سُوْرَةُ مَرْيَمَ
Surah Maryam (19) — Ayah 8
قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى غُلَـٰمٌ وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ ٱلْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا ﴿8﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He said: "My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
رَبِّ
rabbi
My Lord
أَنَّىٰ
annā
How
يَكُونُ
yakūnu
can
لِى
lī
I have
غُلَـٰمٌۭ
ghulāmun
a boy
وَكَانَتِ
wakānati
while is
ٱمْرَأَتِى
im'ra-atī
my wife
عَاقِرًۭا
ʿāqiran
barren
وَقَدْ
waqad
and indeed
بَلَغْتُ
balaghtu
I have reached
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْكِبَرِ
l-kibari
the old age
عِتِيًّۭا
ʿitiyyan
extreme
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
8. 1. ‘عَاقِر’ is also used for a woman who, due to old age, has lost the ability to bear children, and also for one who has been barren from the beginning. Here, it is in the latter sense. The wood that dries up is called ‘عِتِیًّا’. It refers to the final stage of old age, in which the bones become stiff. The meaning is that my wife has been barren since her youth, and I have reached the last stage of old age—how is having children possible now? It is said that the name of the wife of Hazrat Zakariya (علیہ السلام) was Ashaa bint Faqood bin Meel; she was the sister of Hannah (the mother of Maryam). But the more Sahih opinion seems to be that Ashaa was also the daughter of Imran, who was the father of Maryam. Thus, Hazrat Yahya (علیہ السلام) and Hazrat Isa (علیہ السلام) are maternal cousins. This is also supported by Sahih hadith (Fath al-Qadeer).
