Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." 31 Say thou: obey Allah and the apostle. If thereafter they turn away; then verily Allah loveth not the infidels. 32 ۞ God chose (and gave distinction to) Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and Imran over all the people of the world. 33 They are the offspring of one another. God hears all and knows all. 34 (Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: 'Lord, I have vowed to You in dedication that which is hidden inside me. Accept this from me. You are the Hearer, the Knower' 35 Then when she brought her forth, she said: my Lord verily I have brought forth a female - and Allah knew best that which she had brought forth, and the male is not as the female, and verily I have named her Maryam, and verily I seek refuge for her and her progeny with Thee from the Satan the accursed. 36 So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zakariya; whenever Zakariya entered the sanctuary to (see) her, he found with her food. He said: O Marium! whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure. 37 Forthwith Zakariyya prayed unto his Lord: my Lord bestow on me from Thine presence a goodly offspring; verily Thou! Thou art the Hearer of prayer. 38 And the angels called out to him when he was standing in the sanctuary worshipping, saying: 'Allah gives you glad tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word from Allah. He shall be a master and chaste, a Prophet and from the righteous' 39 [Zachariah] exclaimed: "O my Sustainer! How can I have a son when old age has already overtaken me, and my wife is barren?" Answered [the angel]: "Thus it is: God does what He wills." 40 Zechariah said: 'O my Lord! Appoint a sign for me.' The angel said: 'The sign for you shall be that you shall not speak to men for three days except by gesture. Remember your Lord and extol His glory by night and by day.' 41