English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 19: Maryam — Mary (Revealed at Makkah: 6 sections, 98 verses)
Section 6 (Verses 19:83–19:98): False Doctrine of Sonship
Translation:
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّـاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنَا الشَّیٰطِیۡنَ عَلَی الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ تَؤُزُّہُمۡ اَزًّا ﴿ۙ۸۳﴾
19:83 Do you not see that We send the devils against the disbelievers, inciting them provokingly?
فَلَا تَعۡجَلۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ اِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَہُمۡ عَدًّا ﴿ۚ۸۴﴾
19:84 So make no haste against them. We only number out to them a number (of days).
یَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُ الۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ اِلَی الرَّحۡمٰنِ وَفۡدًا ﴿ۙ۸۵﴾
19:85 The day when We gather the dutiful to the Beneficent to receive honours,
وَّ نَسُوۡقُ الۡمُجۡرِمِیۡنَ اِلٰی جَہَنَّمَ وِرۡدًا ﴿ۘ۸۶﴾
19:86 and drive the guilty to hell, as thirsty beasts.
لَا یَمۡلِکُوۡنَ الشَّفَاعَۃَ اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنۡدَ الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَہۡدًا ﴿ۘ۸۷﴾
19:87 They have no power of intercession, except him who has made a covenant with the Beneficent.
وَ قَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحۡمٰنُ وَلَدًا ﴿ؕ۸۸﴾
19:88 And they say: The Beneficent has taken to Himself a son.
لَقَدۡ جِئۡتُمۡ شَیۡئًا اِدًّا ﴿ۙ۸۹﴾
19:89 Certainly you make a detestable assertion!
تَکَادُ السَّمٰوٰتُ یَتَفَطَّرۡنَ مِنۡہُ وَ تَنۡشَقُّ الۡاَرۡضُ وَ تَخِرُّ الۡجِبَالُ ہَدًّا ﴿ۙ۹۰﴾
19:90 The heavens may almost be torn apart at it, and the earth split, and the mountains crumble down in pieces,
اَنۡ دَعَوۡا لِلرَّحۡمٰنِ وَلَدًا ﴿ۚ۹۱﴾
19:91 that they ascribe a son to the Beneficent!
وَ مَا یَنۡۢبَغِیۡ لِلرَّحۡمٰنِ اَنۡ یَّتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا ﴿ؕ۹۲﴾
19:92 And it is not worthy of the Beneficent that He should take to Himself a son.1
اِنۡ کُلُّ مَنۡ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّاۤ اٰتِی الرَّحۡمٰنِ عَبۡدًا ﴿ؕ۹۳﴾
19:93 There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes to the Beneficent as a servant.
لَقَدۡ اَحۡصٰہُمۡ وَ عَدَّہُمۡ عَدًّا ﴿ؕ۹۴﴾
19:94 Certainly He comprehends them, and has numbered them all.
وَ کُلُّہُمۡ اٰتِیۡہِ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ فَرۡدًا ﴿۹۵﴾
19:95 And everyone of them will come to Him on the day of Resurrection, alone.
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ سَیَجۡعَلُ لَہُمُ الرَّحۡمٰنُ وُدًّا ﴿۹۶﴾
19:96 Those who believe and do good deeds, for them the Beneficent will surely bring about love.2
فَاِنَّمَا یَسَّرۡنٰہُ بِلِسَانِکَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِہِ الۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ وَ تُنۡذِرَ بِہٖ قَوۡمًا لُّدًّا ﴿۹۷﴾
19:97 So We have made it easy in your tongue, only that you should give good news by it to those who guard against evil, and should warn by it a contentious people.
وَ کَمۡ اَہۡلَکۡنَا قَبۡلَہُمۡ مِّنۡ قَرۡنٍ ؕ ہَلۡ تُحِسُّ مِنۡہُمۡ مِّنۡ اَحَدٍ اَوۡ تَسۡمَعُ لَہُمۡ رِکۡزًا ﴿٪۹۸﴾
19:98 And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Can you see anyone of them or hear a sound of them?
Commentary:
- Verses 89–93 contain a most emphatic and clear condemnation of the Christian doctrine of the Godhead of Jesus Christ. As this chapter belongs to about the fifth year of the Holy Prophet’s mission, it shows that Islam had set before itself from the very first the grand object of the reformation of Christianity. The particular point on which stress is laid in this chapter, as against the fundamental errors of the Christian religion, Sonship and Atonement, is that God is Raḥmān (Beneficent), and does not require any compensation to forgive sinners. It is for this reason that the name Raḥmān, in preference to all other names of the Divine Being, is mentioned over and over again in this chapter, and the key to the whole position is contained in v. 92 in the words: It is not worthy of the Beneficent that He should take to Himself a son. In fact, the doctrine of Atonement is contradicted by Christ’s own words in the Lord’s prayer: “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew, 6:12). A man is said to forgive his debtor when he remits the debt and does not exact any compensation. Even thus does God forgive sinners; He needs no compensation. ↩
- Allah’s bringing about love for the righteous means that He loves them Himself and inspires love for them in the hearts of other people, while they also love Allah as well as their fellow-beings. The righteous servants of God are opposed at first, but gradually their goodness prevails and they are loved and admired. There is a prophetic reference here to the great love with which the hearts of the enemies of the Prophet were to be inspired in the near future, and even today the hearts of people are being inspired with greater and greater love for him as the world witnesses the good which he did to humanity. ↩