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19th chapter of the Qur'an From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maryam[1] (Arabic: مريم, Maryam; Arabic cognate of 'Mary') is the 19th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 98 verses (āyāt). The 114 chapters in the Quran are roughly ordered by size. The Quranic chapter is named after Mary, mother of Jesus (ʿIsa, عیسی), and the Virgin Mary in Christian belief. It recounts the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. The text of the surah refers to many known prophetic figures, including Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Ishmael, Idris, Adam, Zechariah and Noah.
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The Birmingham Quran manuscript preserves the final eight verses (Q19:91–98), on parchment radiocarbon dated to between 568 and 645 CE (56 BH – 25 AH).[2][3] The Sanaa manuscript, dated between 578 and 669 CE (44 BH – 49 AH), includes verses 2–28.
From the perspective of Islamic tradition, (asbāb al-nuzūl, أسباب النزول), it is an earlier "Meccan Surah", believed to have been revealed sooner than the later revelations in Medina.[4] Theodor Nöldeke's chronology identifies this Surah as the 58th Surah delivered. Traditional Egyptian chronology places it as the 44th.
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The chapter opens with the Bismillah and the "mysterious letters," or muqattaʿat: Kaf; Ha; Ya; 'Ayn; and Sad.[6] Muslims believe these letters to be the peculiar marks of the Quran, and to conceal several profound mysteries, the certain understanding of which has not been communicated to any mortal except for Muhammad.[7]
The remaining 97 verses may be divided many ways.[8]
Q19:16–30 Translator George Sale was a solicitor and early member of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. His verse structure differs slightly from that of the later Arabic King Faud I Edition. He interprets al-kitab as "the book of the Koran" when he translates the Story of Mary in the Quran
The first section, verses 2–40, begins with the story of Prophet Zachariah and the birth of his son John, the story of Mary and the birth of her son Jesus, and a commentary on Jesus' identity according to Islam which rejects the Christian claim that he is God's son.[18]
In Q19:28, she is referred to as 'Sister of Aaron'. Several occurrences of the word "أخ" are found in the Quran when referring to kinship or sharing the same ancestor.[19] According to authentic Hadith, a Christian from Najran did inquire about the verse, to which Muhammad replied:
"They used to name their children after the prophets and the righteous who came before them."[20][21]
Being the namesake of prophetess Miriam, the verse links Mary to Aaron specifically instead of Moses, who himself is a key figure in the Quran.[22][23][24] According to Sahih International, the Arabic wording implies a descendancy of Aaron:
"O sister [i.e. descendant] of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."[25]
While Mary's genealogy is unknown in the Bible, her relative Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.[26][27] Orientalist George Sale writes:
"Several Christian writers think the Quran stands convicted of a manifest falsehood in this particular, but I am afraid the Muslims may avoid the charge; as they do by several answers. Some say the Virgin Mary had really a brother named Aaron, who had the same father, but a different mother; others suppose Aaron the brother of Moses is here meant, but say Mary is called his sister, either because she was of the Levitical race (as by her being related to Elizabeth, it should seem she was), or by way of comparison; others say that it was a different person of that name who was contemporary with her, and conspicuous for his good or bad qualities, and that they likened her to him either by way of commendation or of reproach."[28]
In its original Arabic, the text of chapter 19 progresses through a series of varying rhyme structures that correspond to the content being discussed. Throughout the initial narration of the stories of Zachariah and John, Mary and Jesus, and other prophets, verses rhyme based on the syllable 'ya'. When the text moves on to a commentary on the true identity of Jesus, words rhyme due to a long 'ee' or 'oo' preceding a nasal 'm' or 'n', which is considered to give an air of settledness or finality to the subjects being discussed. The first rhyme scheme is then resumed during further accounts of earlier prophets and changes to a rhyme based on a medium 'a' following a voiced 'd' when the Surah discusses punishments for those who reject truth and the prophets. The strength of this vocalization is exchanged for the stronger still double 'd' sound when denouncing unbelievers for their criticism.[8]
The sequence of the Sanaa manuscript (Sanaa 1) chapters do not follow any other known quranic order and folio 22 is shared with Chapter 9 (al-Tawbah) (Q9:122-129).[29]
| Location [30] | Visible Traces | Reconstruction | Standard Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quran 19:2[31] Line 24 | ر ﺣ[ـﻤ]ﻪ | رَحْمَةِ "mercy" | رَحْمَتِ "have mercy" |
| Quran 19:3 Line 25 | ا د ٮا د ی ر ٮک ر ﻛ[ـر] ٮا | إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّــكَ زَكَرِيَّا "When your Lord called Zechariah" | إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّــهُ "When his Lord called" |
| Quran 19:4 Line 25 | و ٯل ر ٮی | وَقٰلَ رَبِّــي "And my Lord said" | قالَ رَبِّ "God said" |
| Quran 19:4 Line 26 | و ٯل ر ٮی ا سٮعل ا لر ا س سٮٮا | And my Lord said: “Let the head be young.” وَقٰلَ رَبِّي ٱشْتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأْسُ شَيْباً | قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ ٱلْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَٱشْتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا The Lord said that while they were greater than me, the head was young |
| Quran 19:4 Line 26 | و لم ا کں ر ٮ ٮـ(ـد) عا ک | وَلَمْ أَکُنْ رَبِّ بِدُعَاءِكَ "And I was not a lord by your supplication" | وَلَمْ أَكُن بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ "And I was not called by your Lord" |
| Quran 19:5 Line 27 | و ﺣ(ڡـ)ـٮ ا لمو ل مں و [ر] ا ی | "I feared my mind" وَ خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰل مِن وَرٰاءِى | وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرٰاءِى "And I have eased my mind from behind me" |
Chapter 19 is the only surah in the Qur'an that is named after a woman. Mary, the figure from whom this Surah takes its name. Jesus is referred to by his familial connection to her in Q19:34, the identifying title 'son of Mary' places startling emphasis on Mary's motherhood in a culture in which individuals were identified by their descent from male family member. This emphasis draws attention to the unique circumstances of Jesus's birth; it was not a biological process, and no father was involved, but it rejects the Christian belief that he was begotten by God. The text describes the agony of Mary's childbirth in great detail, including her wish that she had died long ago in order to avoid such pain. Despite this great hardship, God is portrayed as compassionate and attentive to Mary's needs; He urges her not to worry and provides her with food. Feminist reading of the text points to this treatment of childbirth as verification of the process's special significance.[32]
Other scholars point to the interaction between Mary and the angel Gabriel as indicative of traditional gender roles at the time; when Mary, a solitary female, encounters the male angel, her first reaction is fear of the impropriety of the situation and uncertainty regarding the angel's intentions. She can hear the angel's message and question him only after he assures her that he has come as a messenger from God.[33]
Maryam in Syriac (ܡܪܝܡ) is a common adjective connoting blessing and perhaps the verb "[God] exalts her".
The verses from Maryam 19:35–37, which are seen by Muslims as strongly reaffirming Jesus' prophethood to God, are quoted in inscriptions in the oldest extant Islamic monument, The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.[citation needed]
The second section, verses 41–65, tells of Abraham's departure from his family's idolatrous ways and then refers to many other prophets. The text discusses the various responses of those who heard their prophecy and the fates those hearers met; throughout these descriptions, the oneness of God is emphasized.[34]
The third section, verses 66–98, confirms the reality of resurrection and offers depictions of the Day of Judgment alongside depictions of this life.[35]
The Birmingham Quran manuscript preserves the final eight verses (Q19:91–98) of Chapter 19, Maryam (plus parts of Chapter 18, Al-Kahf; and Chapter 20, "Taha").[36] Located in the Cadbury Research Library, It is written in the Arabic language in Hijazi script by unknown scribe(s).
The Manuscript has been radiocarbon dated to between 568 and 645 CE (in the Islamic calendar, between 56 BH and 25 AH).[2][3] Saud al-Sarhan, Director of Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, considers that the parchment might in fact have been reused as a palimpsest.[37] Saud's perspective has been backed by a number of Saudi-based experts in Quranic history who deny that the Birmingham/Paris Quran could have been written during the lifetime of Muhammad. They emphasize that while Muhammad was alive, Quranic texts were written without any chapter decoration, marked verse endings or use of colored inks, and did not follow any standard sequence of surahs. They maintain that those features were introduced into Quranic practice in the time of the Caliph Uthman, and so it would be entirely possible that the Birmingham leaves could have been written then, but not earlier.[38]
Q19:91–92 dissents from the Trinitarian Christian practice of calling upon God in the name of his ‘son’.[39] 91That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. 92And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son.[40] Q19:96 supports a requirement for "Faith and deeds"[41] 96Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection.[42]
The notes are mostly by Sale who in turn relied heavily on Lewis Maracci's Latin translation. Maracci was a Roman Catholic cleric regular of the Mother of God of Lucca:[43]
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