[CHAP. XIX. 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. (12) And he went forth unto his people from the chamber, and he made signs unto them, as if he should say, Praise ye God in the morning and in the evening. (13) 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, (14) and mercy from us, and purity of life; and he was a devout person, and dutiful towards his parents, and was not proud or rebellious. (15) 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.

|| (16) And remember in the book of the Qurán the RUBA. story of Mary, when she retired from her family to a R place towards the east, (17) and took a veil to conceal herself from them; and we sent our spirit Gabriel unto

(11) Thy sign. See note on chap. iii. 41. (12) He made signs. "Some say

he wrote the following words on the ground."-Sale. See chap. iii. 41.

(13) Wisdom. The Tafsir-i-Raufi gives the following illustration of John's wisdom. When three years of age, some children asked him to play with them, but he declined, saying that he had not been created for play!

(15) Compare with ver. 34 below. This verse was probably first applied by Muhammad to Jesus, but misplaced here by the compilers.

(16) A place towards the east. "To the eastern part of the temple; or to a private chamber in the house, which opened to the east whence, says Al Baidháwi, 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. But others more prudently suppose the design of her retirement was to pray." -Sale, Yahya, Baidháwi, &c.

This passage contradicts Luke i. 26 and 39.
(17) Our spirit appeared a perfect man.

"Like a full

her, and he appeared unto her in the shape of a perfect man. (18) 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.

(19) He answered, LORD, and am sent

Verily I am the messenger of thy to give thee a holy son. (20) She said, How shall I have a son, seeing a man hath not touched me, and I am no harlot? (21) 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. (22) Wherefore she conceived him; and she retired aside with him in her womb to a distant place; (23) and the pains

grown, but beardless youth. Al Baidhawi, 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."-Sale.

See chap. vi. 9, and notes there.

(18) If thou fearest. The original is In kuntá taqian. Some commentators understanding taqian to be a proper name, translate the passage if thou art Taqi. They say this man was a noted villain, who had assaulted many women in the neighbourhood. Mary fancying that the man, who now appeared to her in her private apartments, must be Taqi, took refuge in God against him. Tafsíri-Raufi.

(19) A holy son. The only fair inference from this statement is that Jesus was thus miraculously conceived in order that he might be holy and sinless. See notes on chap. ii. 253.

(22) Wherefore she conceived him. "For Gabriel blew into the bosom of her shift, which he opened with his fingers, and his breath reaching her womb, caused the conception. 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."-Sale, Baidhawi, Yahya, &c.

All authorities agree that Jesus was conceived by an act of the Divine will. Those Muslims who, with Syed Ahmad, believe that Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary, are certainly at enmity alike with the Quran and with orthodox Islám.

A distant place. "To conceal her delivery she went out of the city by night to a certain mountain."-Sale.

The language of the Qurán certainly gives the impression that the birth of Jesus took place almost immediately after conception.

of child-birth came upon her near the trunk of a palmtree. She said, Would to GOD I had died before this, and had become a thing forgotten and lost in oblivion. (24) And he who was beneath her called to her, saying, Be not grieved; now hath GOD provided a rivulet under thee; (25) and do thou shake the body of the palm-tree, and it shall let fall ripe dates upon thee ready gathered. (26) And eat, and drink, and calm thy mind. Moreover, if thou see any man, and he question thee, (27) say, Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Merciful: wherefor I will by no means speak to a man this day. (28) So she brought the child to her people, carrying him in her arms.

(23) A palm-tree. "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, as is mentioned immediately.

"It has been observed, that the Muhammadan account of the delivery of the Virgin Mary very much resembles that of Latona, as described by the poets, not only in this circumstance of their laying hold on a palm-tree (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."-Sale.

See also chap. iii. 46, and note there.

Would to God I had died. The spirit of this passage contradicts Luke i. 46-55. Joseph's betrothal and marriage is here, as everywhere in the Qurán, totally ignored. Was Muhammad ignorant of this portion of the history of Jesus?

(24) He who was beneath her. The commentators are divided in opinion as to who addressed Mary on this occasion. Some say it was Jesus, who spoke as soon as he was born: others, that it was Gabriel, who spoke from behind the palm-tree (Baidháwi).

(25) Ripe dates. "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."-Sale.

(26) Calm thy mind. Literally, Calm thine eye, an expression which may apply either to the birth of a son or to refreshment derived from the sight of delicious fruit or food of any kind.

(27) Say, Verily I have vowed a fast. The bountiful provision of fruit and the command to eat and drink (ver. 26) must then be regarded as preparatory to this fast.

I will by no means speak. Sale says:-"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."

And they said unto her, O Mary, now hast thou done a strange thing. (29) O sister of Aaron, 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? (31) Whereupon the child said, Verily I am the servant of GOD; he hath given me the book of the gospel, and hath appointed me a prophet. (32) 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; (33) and he hath made me dutiful towards my mother, and hath not made me proud or unhappy. (34) 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. (35) This was Jesus, the son of Mary; the Word of truth, concerning whom

(29) A sister of Aaron. "Several Christian writers think the Qurán stands convicted of a manifest falsehood in this particular, but I am afraid the Muhammadans may avoid the charge; 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 or of reproach, &c.”—Sale, Zamakhshari, Baidhawi, &c.

See this subject discussed in note on chap. iii. 35.

(31) I am the servant of God. "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."-Sale, Baidhawi.

Let it not be forgotten that these words, "put into the mouth of Jesus," are presented to us here as coming to Muhammad from God by the mouth of Gabriel. Was there nothing dishonest in this business? If not, perhaps some of Muhammad's apologists will tell us why. See also note on chap. iii. 46.

(34) See notes on chap. iii. 53, 54, and below on ver. 156.

(35) The Word of truth. "This expression may either be referred to Jesus as the Word of God, or to the account just given of him."— Sale.

they doubt. (36) 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. (37) And verily GOD is my LORD and your LORD; wherefore, serve him: this is the right way. (38) Yet the sectaries differ among themselves concerning Jesus: but woe be unto those who are unbelievers, because of their appearance at the great day. (39) Do thou cause them to hear, and do thou cause them to see, 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. (41) Verily we will inherit the earth, and whatever creatures are therein; and unto us shall they all

return.

|| (42) And remember Abraham in the book of the R 3.

Rodwell translates: "This is a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt," which agrees with the Urdu and Persian translations, and accords with the interpretations of the commentators.

(36) It is not meet for God. See notes on chaps. ii. 116, vi. 101, 102, and xvii. III.

Be, and it is. See note on chap. ii. 117. Rodwell says this and the four following verses belong to a later date than the remaining portion of this chapter.

(38) The sectaries. Either Jews and Christians differ, or Christians differ among themselves.—Tafsir-i-Raufi.

Their appearance. See Prelim. Disc., pp. 138, 139.

(39) "These words are variously expounded, some taking them to express admiration (chap. xviii. 27) 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 Muhammad to lay before them the terrors of that day."-Sale, Baidháwi.

(41) We shall inherit the earth, i.e., "alone surviving when all creatures shall be dead and annihilated. See chap. xv. 23."-Sale. Shall return. Abdul Qadir says that previous to the day of judgment all Muslims will have been taken out of hell and transferred to heaven. The Angel of Death shall then cast all the infidels into hell.

(42) Abraham. See notes on chap. iv. 124 and xvi. 121.