seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 19: In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.
1. Kaf, Ha, Ya, Ayn, Saad.
2. A mention of the mercy of your Lord towards His servant Zechariah.
3. When he called on his Lord, a call in seclusion.
4. He said, “My Lord, my bones have become feeble, and my hair is aflame with gray, and never, Lord, have I been disappointed in my prayer to you.
5. “And I fear for my dependents after me, and my wife is barren. So grant me, from Yourself, an heir.
6. To inherit me, and inherit from the House of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, pleasing.”
7. “O Zechariah, We give you good news of a son, whose name is John, a name We have never given before.”
8. He said, “My Lord, how can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have become decrepit with old age?”
9. He said, “It will be so, your Lord says, ‘it is easy for me, and I created you before, when you were nothing.’”
10. He said, “My Lord, give me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights straight.”
11. And he came out to his people, from the sanctuary, and signaled to them to praise morning and evening.
12. “O John, hold on to the Scripture firmly,” and We gave him wisdom in his youth.
13. And tenderness from Us, and innocence. He was devout.
14. And kind to his parents; and he was not a disobedient tyrant.
15. And peace be upon him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the Day he is raised alive.
Here's the commentary.
Kåf stands for Kåf-in, Sufficient, hå for Håd-in, Guide, yå for Yamßn, Blessed, ‘ain for ‘Alßm, Knowing, and ©åd for ˝ådiq, Truthful. Yå has also been interpreted as being a letter of interjection, meaning O, but according to JA, yå stands for Yamßn, One possessing yumn or blessings.
His fear was due to their not leading righteous lives, and he feared there would be none to lead people into the ways of righteousness after him.
The inheritance of the Children of Jacob is the inheritance of the Divine blessing of prophethood, which had been promised to Jacob’s children.
Samß means a competitor, or contender for superiority in eminence or glory; hence also an equal, or a like. The word occurs again in this chapter in v. 65 and bears the same meaning, not namesake, because there it is spoken about Allåh. It is not, of course, meant that one like John or equal to him was never before created in the world. According to the Gospels: “Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11). The meaning is that one like him was not born in Zacharias’ family, because in the previous verse it is his own relatives about whom Zacharias says that he feared, and therefore an assurance was now given to him that the promised son would not be like the other members of his family whom he feared. Or the meaning may be, that one like him had not appeared in that age.
The word lail, i.e., night, is interpreted as including the day, as yaum, or day, includes the night. Moreover, in 3:41 the words are three days, thus showing that three days and three nights are meant. It should also be noted that the Qur’ån does not support the idea that Zacharias was struck dumb, because it speaks of him as being in sound health. The object of assuming silence was to be engaged solely in prayer to the Divine Being, and hence Zacharias told his people also to glorify God.
The various aspects of the character of John deserve to be noted. He was pure and sinless and never disobeyed God. In fact, what is said of one prophet is equally true of all. They are all pure from birth, and never disobey God.
So... this chapter is called "Mary". It starts off with the birth of John the Baptist.... and a controversy with the story as told in our Bible.
Zacharias is the main human character in these verses. He was directly related to Jacob [the human God renamed Israel] and he was directly related to Aaron [who became the mouthpiece of Moses]. Zacharias' daughter was Elizabeth. Elizabeth was Mary's cousin. Elizabeth was about to get pregnant with Zacharias' first son, John. The Bible calls the baby "John the Baptist".
The controversy is raised over the apparent fact that when Zacharias found out he was going to have a son.... he didn't say a word for three days. The Bible says he was struck dumb by God. The Quran says.... not so fast.... a healthy man just doesn't go dumb.
Here we go again.... putting God in a box that fits our description of Him. Zacharias put God in a box too.... so this is fair. Look at verse 8. Zacharias questioned God when God told him he would have a son with Elizabeth. Zacharias reminded God that Elizabeth was barren and Zacharias was an old geezer by the time this happened. I bet the real story is even better than the Quran or the Bible. I bet God pointed a finger at Zacharias and said "Shut Up!" .... and of course he did... for three days.
There is a thread that pops back up in these Religion discussions about "what day of the week" was Jesus crucified. It has to do with the timing of the three days and finding the tomb empty. I copied this from the commentary.... "The word lail, i.e., night, is interpreted as including the day, as yaum, or day, includes the night." Does the interpretation of these two words have anything to do with it? And isn't it interesting.... three days.... in the Quran. Like I said.... humans keep putting God in a box.
So... new chapter... and this one is called "Mary".
Mary's cousin was the mother of John the Baptist. Zacharias was an old man.... old sperm.... and Elizabeth was barren.
Don't put God in a Box!
