Proclaim, (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “O mankind! If you love Allah, follow me – Allah will love you and forgive you your sins”; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. 31 Say: Obey Allah and the Apostle; but if they turn back, then surely Allah does not love the unbelievers. 32 ۞ God chose Adam and Noah and the House of Abraham and the House of Imran above all beings, the 33 Progeny, one of the other, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing. 34 Recall what time the wife of 'lmran said: my Lord, verily I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly to be dedicated; accept Thou then of me. Verily Thou! Thou art the Hearer, the Knower. 35 But when she delivered her, she said, "My Lord, I have delivered a female." And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah]." 36 Thereupon her Lord graciously accepted Mary and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth and placed her in the care of Zechariah. Whenever Zechariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her provided with food. He asked her: 'O Mary, how did this come to you?' She said: 'It is from Allah. Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills beyond all reckoning.' 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 When he was standing during prayer in his place of worship, the angels called him saying, "God gives you the glad news of the birth of your son, John who will be a confirmation of (Jesus) the Word of God. He will become a chaste, noble leader and one of the righteous Prophets. 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! appoint a sign for me. Said He: Your sign is that you should not speak to men for three days except by signs; and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning. 41