Surah Maryam , 19...Prologue

Recitation of Surah Maryam by Shaykh Maher al-Muaqily,

SURAH MARYAM WAS REVEALED in Makkah, probably during the earlier part of the Makkah period and before the first wave of Muslim emigration to Abbyssinia, circa 615 AC. It gives an account of the birth of Jesus, son of Mary, which it present as an extraordinary act of God. This account is preceded by that of the birth of John [ Yahya ], son of Zachariah, which was just as remarkable. Despite the fact that Zachariah and his wife were old and frail, and his wife morever infertile, God had graced them with a son. In these two instances God demonstrated that He was not only capable of allowing an infertile wife to conceive from an elderly and frail husband and give birth, but He had also the power to cause a young virgin to conceive and have a baby without being touched by a man. The two accounts also appear in the same sequence in al- Imran, which was revealed at Madinah.

What happened in these two cases is quite extraordinary from a human point of view, and makes one stop  and reflect on God's power. Being the originator of the law of cause and effect, and by having control over them, God is not bound by the logic and the dynamics of those laws. He is above physical and other laws that govern the whole cosmos. Indeed, Jesus himself acknowledged that: "Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, "(31)

Why was Zachariah  eager to have a son, while many people would have been quite happy by this stage in life  to be without any children? The answer is that he was concerned about the Israelites' spiritual leadership and the continuity of their religion. There were many among them who were pretenders to the leadership and who were not capable of it. As a result, Zachariah could do no more than to turn to God to give him a son who would save the Israelites, preserve their religion, and lead them along the right path. He said:

Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor (5) Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee). (6)

He was given John and, as a token of gratitude to God, he was commanded to spend three days and nights in continuous  prayer and devotion.

Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night. (11) (And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child, (12)


" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Shaykh Muhammad al Ghazali





Reflection and commentary by Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda,


biodata on Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda :

Abdul Nasir Jangda is the founder and director of Qalam Institute.  He was born and raised in the Dallas area. At the age of 10 he went to Karachi, Pakistan to memorize the Quran. He excelled in his memorization and committed the entire Quran to memory in less than 1 year. He then returned home and continued his school education. After graduating from High School, he went back to Karachi to study the Alim Course at Jamia Binoria. He graduated from the rigorous 7 year program in 2002 at the top of his class and with numerous Ijaazaat (Licenses) in various Islamic Sciences. Along with the Alim Course he concurrently completed a B.A. and M.A. in Arabic from Karachi University. He also obtained a Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Sindh.  He taught Arabic at the University of Texas at Arlington from 2005 to 2007. He has served as an instructor and curriculum advisor to various Islamic schools and Islamic studies programs. He served as the Imam at the Colleyville Masjid in the Dallas area for 3 years. He is a founding member and chairman of Mansfield Islamic Center. Abdul Nasir is an instructor with Bayyinah Institute, where his class “Meaningful Prayer” has traveled the country.

His latest projects include Quran Intensive (a summer program focusing on Arabic grammar and Tafsir), Quranic analysis lectures, Khateeb Training, chronicling of the Prophetic Biography at www.qalaminstitute.org, and personally mentoring and teaching his students.

part 1

part 2 : 
ayat1 - ayat 4

part 3 :
ayat 5 -ayat 6

part 4 :
ayat 7 - ayat 11