Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:38-40)

Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:38-40)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Zakaria and Maryam

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ ‎﴿٣٨﴾‏ فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ‎﴿٣٩﴾‏ قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَقَدْ بَلَغَنِيَ الْكِبَرُ وَامْرَأَتِي عَاقِرٌ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ ‎﴿٤٠﴾‏

3:38 At that time Zakaria called upon his Lord, saying: “My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.”

3:39 So the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, “Indeed, Allah (SWT) gives you good tidings of Yahya, confirming a word from Allah (SWT) and (who will be) honorable, a chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous.”

3:40 He said: “My Lord, how will I have a boy when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?” The angel said, “Such is Allah (SWT); God does what God wills.”

Commentary: Zakaria admired Maryam’s high moral character, sincere worship, and esteemed status in the eyes of Allah (SWT). For instance, Zakaria saw rare food besides her whenever he passed her chamber. He asked: “O’ Mary, from where is this (food coming) to you?” (يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَٰذَا) She replied, “It is from Allah (SWT)” (هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ).

Zakaria was deeply impressed by Maryam’s noble and dignified character in the eyes of God. He prayed to God to bless him with a child with the same status and dignity as Maryam. Allah (SWT) answered his prayer and bestowed upon him Yahya (AS), who shared many similarities with the prophet Isa (AS). Their similarity is underscored in Chapter 19 (Maryam). For instance,

• Angels gave the good news of the birth of Isa (AS) to Maryam (19:17) and Yahya to Zakaria (19:7)
• After giving birth to Isa, Mary was kept busy with the remembrance of God for several days and did not talk to anyone (19:26). Similarly, Zakaria (AS) did not speak for three days once he was given the good news of the birth of Yahya (19:10)
• Isa (AS) and Yahya (AS) declared their prophethood missions in their childhood (19:12 & 19:30). The complete verses are provided in Appendix_1.

Let us now delve into the understanding of Verses 3:38-40.

Verse 3:38 denotes that Zakaria (AS) prayed: “My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring” (رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً) and “You are the Hearer of supplication” (إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ). “A good offspring” (ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً) implies a child with personality, prestige, and honor, like Maryam[1].

At this moment: “The angels called him (فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ) while he was standing in prayer in the chamber” (وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ). “Indeed, Allah (SWT) gives you good tidings of Yahya” (أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ). He would “confirm a word from Allah (SWT) (مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ) and (will be) honorable (وَسَيِّدًا), abstaining (from women) (وَحَصُورًا), and a prophet from among the righteous (وَنَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ).”

The phrase “Indeed, Allah (SWT) gives you good tidings of Yahya” (أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ) implies that Allah (SWT) named Zakaria’s son, Yahya [2]. This is consistent with verse 19:7 (Chapter Maryam):

يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا ‎﴿٧﴾

19:7 (He was told): “O’ Zakaria, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be Yahya. We have not assigned to any before (this) name.”

The phrase “confirming a word from Allah (SWT)” (مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ) means that Yahya (AS) would believe in and support the mission of the Prophet Isa (AS). The word “kalimatin” (كَلِمَةٍ) implies Prophet Isa (AS) according to Verses 3:45 (Aal-e-Imran) and 4:171(An-Nisa). In general, the word “Kalimah” (کَلِمَة) means word, but in the Qur’an, it refers to Allah’s (SWT) creation since His creation manifests His will and word. For instance, verse 31:27 (كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ) means Allah’s (SWT) creations:

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ‎﴿٢٧﴾‏

31:27 And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea (was ink), replenished thereafter by seven (more) seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah (SWT) is Exalted in Might and Wise.

The word “Saayyidan” (سَيِّدًا) means “chief” or “head of the community” and refers to the person who manages the community’s affairs. This is the original meaning of the word. The honorable and the noble of every nation is now called “Saayyad” (سَيِّد) since leadership always requires honor and respect.

The word “Haṣuran” (حَصُورًا) translates to chaste, and it means one who abstains from lust and desires. This word is sometimes used for a person who refrains from women. In the present context, it signifies a man who refrains from all carnal desires and lust due to his asceticism. Our attention will now shift towards verse 3:39.

Earlier, it was mentioned that “Hannah” (حَنَّة) and “Ashya” (اَشیاع) (also known as Ashba or Al-Yashbi or Elizabeth) were two sisters. “Hannah” was the wife of “Imran” (عمران), and “Ashya” was the wife of “Zakaria” (زکریا). Both were barren and could not conceive children [3].

The angels told Zakaria (AS) that Allah (SWT) would bless him with a child as noble as Maryam (SA). He was ecstatic and could not hide his joy at the news of his wife’s pregnancy after many years of marriage. He asked: “My Lord, how will I have a boy when I have reached old age, and my wife is barren?” (قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَقَدْ بَلَغَنِيَ الْكِبَرُ وَامْرَأَتِي عَاقِرٌ)

Prophet Zakaria (AS) was aware of his advanced age and his wife’s infertility, but he had unwavering faith in Allah (SWT) and believed that a child could be bestowed upon him. Hence, he implored Allah (SWT) to bless him with a child from his wife, who had been unable to conceive. After hearing the news from the angels, why did he then ask his Lord how he could have a child? Did he doubt the promises of his Lord? Of course not!

Zakaria knew this would not be a normal pregnancy in which a couple conceived a child normally. He wondered how Allah (SWT) would make this happen. Would his wife miraculously become pregnant, or would his wife experience menstruation to get pregnant [4]?  Angels replied that his wife would become pregnant with the will of Allah (SWT).

A similar question was asked by both prophet Uzair [5] and prophet Ibrahim, who both believed in the resurrection. Nevertheless, they asked Allah (SWT) to show them how He would resurrect the dead on the Day of Judgment [6]. Further discussion could be found in the commentary of verses 2:259 and 2:260 (Chapter Al-Baqarah).

Allah (SWT) also gave the good news of children to prophet Ibrahim (AS) in old age when his wife was old and barren (عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٌ); see Verses 15:54 (Chapter Al-Hijr) and 51:25-30 (Chapter Adh-Dhariyat). Prophet Ibrahim felt fear when the angels arrived before him. The angels assured him they had come to give the good news that he would be blessed with a knowledgeable son. Ibrahim, like Zakaria, was ecstatic and asked:

قَالَ أَبَشَّرْتُمُونِي عَلَىٰ أَن مَّسَّنِيَ الْكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُونَ ‎﴿٥٤﴾

15:54 He said: “Have you given me good tidings although old age has come upon me? What unlikely news?”

The angels replied, “We give you good news in all truth, so do not be one of those who despair.” Ibrahim (AS) replied that the misguided people are only in despair from the mercy of Allah (SWT):

قَالَ وَمَن يَقْنَطُ مِن رَّحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَ ‎﴿٥٦﴾

15:56 He said: “And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?”

Ibrahim (AS) did not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, nor did he doubt Allah’s ability to bless him with a child. Instead, he was amazed at the divine power that allowed him to have a son in his old age despite his wife’s barrenness[7].

In short, when we hear amazing news, we express either amazement or ask how. Prophets of Allah (SWT) never doubted Allah’s ability. Instead, they were amazed and curious to learn how Allah (SWT) would manifest wonders in His universe.

Appendix_1

يَا يَحْيَىٰ خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ ۖ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا ‎﴿١٢﴾‏ وَحَنَانًا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَزَكَاةً ۖ وَكَانَ تَقِيًّا ‎﴿١٣﴾‏ وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُن جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّا ‎﴿١٤﴾‏ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا ‎﴿١٥﴾

19:12 “O’ Yahya! Hold firmly to the Scriptures.” And We granted him wisdom while (he was still) a child,

19:13 as well as purity and compassion from Us. And he was God-fearing,

19:14 and kind to his parents. He was neither arrogant nor disobedient.

19:15 Peace be upon him the day he was born, and the day of his death, and the day he will be raised back to life!

Regarding Isa (AS), verse 19:12-15 says:

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا ‎﴿٣٠﴾‏ وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا ‎﴿٣١﴾‏ وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا ‎﴿٣٢﴾‏ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا ‎﴿٣٣﴾

19:30 (Isa declared), “I am truly a servant of Allah. He has given me to be given the Scripture and to be a prophet.

19:31 He has made me a blessing wherever I go, and bid me to establish prayer and give alms-tax as long as I live,

19:32 and to be kind to my mother. He has not made me arrogant or defiant.

19:33 Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I will be raised back to life!”

[1] Al-Mizan, Vo.3, P. 274

[2] Yahya means “He lives”

[3] Baran-e-Rahmat – The Rain of Mercy Part 2

[4] Tafseer-e-Namoonah, Vol. 2, P. 537

[5] 2:259, Al-Baqara (قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا), “How will Allah bring this to life after its death?”

[6] 2:260, Al-Baqara (وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ), “When Ibraham said, “My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.”

[7] Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.11, P.101