Say [O Prophet]: "If you love God, follow me, [and] God will love you and forgive you your sins; for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace." 31 Say thou: obey Allah and the apostle. If thereafter they turn away; then verily Allah loveth not the infidels. 32 ۞ BEHOLD, God raised Adam, and Noah, and the House of Abraham, and the House of 'Imran above all mankind, 33 Descendants, some of them from others. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. 34 (He also heard) when the woman of 'Imran said: 'O Lord! Behold, unto You do I vow that the child in my womb is to be devoted to Your exclusive service. Accept it, then, from me. Surely You alone are All-Hearing, All-Knowing.' 35 When the baby was born she said, "Lord, it is a female." God knew this. Male and female are not alike. "I have named her Mary. I pray that You will keep her and her offspring safe from Satan, the condemned one." 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 Thereupon Zachariah supplicated to his Lord, saying: 'Lord, give me from You a good offspring. You hear all prayers' 38 And the angels called out to him while he was standing, offering prayer at his place of worship, “Indeed Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), who will confirm a Word (or sign) from Allah, – a leader, always refraining from women, a Prophet from one of Our devoted ones.” 39 He said: My Lord! when shall there be a son (born) to me, and old age has already come upon me, and my wife is barren? He said: even thus does Allah what He pleases. 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