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 Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
He said, "My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached the extreme old age [10]?"
[10]
The Reason for Sayyiduna Zakariya's Astonishment:
That is, when he made the prayer, he was not astonished, but when it was accepted and he received the glad tidings, he began to be astonished. And this astonishment was not because he doubted Allah's power—otherwise, he would not have made such a prayer—but rather, it was due to a natural human inclination, for it is human nature that when one hears extraordinary good news, he keeps asking about it repeatedly to gain further reassurance and joy.
[10]
The Reason for Sayyiduna Zakariya's Astonishment:
That is, when he made the prayer, he was not astonished, but when it was accepted and he received the glad tidings, he began to be astonished. And this astonishment was not because he doubted Allah's power—otherwise, he would not have made such a prayer—but rather, it was due to a natural human inclination, for it is human nature that when one hears extraordinary good news, he keeps asking about it repeatedly to gain further reassurance and joy.
