Say: 'If you love God, follow me, and God will love you, and forgive you your sins; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.' 31 Tell them, "Obey God and the Messenger." If they turn away (let it be known) that God does not love the unbelievers. 32 ۞ Truly Allah chose Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and of 'Imran above all mankind. 33 in one line of descent. And God was all-hearing, all-knowing 34 (Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: "O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve Your Place of worship), so accept this, from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knowing." 35 So when she brought forth, she said: My Lord! Surely I have brought it forth a female-- and Allah knew best what she brought forth-- and the male is not like the female, and I have named it Marium, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Shaitan. 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 prayed to his Lord, saying, "Lord, grant me by Your own grace virtuous offspring. You are the hearer of all prayers." 38 Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a Word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet from among the good ones. 39 He said, "How can there be a son for me when I am already senile and my wife is barren." The angel replied, "God does as He wills." 40 Zachariah prayed to God saying, "Lord, show me the evidence (that it is Divine revelation)." The Lord replied, "You must not speak to people for three days except with gestures. Commemorate your Lord often and glorify Him in the early mornings and the evenings." 41