Mary (Maryam)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Kaf- Ha-Ya-'Ain-Sad. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. 1 (This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zakariya. 2 When he quietly called his Lord 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 And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir 5 who shall be my inheritor and the inheritor of the House of Jacob; and make him, my Lord, well-pleasing.' 6 [Thereupon the angels called out unto him: "O Zachariah! We bring thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son whose name shall be John. [And God says,] "Never have We given this name to anyone before him." 7 He said: "My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age." 8 He (the angel) said, “So it is; your Lord says, ‘This is easy for Me – in fact I created you before this, at a time when you did not exist.’” 9 [Zechariah] said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, [being] sound." 10 Thereupon he came out of the sanctuary unto his people and signified to them [by gestures]: "Extol His limitless glory by day and by night!" 11 "O John! Hold the Book with all your strength." We had bestowed wisdom upon him while he was still a child; 12 and tenderness [of heart] and purity. He was pious, 13 and dutiful towards his parents and was not haughty or disobedient. 14 He was born and died in peace and will be brought back to life again in peace. 15