peace is expanded to include three time periods. Peace at birth relates to the life of this world, peace at death is in regard to the condition in the grave or in برزخ the intermediate stage, and peace at the time of resurrection relates to the day of judgement. Every prophet comes into this world in a state of peace, protected from the attacks of the devil, and he is at peace even after death, safe from the punishment of the grave, and he is safe on the Day of Requital, being safe from the punishment of hell.
Bayan-ul-Quran 