Surah 3. Aal-Imran

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."

  - Mohammad Asad

Tell the people O Muhammad: "If you sincerely love Allah, then follow me; Allah will also love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'If you 'sincerely' love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "If ye do love Allah follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say: "Pay heed unto God and the Apostle."

  - Mohammad Asad

Also tell them, "Obey Allah and His Rasool." Inspite of this, if they turn back then warn them, that Allah does not love the disobedient.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'Obey Allah and His Messenger.' If they still turn away, then truly Allah does not like the disbelievers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, Lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Obey Allah and His Apostle"; but if they turn back Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

BEHOLD, God raised Adam, and Noah, and the House of Abraham, and the House of 'Imran above all mankind,

  - Mohammad Asad

Indeed Allah exalted Adam, Nuh (Noah), the family of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Imran above all the worlds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people 'of their time'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all His) creatures.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Allah did choose Adam and Noah the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all people.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

in one line of descent.²² And God was all-hearing, all-knowing²³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "offspring of one another" - an allusion not merely to the physical descent of those prophets but also to the fact that all of them were spiritually linked with one another and believed in one and the same fundamental truth (Tabari). Thus, the above passage is a logical sequence to verses {31-32}, which make God's approval contingent upon obedience to His chosen message-bearers. The names which appear in this sentence circumscribe, by implication, all the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an inasmuch as most of them were descendants of two or more of these patriarchs. The House of 'Imran comprises Moses and Aaron, whose father was 'Imran (the Amram of the Bible), and Aaron's descendants, the priestly caste among the Israelites - thus including John the Baptist, both of whose parents were of the same descent (cf. the reference, in Luke i, 5, to John's mother Elisabeth as one "of the daughters of Aaron"), as well as Jesus, whose mother Mary - a close relation of John - is spoken of elsewhere in the Qur'an ( 19:28 ) as a "sister of Aaron": in both cases embodying the ancient Semitic custom of linking a person's or a people's name with that of an illustrious forebear. The reference to the House of 'Imran serves as an introduction to the stories of Zachariah, John, Mary, and Jesus.

My joining of this phrase with the following passage is in agreement with the interpretation advanced by Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Rida' (Manar III, 289).

They were the offsprings of one another. Allah hears all and knows all.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They are descendants of one another. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  - Mustafa Khattab

They were descendants one of another. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Offspring one of the other; and Allah heareth and knoweth all things. ³⁷⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Prophets in the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dispensation form one family literally. But the argument is wider. All men of faith form one family. If you love and obey Allah, love and obey His Messenger; your love, obedience and discipline will be the test of your Faith.

when a woman of [the House of] 'Imran prayed: "O my Sustainer! Behold, unto Thee do I vow [the child] that is in my womb, to be devoted to Thy service. Accept it, then, from me: verily, Thou alone art all-hearing, all-knowing!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah heard when the wife of Imran said, "O my Rabb! I dedicate to Your service what is in my womb. Please accept it from me. You alone hear all and know all."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Remember' when the wife of 'Imran said, 'My Lord! I dedicate what is in my womb entirely to Your service,¹ so accept it from me. You 'alone' are truly the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., dedicating the child to service in the temple.

(Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: My Lord I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold! a woman of Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto thee what is in my womb for Thy special service so accept this of me for Thou hearest and knowest all things." ^{375 376}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Now we begin the story of Jesus. As a prelude we have the birth of Mary and the parallel story of John the Baptist, Yahya the son of Zakariya. Yahya's mother Elisabeth was a cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke i. 36), and therefore John and Jesus were cousins by blood, and there was a spiritual cousinhood in their birth and career. Elisabeth was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke i. 5), of a priestly family which went back to Aaron the brother of Moses and son of Imran. Her husband Zakariya was actually a priest, and her cousin Mary was presumably also of a priestly family. By tradition Mary's mother was called Hannah (in Latin, Anna, and in English, Anne), and her father was called Imran. Hannah is therefore both a descendant of the priestly house of Imran and the wife of Imran,-"a woman of Imran" in a double sense,

Muharrar = freed from all worldly affairs and specially dedicated to Allah's service. She expected a son, who was to be a special devotee, a miraculous son of the old age of his parents, but Allah gave her instead a daughter. But that daughter was Mary the mother of Jesus, the chosen one among the women: iii. 42.

But when she had given birth to the child,²⁴ she said: "O my Sustainer! Behold, I have given birth to a female" - the while God had been fully aware of what she would give birth to, and [fully aware] that no male child [she might have hoped for] could ever have been like this female²⁵ - "and I have named her Mary. And, verily, I seek Thy protection for her and her offspring against Satan, the accursed."

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to her" - implying that it was a girl.

Lit., "and the male is not [or "could not be"] like the female". Zamakhshari reads these words as forming part of the parenthetic sentence relating to God's knowledge, and explains them thus: "The male [child] which she had prayed for could not have been like the female which she was granted" - which implies that Mary's excellence would go far beyond any hopes which her mother had ever entertained.

When she gave birth to a girl instead of a boy, she said: "My Rabb! I have given birth to a girl," - Allah knew very well what she had delivered - "and that the male is not like the female, I have named her Maryem (Mary) and I seek Your protection for her and her children from the mischief of Shaitan, the accursed."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

When she delivered, she said, 'My Lord! I have given birth to a girl,'- and Allah fully knew what she had delivered- 'and the male is not like the female.¹ I have named her Mary, and I seek Your protection for her and her offspring from Satan, the accursed.'²

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Service at the temple was hosted by males only.

 The prayers of Mary’s mother were answered. In a ḥadîth collected by Bukhâri and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) says, “Every child is touched by Satan when they are born—and they cry because of this contact—except Jesus and his mother.”

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.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

When she was delivered she said: "O my Lord! behold! I am delivered of a female child!" And Allah knew best what she brought forth, "and nowise is the male like the female. I have named her Mary and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One the Rejected." ^{377 378}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The mother of Mary expected a male child. Was she disappointed that it was a female child? No, for she had Faith, and she knew that Allah's Plan was better than any wishes of hers. Mary was no ordinary girl: only Allah knew what it was that her mother brought forth.

The female child could not be devoted to Temple service under the Mosaic law, as she intended. But she was marked out for a special destiny as a miracle-child, to be the mother of the miracle-child Jesus. She was content to seek Allah's protection for her against all evil. There is a certain sense of pride in the girl on the part of the mother.

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 Zachariah²⁶ 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."²⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

As is evident from verse {44} of this surah, the guardianship of Mary was entrusted to Zachariah - who was not only her relative but also a priest attached to the Temple - after lots had been drawn to decide which of the priests should have the responsibility for this girl who, in consequence of her mother's vow, was to be dedicated to Temple service (Tabari).

In spite of all the legends quoted in this connection by most of the commentators, there is no indication whatsoever either in the Qur'an or in any authentic Tradition that these provisions were of a miraculous origin. On the other hand, Tabari quotes a story to the effect that when, in his old age, Zachariah became unable to support Mary by his own means, the community decided to assume this responsibility through another of its members, who thereupon provided her daily with food. Whether this story is authentic or not, Mary's answer to Zachariah reflects no more and no less than her deep consciousness of God as the ultimate Provider.

Her Rabb graciously accepted that girl. He made her grow up as a good girl and entrusted her to the care of Zakariya. Whenever Zakariya entered the sanctuary to see her, he found with her food. He asked, "O Maryem! From where did you get it?" She replied, "It came from Allah. In fact, Allah gives to whom He wants without measure."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So her Lord accepted her graciously and blessed her with a pleasant upbringing- entrusting her to the care of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions. He exclaimed, 'O Mary! Where did this come from?' She replied, 'It is from Allah. Surely Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty; to the care of Zakariya was she assigned. Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Mary! whence (comes) this to you?" She said: "From Allah: for Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure." ³⁷⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Mary grew under Allah's special protection. Her sustenance, under which we may include both her physical needs and her spiritual food, came from Allah, and her growth was indeed a "goodly growth" which I have tried to express in the Text by the words "purity and beauty". Some aprocryphal Christian writings say that she was brought up in the Temple to the age of twelve like a dove, and that she was fed by angels.

In that self-same place, Zachariah prayed unto his Sustainer, saying: "O my Sustainer! Bestow upon me [too], out of Thy grace, the gift of goodly offspring; for Thou, indeed, hearest all prayer."

  - Mohammad Asad

Thereupon Zakariya prayed to his Rabb saying: "O my Rabb! Grant me a righteous child as Your special favor; surely You hear all prayers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then and there Zachariah prayed to his Lord, saying, 'My Lord! Grant me- by your grace- righteous offspring. You are certainly the Hearer of 'all' prayers.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

There did Zakariya pray to his Lord saying: "O my Lord! grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure; for Thou art He that heareth prayer!" ³⁸⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus, of John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus, and of Jesus, the prophet of Israel, whom Israel rejected, occurred in that order chronologically, and are told in that order. They are all inter-connected. Zakariya prayed for no ordinary son. He and his wife were past the age of parenthood. Seeing the growth of Mary, he prayed for some child from Allah,- "from Thee, a progeny that is pure". To his surprise, he is given a son in the flesh, ushered in by a special Sign.

Thereupon, as he stood praying in the sanctuary, the angels called out unto him: "God sends thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] John, who shall confirm the truth of a word from God,²⁸ and [shall be] outstanding among men, and utterly chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous."

  - Mohammad Asad

In view of the fact that the expression kalimah if often used in the Qur'an to denote an announcement from God, or a statement of His will, or His promise (e.g., 4:171 , 6:34 and {115}, 10:64 , 18:27 , and so forth), we must conclude that in the above passage, too, the "word from God" which would be confirmed by the birth of John (described in the Gospels as "John the Baptist") refers to a divine promise given through revelation: and this, indeed, is the interpretation adopted by the famous philologist Abu 'Ubaydah Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna, who lived in the second century H. and devoted most of his labours to the study of rare expressions in the Arabic language; his identification, in the context under discussion, of kalimah with kitab ("revelation" or "divine writ") has been quoted by Razi in his commentary on this verse and is, moreover, agreeable with a similar announcement conveyed to Mary regarding the birth of Jesus (see verse {45} of this surah).

As he stood praying in the Mahrab (a prayer place in the sanctuary) the angels called out to him saying: "Allah gives you good news of a son to be named Yahya (John), he will confirm the word of Allah, he will be a great leader and chaste, a Prophet and a righteous man."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So the angels called out to him while he stood praying in the sanctuary, 'Allah gives you good news of 'the birth of' John who will confirm the Word of Allah and will be a great leader, chaste, and a prophet among the righteous.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah, lordly, chaste, a Prophet of the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

While he was standing in prayer in the chamber the angels called unto him: "Allah doth give thee glad tidings of Yahya witnessing the truth of a Word from Allah and (be besides) noble chaste and a Prophet of the (goodly) company of the righteous." ³⁸¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Notice: "a Word from Allah", not "the Word of Allah", the epithet that mystical Christianity uses for Jesus. As stated in iii. 59 below, Jesus was created by a miracle, by Allah's word "Be", and he was.

[Zachariah] exclaimed: "O my Sustainer! How can I have a son when old age has already overtaken me, and my wife is barren?" Answered [the angel]: "Thus it is: God does what He wills."

  - Mohammad Asad

He said: "O my Rabb! How can I have a son now that I have reached an old age and my wife is barren?" "Such is the will of Allah" he replied, " Allah does what He wants."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Zachariah exclaimed, 'My Lord! How can I have a son when I am very old and my wife is barren?' He replied, 'So will it be. Allah does what He wills.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when age hath overtaken me already and my wife is barren? (The angel) answered: So (it will be). Allah doeth what He will.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son seeing I am very old and my wife is barren?" "Thus" was the answer "doth Allah accomplish what He willeth."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[Zachariah] prayed: "O my Sustainer! Appoint a sign for me!" Said [the angel]: "Thy sign shall be that for three days thou wilt not speak unto men other than by gestures.²⁹ And remember thy Sustainer unceasingly, and extol His limitless glory by night and by day."

  - Mohammad Asad

According to Abu Muslim (quoted with approval by Razi), Zachariah was merely enjoined not to speak to anyone during the period of three days, and not struck dumb as in the New Testament narrative (Luke i, 20-22): thus the "sign" was purely spiritual, and was to consist in Zachariah's utter self-abandonment to prayer and contemplation.

Zakariya said: "My Rabb! Grant me a sign." It was said: "Your sign is that you will not be able to speak to people for three days except through gestures. During this time you should remember your Rabb very much and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Zachariah said, 'My Lord! Grant me a sign.' He said, 'Your sign is that you will not 'be able to' speak to people for three days except through gestures. Remember your Lord often and glorify 'Him' morning and evening.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

He said: My Lord! Appoint a token for me. (The angel) said: The token unto thee (shall be) that thou shalt not speak unto mankind three days except by signs. Remember thy Lord much, and praise (Him) in the early hours of night and morning.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He said: "O my Lord! give me a sign!" "Thy Sign" was the answer "shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three days but with signals. Then celebrate the praises of thy Lord again and again and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND LO! The angels said: "O Mary! Behold, God has elected thee and made thee pure, and raised thee above all the women of the world.

  - Mohammad Asad

There came the time when angels said: "O Maryem! Surely Allah has exalted you, purified you, and preferred you for His service over all the women of the worlds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when the angels said, 'O Mary! Surely Allah has selected you, purified you, and chosen you over all women of the world.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure, and hath preferred thee above (all) the women of creation.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee; chosen thee above the women of all nations. ³⁸²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Mary the mother of Jesus was unique, in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle, without the intervention of the customary physical means. This of course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than that her son was more than human. She had as much need to pray to God as anyone else. The Christian dogma, in all sects except the Unitarian, holds that Jesus was God and the son of God. The worship of Mary became the practice in the Roman Catholic Church, which calls Mary the Mother of God. This seems to have been endorsed by the Council of Ephesus in 431, in the century before Muhammad was born to sweep way the corruptions of the Church of Christ. For 'alamin as meaning all nations, see iii. 96, n. 423.

O Mary! Remain thou truly devout unto thy Sustainer, and prostrate thyself in worship, and bow down with those who bow down [before Him]."

  - Mohammad Asad

O Maryem! Be obedient to your Rabb, prostrate and bow down in worship with other worshippers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O Mary! Be devout to your Lord, prostrate yourself 'in prayer' and bow along with those who bow down.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

O Mary! Be obedient to thy Lord, prostrate thyself and bow with those who bow (in worship).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly; prostrate thyself and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This account of something that was beyond the reach of thy perception We [now] reveal unto thee:³⁰ for thou wert not with them when they drew lots as to which of them should be Mary's guardian,³¹ and thou wert not with them when they contended [about it] with one another.

  - Mohammad Asad

This parenthetic passage, addressed to the Prophet, is meant to stress the fact that the story of Mary, as narrated in the Qur'an, is a direct outcome of revelation and, therefore, inherently true in spite of all the differences between this account and that given in the scriptures regarded by the Christians as authentic (Muhammad 'Abduh in Manar III, 301 f.).

See note [26] above. The phrase rendered above as "they drew lots" reads literally, "they cast their reeds" - obviously a reference to an ancient Semitic custom, perhaps similar to the divination by means of blunt arrows practiced by the pre-Islamic Arabs and comprehensively described in Lane III, 1247. The pronoun "they" relates to the priests, of whom Zachariah was one.

O Muhammad, these are the news from the unseen which We are revealing to you. You were not present with them when priests of the temple cast their pens to decide which of them should be the guardian of Maryem; nor were you with them when they argued about it.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This is news of the unseen that We reveal to you 'O Prophet'. You were not with them when they cast lots to decide who would be Mary's guardian, nor were you there when they argued 'about it'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

This is of the tidings of things hidden. We reveal it unto thee (Mohammad). Thou wast not present with them when they threw their pens (to know) which of them should be the guardian of Mary, nor wast thou present with them when they quarrelled (thereupon).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

This is part of the tidings of the things unseen which We reveal unto thee (O Apostle!) by inspiration; thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary; nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point). ^{383 384 385}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Things unseen: mystic, spiritual. The whole story has a mystic meaning, and it would be unseemly to dispute or speculate about it.

Literally, reeds : aqlam. For the Arab custom of casting lots with arrows, see ii. 219, n. 241.

Christian apocryphal writings mention the contention between the priests as to the honor of taking charge of Mary, and how it was decided by means of rods or reeds in favour of Zakariya.

Lo! The angels said: "O Mary! Behold, God sends thee the glad tiding, through a word from Him, [of a son] who shall become known as the Christ³² Jesus, son of Mary, of great honour in this world and in the life to come, and [shall be] of those who are drawn near unto God.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "whose name shall be 'the Anointed' (al-masih)". The designation al-masih is the Arabicized form of the Aramaic meshiha which, in turn, is derived from the Hebrew mahsiah, "the anointed" - a term frequently applied in the Bible to the Hebrew kings, whose accession to power used to be consecrated by a touch with holy oil taken from the Temple. This anointment appears to have been so important a rite among the Hebrews that the term "the anointed" became in the course of time more or less synonymous with "king". Its application to Jesus may have been due to the widespread conviction among his contemporaries (references to which are found in several places in the Synoptic Gospels) that he was descended in direct - and obviously legitimate - line from the royal House of David. (It is to be noted that this could not have related to his mother's side, because Mary belonged to the priestly class descending from Aaron, and thus to the tribe of Levi, while David descended from the tribe of Judah.) Whatever may have been the historical circumstances, it is evident that the honorific "the Anointed" was applied to Jesus in his own lifetime. In the Greek version of the Gospels - which is undoubtedly based on a now-lost Aramaic original - this designation is correctly translated as Christos (a noun derived from the Greek verb chriein, "to anoint"): and since it is in this form - "the Christ" - that the designation al-masih has achieved currency in all Western languages, I am using it throughout in my translation.

When the angels said "O Maryem! Allah gives you the good news with a Word from Him that you will be given a son: his name will be Messiah, Isa (Jesus Christ) the son of Maryem. He will be noble in this world and the Hereafter; and he will be from those who are very close to Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Remember' when the angels proclaimed, 'O Mary! Allah gives you good news of a Word¹ from Him, his name will be the Messiah,² Jesus, son of Mary; honoured in this world and the Hereafter, and he will be one of those nearest 'to Allah'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 In the Quran, Jesus is called the “Word” of Allah since he was created with the word “Be!”

 Messiah (Masîḥ) means the “anointed one.” It is used in the Quran exclusively as a title for Jesus Christ.

(And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold! the angels said "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. ^{386 387}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Christ : Greek, Christos=anointed : kings and priests were anointed to symbolise consecration to their office. The Hebrew and Arabic form is Masih.

Nearest to God : Muqarrabin. Cf. Q. lvi, 11.