Say (Prophet Muhammad): 'If you love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you, and forgive your sins. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful' 31 Say, "Obey God and the Messenger," and if they turn away, God does not love those who deny the truth. 32 ۞ Verily did Allah choose Adam and Nuh and the house of lbrahim and the house of 'lmran out of the worlds 33 (for His messengership) - a people alike and the seed of one another. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. 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 And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast. 36 And thereupon her Sustainer accepted the girl-child with goodly acceptance, and caused her to grow up in goodly growth, and placed her in the care of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her provided with food. He would ask: "O Mary, whence came this unto thee?" She would answer: "It is from God; behold, God grants sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all reckoning." 37 Then Zachariah prayed to his Lord saying, 'Lord, give me of Thy goodness a goodly offspring. Yea, Thou hearest prayer.' 38 Then the angels called unto him even while he stood praying in the apartment: verily Allah announceth unto thee Yahya confessing to a word from Allah, and a leader, and a chaste and a prophet of the righteous ones. 39 He said: "O my Lord! How can I have a son when I am very old, and my wife is barren?" Allah said: "Thus Allah does what He wills." 40 He said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He Said, "Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt [Him with praise] in the evening and the morning." 41