1. Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ayn Sad. Allah knows best what this means.

2. Remembering your Lord’s mercy to His slave Zakariyya

3. …when he called on his Lord in secret – he did this secretly in the middle of the night because supplication at that time has the swiftest response –

4. …and said, ‘My Lord, my bones have all lost their strength and my head is crowned with white – whiteness spread through his hair as fire spreads through wood. But in calling on You, My Lord, I have never been disappointed – so do not disappoint me now.

5. I fear my relatives when I am gone, meaning: “I fear that after I die those close to me in kinship, such as cousins, will cause the din to be lost, as I have seen happen among the tribe of Israel who altered the din” – and my wife is barren, so give me an heir (a son) from You

6. …to be my inheritor and the inheritor of the family of Ya‘qub – inheriting knowledge and Prophethood – and make him, my Lord, pleasing to You.’ Then Allah Almighty answered his request for a son as a mercy to him, and said:

7. ‘Zakariyya, We give you the good news of a boy named Yahya – to inherit from you as you have asked – a name We have given to no one else before.’

8. He said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?’ ‘At a means to become dry, in this case, at the end of one’s life. Zakariyya was one hundred and twenty and his wife was ninety-eight years old.

9. He said, ‘It shall be so! That is how it will be: you will have a boy. Your Lord says, “That is easy for Me to do – it is not difficult to return to you the power of intercourse and to open the womb of your wife to fertilisation. I created you before, when you were not anything.”’ This is how Allah demonstrates His immense power. He inspired Zakariyya to ask so that He could grant something which demonstrates it. Then Zakariyya yearned for a sign of the good news given to him.

10. He said, ‘My Lord, give me a Sign to show that my wife will become pregnant.’ He said, ‘Your Sign is not to speak to people for three nights – he was prevented from speaking to people, without having any impediment, but not from invoking Allah – although you are perfectly able to.’

11. He came out to his people from the Upper Room (the Temple) – they used to wait for him to open it so that they could pray in it when he ordered them to, as was the custom – and gestured to them to glorify Allah (pray) in the morning and the evening as was the custom. He knew by his inability to speak that his wife was pregnant with Yahya. Two years after Yahya’s birth, Allah Almighty said to him:

12. ‘Yahya, take hold of the Book (the Torah) with vigour and seriousness.’ We gave him judgement (Prophethood) while still a child, when he was three years old.

13. …and tenderness – compassion towards people – and purity – truthfulness to them – from Us – he was godfearing – it is reported that he did not commit a single wrong action or even intend one.

14. …and devotion (kindness) to his parents. He was not insolent or disobedient to his Lord.

15. Peace from Us be upon him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised up again alive – referring to the fearful last days, in which things will be seen that have never been seen before. He will be safe during them.

16. Mention the news of Maryam in the Book (the Qur’an): how she withdrew from her people to an eastern place – in a part of Zakariyya’s house which was towards the east.

17. …and veiled herself from them. She let down a curtain to conceal herself so that she could delouse her hair or her clothes or have a ghusl after menstruation. Then We sent Our Ruh (Jibrıl) to her – after she had dressed – and it took on for her the form of a handsome, well-built man.

18. She said, ‘I seek refuge from you with the All-Merciful, if you are godfearing.’ ‘If you are godfearing, you will leave me alone because of my seeking refuge.’

19. He said, ‘I am only your Lord’s messenger, so that He may give you a pure boy who will be a Prophet.’

20. She said, ‘How can I have a boy, when no man has touched me – through marriage – and I am not an unchaste woman (fornicatress)?’

21. He said, ‘It will be so! ‘That is what is going to happen. You will give birth to a boy without a father.’ Your Lord says, “That is easy for Me. It is not difficult for Me to breathe into you so that you become pregnant. It is so that We can make him a Sign for mankind – of Our power – and a mercy from Us for those who believe in him.” It is a matter already decreed – in My foreknowledge.’ So Jibrıl blew into the pocket of her shift and she felt herself become pregnant.

22. So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place far away from her people.

23. The pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She leaned against it and gave birth. Pregnancy, formation and birth all took one hour. She said, ‘Oh, if only I had died before this time and were something discarded and forgotten!’

24. A voice (Jibril) called out to her from under her – lower than her – ‘Do not grieve! Your Lord has placed a small stream – the word used here means a spring which is dammed up and becomes a small pool – at your feet.

25. Shake the trunk of the palm towards you and fresh, ripe dates will drop down (read as tusaqit, and tassaqat and yassaqat onto you.

26. Eat the dates and drink from the stream and delight your eyes with your child. Be content and do not look for anything else. If you should see anyone at all – who asks you about your child – just say, “I have made a vow of abstinence – a vow not to speak about him to other people – to the All-Merciful and today I will not speak to any human being.”’

27. She brought him to her people, carrying him. They said – when they saw her – ‘Maryam, you have done an unthinkable thing – producing a baby with no father!

28. Sister of Harun – Harun was a righteous man, so the meaning of this form of address is: “You who have always been considered the same as Harun in respect of chastity” – your father was not an evil man (a fornicator), nor was your mother an unchaste woman (a fornicatress)! So how can you have this child?’

29. She pointed towards him – indicating that they should speak to him. They said, ‘How can a baby in the cradle speak?’

30. He (Isa) said, ‘I am the slave of Allah. He has given me the Book (the Gospel) and made me a Prophet.

31. He has made me blessed wherever I am – a benefit to people, reporting about what was destined for him – and directed me to do the prayer and give zakat as long as I live,

32. …and to show devotion to my mother. He has not made me insolent or arrogant towards my Lord.

33. Peace from Allah be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die and the day I am raised up again alive.’ This is similar to what was said about the Prophet Yahya.

34. That is Isa, son of Maryam, the word of truth about which they are in doubt. The “they” mentioned here are the Christians who lie when they say that Isa is the son of Allah.

35. It is not fitting for Allah to have a son. Glory be to Him! He is pure and above that. When He decides on bringing something – into existence – He just says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is. Allah is well able to create Isa without a father.

36. There are two readings for the first word of this ayat: inna and anna. If it begins with anna, it means “Remember that…”. If it begins with inna, it means, “Say:” The evidence for this is: “I told them nothing but what You ordered me to say: ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’” (5:117)) ‘Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path which leads to the Garden.’

37. The parties differed among themselves. The Christians disagreed about Isa and whether he was the son of Allah or a god, coexistent with Him, or one of three. Woe (intense punishment) to those who disbelieve – in what has been mentioned and other things – when they are present on a terrible Day – on the Day of Rising, and experience its terrors!

38. How clear will be their hearing, how perfect their sight – the grammatical form of these words indicates wonder and astonishment – on the Day they come to Us in the Next World; whereas today – in this world – the wrongdoers are clearly misguided. It is clear that they are deaf to hearing the truth and blind to seeing it. They will be amazed at the clearness of their hearing and perfection of their sight in the Next World when they were blind and deaf to the truth in this world.

39. Warn them (the unbelievers of Makka), Muhammad, of the Day of Bitter Regret – to make them fear the Day of Rising, on which the evildoers will regret abandoning the doing of good in this world – when the affair will be resolved and the punishment decreed for them. But they take no notice – in this world. They do not believe it.

40. It is We who shall inherit the earth and all those on it – meaning those with consciousness on the earth and others, by destroying them. They will be returned to Us to be repaid for what they did.

41. Mention to them Ibrhım in the Book. He was a true – the word Siddıq used here is an intensive form, indicating intensive truthfulness – man and a Prophet.

42. Remember when he said to his father (Azar), ‘Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all – in other words idols, which could neither defend, benefit or harm him?

43. Father, knowledge which never reached you has come to me, so follow me and I will guide you to the right (straight) path.

44. Father, do not worship Shaytan– in other words, do not obey him by worshipping idols. Shaytan was very disobedient to the All- Merciful.

45. Father, I am afraid that a punishment from the All-Merciful will afflict you – if you do not repent – and turn you into a comrade of Shaytan in the Fire.’

46. He said, ‘Do you forsake my gods, Ibrahim? Are you tired of them? If you do not stop rejecting them I will stone you either with actual stones or with ugly words. Keep away from me for a good long time.’

47. He (Ibrahım) said, ‘Peace be upon you – meaning that he would not do anything hateful to his father. I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He has always honoured me by answering my prayers; we find the fulfilment of Ibrahim’s promise to his father in Surat ash- Shu‘ara’ when he said, “and forgive my father …” (26:86). This was before it was clear to him that his father was an enemy of Allah, as is mentioned in Sürat at-Tawba (9:114).

48. I will separate myself from you and all you call upon and worship besides Allah; and I will call upon my Lord. It may well be that, in calling on my Lord and worshipping Him I will not be disappointed – in the way you will be made wretched by worshipping idols.’

49. When he had separated himself from them, and what they worshipped besides Allah – by going to the Holy Land – We gave him Ishaq and Ya‘qub, making each of them a Prophet.

50. We endowed the three of them with Our mercy – in the form of wealth and children – and made them highly honoured. They were praised highly by all of the people of religions.

51. Mention Musa in the Book. He was truly sincere (read as mukhlasan and mukhlisan) in His worship – or this may mean that Allah purified him of all uncleanness – and was a Messenger and a Prophet.

52. We called out to him saying, “O Musa, I am Allah” from the right hand side – the right of Musa when he faced it, coming from Madyan – of the Mount – Zur was the name of the mountain – and We brought him near in close communication – as is shown by the fact that Allah Almighty made him hear His words.

53. We endowed him with Our mercy (blessing), making his brother Harun a Prophet. Harun was made a Prophet in answer to Musa’s supplication to send his brother with him. His brother was older than him.

54. Mention Isma‘il in the Book. He was true to his promise so that whenever he made a promise, he kept it. Once he promised to meet someone, and waited for him for three days or, it is said a year, until the man returned to him where he was – and was a Messenger and a Prophet.

55. He used to command his people to do the prayer and give zakat, and he was pleasing to his Lord.

56. Mention Idris in the Book. He was the great-grandfather of Nuh. He was a true man and a Prophet.

57. We raised him up to a high place. He is alive in the fourth, sixth or seventh heaven, or in the Garden which he entered after experiencing death and being brought to life. He will never leave it.

58. Those are some of the Prophets Allah has blessed, from the descendants of Adam – namely Idris – and from those We carried with Nuh – in the Ark, meaning Ibrahim, the descendant of Nuh’s son Sam – and from the descendants of Ibrahim – namely Isma‘il and Ishaq – and Isra’il – another name for Ya‘qüb, among whose descendants are Musa, Harun, Zakariyya, Yahya, and Isa – and from those We guided and chose – from all of them. When the Signs of the All-Merciful were recited to them they fell on their faces, weeping, in prostration.

59. An evil generation succeeded them who neglected the prayer – by abandoning it, referring to Jews and Christians – and followed their appetites by perpetrating acts of disobedience. They will plunge into the Valley of Evil – a valley in Hellfire.

60. …except for those who repent and believe and act rightly. They will enter the Garden and they will not be wronged in any way by having their reward decreased by the slightest amount:

61. …residing in Gardens of Eden which the All-Merciful has promised to His slaves in the Unseen – something which is veiled from them. His promise is always kept. What He promises will inevitably come to pass. What is promised here is the Garden, to which those destined for it will certainly come.

62. They will not hear any prattling there; they will hear nothing but ‘Peace’ – from the angels to them or between themselves. They will receive their provision there morning and night just as they do in this world, although in the Garden there will be no night or day; they will be in perpetual light and illumination.

63. That is the Garden which We will bequeath and give to those of Our slaves who show they are godfearing by obeying Us.

64. This was revealed when the Revelation was delayed for some days. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked Jibril what had kept him from visiting, and the reply came: ‘We only descend at your Lord’s command. Everything in front of us – referring to what is going to happen in the Next World – and everything behind us – referring to what happens in this world – and everything in between – from this moment until the Last Day – belongs to Him. He has knowledge of all of that. Your Lord does not forget’ – meaning that Allah will not abandon you by delaying Revelation to you.

65. He is Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between them, so worship Him and persevere in His worship. Do you know of any other with His Name? Do you know of any other called Allah? No.

66. The man referred to here who denied the resurrection was either Ubayy ibn Khalaf or al-Walid ibn al-Mughira and the ayat was revealed about him. Man says, ‘When I am dead, will I then be brought out again alive from the graves as Muhammad says?’ The question is one which implies a negative response: in other words, he does not think he will be brought to life after death.

67. Does not man recall (read as yadhkuru and yadhdhakkaru) that We created him before when he was not anything? The fact that Allah originated man from non-existence indicates that He can bring him back again.

68. By your Lord, We will collect them (those who deny the resurrection) and the shaytans together. We will gather each of them shackled to his shaytan in chains. Then We will assemble them around the outside of Hell on their knees (read as jiththiyyan and juththiyyan).

69. Then We will drag out from every sect the one among them most insolent towards the All-Merciful.

70. Then it is We who will know best those most deserving to roast in it – to suffer the most severe punishment in Hellfire.

71. There is not one of you who will not come to it. Everyone will go through Hellfire. That is the final decision of your Lord – and will not fail to happen.

72. Then We will rescue (read as nunajji and nunajji) those who were godfearing – avoiding both shirk and unbelief – and We will leave the wrongdoers in it on their knees.

73. When Our Clear Signs (the Qur’an) are recited to them (the believers and unbelievers), those who disbelieve say to those who believe, ‘Which of the two parties – we or you – has the better position (read as maqam and muqam) – dwelling – and the more illustrious gathering (read as nadi or nadi) – meaning a place where the people gathered to talk?’ The implication is: “We are better than you.”

74. How many generations of past nations We have destroyed before them who had finer furnishings – the word used here, athath, means both wealth and goods – and a better outward show! Just as Allah destroyed those before them for their unbelief, so He will also destroy these.

75. Say: ‘As for those who are astray, let the All-Merciful prolong their term in this world to draw them on until they see what they were promised, whether it be the punishment – such as killing or imprisonment – or the Hour – which includes entering Hellfire. Then they will know who is in the worse position and has the weaker troops (helpers).’ – whether they or the believers are better off. Their troops are shaytans and the troops of the believers are the angels who watch over them.

76. Allah augments those who are guided – by belief – by giving them greater guidance in the form of the Signs which sent down to them. In your Lord’s sight, right actions – obedience to Allah which will remain forever in the person’s record – which are lasting are better both in reward and in end result. That is not the case with the actions of the unbelievers.

77. Have you seen him who rejects Our Signs (al-‘Asi ibn Wa’il) and says, ‘I will certainly be given wealth and children there’? He said this to Khabbab ibn al-Aratt. When Khabbab asked him for the money he was owed, he told him, “You will be resurrected after death.” Al-‘Asi replied, “If I am resurrected, I will be given wealth and children and will pay you then.”

78. Has he surveyed the Unseen – has he been informed of the Unseen and that He will be given what he says – or has he a contract with the All-Merciful that he will be given that?

79. No indeed – he will not be given that! We will give the command to write down what he says and prolong the punishment for him. He will have an increased punishment on account of that; another punishment in addition to the one he will receive for his unbelief.

80. We will inherit from him the things he is talking about (his wealth and children) and he will come to Us all alone on the Day of Rising, without either wealth or children.

81. They (the unbelievers of Makka) have taken other gods besides Allah – the idols which they worship – to be a source of power and strength for them – to act as their intercessors with Allah so that they will not be punished!

82. No indeed! Nothing can prevent their punishment. They will reject their worship and will be opposed to them – meaning either that they will join forces against them or that they will be enemies to them. The deities they worshipped will deny their worship, as in another ayat, “It was not us they were worshipping.” (28:63)

83. Do you not see that We send the shaytans with authority against those who disbelieve to goad them on to commit acts of disobedience?

84. So do not try to hasten their punishment. We are simply counting out the number of their days – days and nights; or it may mean their breaths until the moment when they are punished.

85. On that Day We will gather those who were godfearing – because of their faith – to the All-Merciful with due ceremony.

86. But We will drive the evildoers to Hell – because of their unbelief – like cattle to a watering hole – the word wird used here is the plural of warid, which means someone who walks in extreme thirst.

87. They (mankind in general) have no right of intercession. None do but those who have a contract with the All-Merciful – unless they have made a contract based on the formula Lailaha illa’llah wa lahawla wala quwwata illa billah (There is no god but Allah and there is no power nor strength except by Allah).

88. They say, ‘The All-Merciful has a child’ – a reference to the Jews and the Christians and those who claim that the angels are the daughters of Allah. Then Allah said to them:

89. They have devised a very monstrous thing.

90. The heavens are all but (read as takadu and yakadu) rent apart (read as yatafattarna and yanfatirna) and the earth split open and the mountains brought crashing down – on account of the horrendous nature of what they say –

91. …at their ascription of a son to the All-Merciful! Then Allah says:

92. It is not fitting or appropriate for the All-Merciful to have a child.

93. There is no one in the heavens and earth who will not come to the All-Merciful as a slave – submissive and humble on the Day of Rising, including ‘Uzayr and Isa.

94. He has counted them and numbered them precisely. Nothing is hidden from Him, neither their total number nor each one of them individually.

95. Each of them will come to Him on the Day of Rising all alone – without property or any helper to defend him.

96. As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them – both between them, so that they love one another, and also His love for them directly.

97. We have made it (the Qur’an) easy on your Arabic tongue so that you may give good news to those who are godfearing – those who have won faith – and warn stubbornly hostile people by it – those who are stubborn in arguing by adducing falsehood. These are the unbelievers of Makka.

98. How many generations of previous nations We have destroyed before them for denying the Messengers! Do you see a trace of any one of them, or hear even a whisper of them? No. Just as We destroyed them, so We will also destroy these.