Mary (Maryam)
In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful
Kaf, Ha, Ya, 'Ayn, Sad. 1 This is the story of the blessing of your Lord to His servant Zachariah. 2 When he called to his Lord a private supplication. 3 he prayed: "O my Sustainer! Feeble have become my bones, and my head glistens with grey hair. But never yet, O my Lord, has my prayer unto Thee remained unanswered. 4 "Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself,- 5 "(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!" 6 [He was told], "O Zechariah, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be John. We have not assigned to any before [this] name." 7 He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age? 8 He said: So shall it be, your Lord says: It is easy to Me, and indeed I created you before, when you were nothing. 9 [Zakariya (Zachariah)] said: "My Lord! Appoint for me a sign." He said: "Your sign is that you shall not speak unto mankind for three nights, though having no bodily defect." 10 Thereupon Zechariah came out from the sanctuary and directed his people by gestures to extol His glory by day and by night. 11 We commanded John, Zachariah's son, to follow the guidance of the Lord with due steadfastness. We gave knowledge and wisdom to John during his childhood. 12 And (made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins [i.e. Yahya (John)] and he was righteous, 13 and cherishing to his parents. Never was he insolent or rebellious. 14 So peace on him the day he was born, the day he will die, and the day that he will be raised from the dead. 15