19:4 Maryam (Mary)

{ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي ْ} أي: وهى وضعف، وإذا ضعف العظم، الذي هو عماد البدن، ضعف غيره، { وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا ْ} لأن الشيب دليل الضعف والكبر، ورسول الموت ورائده، ونذيره، فتوسل إلى الله تعالى بضعفه وعجزه، وهذا من أحب الوسائل إلى الله، لأنه يدل على التبري من الحول والقوة، وتعلق القلب بحول الله وقوته. { وَلَمْ أَكُنْ بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا ْ} أي: لم تكن يا رب تردني خائبا ولا محروما من الإجابة، بل لم تزل بي حفيا ولدعائي مجيبا، ولم تزل ألطافك تتوالى علي، وإحسانك واصلا إلي، وهذا توسل إلى الله بإنعامه عليه، وإجابة دعواته السابقة، فسأل الذي أحسن سابقا، أن يتمم إحسانه لاحقا.

قال رب إني وهن العظم مني أي ضعفت وخارت القوى "واشتعل الرأس شيبا" أي اضطرم المشيب في السواد كما قال ابن دريد في مقصورته: أما ترى رأسي حاكى لونه طرة صبح تحت أذيال الدجــــــا واشتعل المبيض في مسوده مثل اشتعال النار في جمر الغضا والمراد من هذا الإخبار عن الضعف والكبر ودلائله الظاهرة والباطنة وقوله "ولم أكن بدعائك رب شقيا" أي ولم أعهد منك إلا الإجابة في الدعاء ولم تردني قط فيما سألتك وقوله "وإني خفت الموالي من ورائي" قرأ الأكثرون بنصب الياء من الموالي على أنه مفعول وعن الكسائي أنه سكن الياء كما قال الشاعر: كأن أيديهن في القاع القرق أيدي جوار يتعاطين الورق وقال الآخر: فتى لو يباري الشمس ألقت قناعها أو القمر الساري لألقى المقالدا ومنه قول أبي تمام حبيب بن أوس الطائي: تغاير الشعر منه إذ سهرت له حتى ظننت قوافيه ستقتتل وقال مجاهد وقتادة والسدي: أراد بالموالي العصبية وقال أبو صالح الكلالة وروي عن أمير المؤمنين عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنه أنه كان يقرؤها.

Which was revealed in Makkah

Muhammad bin Ishaq recorded a Hadith of Umm Salamah in his Sirah, and Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded from Ibn Mas`ud, the story of the Hijrah (migration) to Ethiopia from Makkah. The narration mentions that Ja`far bin Abi Talib recited the first part of this Surah to An-Najashi and his companions.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Story of Zakariyya and His Supplication for a Son The discussion about the separate letters has already preceded at the beginning ofSurat Al-Baqarah.

Concerning Allah's statement,

ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ

(A reminder of the mercy of your Lord) This means that this is a reminder of Allah's mercy upon His servant Zakariyya. Yahya bin Ya`mar recited it, (ذَكَّرَ رَحْمَةَ رَبكَ عبدَه زكريا) "He has reminded of your Lord's mercy to His servant Zakariyya." The word Zakariyya in the Ayah has been recited with elongation and also shortened. Both recitations are well-known. He was a great Prophet from the Prophets of the Children of Israel. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded that the Prophet said about Zakariyya that He was a carpenter who used to eat from what he earned with his own hand through carpentry. Concerning Allah's statement,

إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ نِدَآءً خَفِيّاً

(When he called his Lord with a call in secret.) He only made his supplication secretly because it is more beloved to Allah. This is similar to what Qatadah said concerning this Ayah,

إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ نِدَآءً خَفِيّاً

(When he called out his Lord with a call in secret. ) "Verily, Allah knows the pious heart and he hears the hidden voice."

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّى

(He said: "My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble...") meaning, "I have become weak and feeble in strength."

وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْباً

(and gray hair has Ashta`al on my head,) means the gray hair has burned into the black hair. The intent is to inform of weakness and old age, and its external and internal traces. Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلَمْ أَكُنْ بِدُعَآئِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيّاً

(and I have never been unblessed in my invocation to You, O my Lord!) This means, "I have not experienced from You except that You would respond to my supplication and that You would never refuse me in whatever I ask of You." Concerning His statement,

وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِىَ مِن وَرَآئِى

(And verily, I fear Mawali after me,) Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi, all said, "In saying the word Mawali, he (Zakariyya) meant his succeeding relatives." The reason for his fear was that he was afraid that the generation that would succeed him would be a wicked generation. Thus, he asked Allah for a son who would be a Prophet after him, who would guide them with his prophethood and that which was revealed to him. In response to this I would like to point out that he was not afraid of them inheriting his wealth. For a Prophet is too great in status, and too lofty in esteem to become remorseful over his wealth in this fashion. A Prophet would not disdain to leave his wealth to his successive relatives, and thus ask to have a son who would receive his inheritance instead of them. This is one angle of argument. The second argument is that Allah did not mention that he (Zakariyya) was wealthy. On the contrary, he was a carpenter who ate from the earnings of his own hand. This type of person usually does not have a mass of wealth. Amassing wealth is not something normal for Prophets, for verily, they are the most abstentious in matters of this worldly life. The third argument is that it is confirmed in the Two Sahihs, in more than one narration, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«لَا نُورَثُ، مَا تَرَكْنَا فَهُوَ صَدَقَة»

(We (the Prophets) do not leave behind inheritance (of wealth). Whatever we leave behind, then it is charity.) In a narration recorded by At-Tirmidhi with an authentic chain of narrations, he said,

«نَحْنُ مَعْشَرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَث»

(We, Prophets do not leave behind inheritance (of wealth).) Therefore, the meaning in these Hadiths restricts the meaning of Zakariyya's statement,

فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنْكَ وَلِيّاًيَرِثُنِى

(So give me from yourself an heir. Who shall inherit me,) inheritance of prophethood. For this reason Allah said,

وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ

(and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya`qub.) This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَـنُ دَاوُودَ

(And Sulayman inherited from Dawud.)27:16 This means that he inherited prophethood from him. If this had meant wealth, he would not have been singled with it among his other brothers. There also would have been no important benefit in mentioning it if it was referring to wealth. It is already well-known and established in all of the previous laws and divinely revealed creeds, that the son inherits the wealth of his father. Therefore, if this was not referring to a specific type of inheritance, then Allah would not have mentioned it. All of this is supported and affirmed by what is in the authentic Hadith:

«نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَثُ، مَا تَرَكْنَا فَهُوَ صَدَقَة»

(We Prophets do not leave behind any inheritance (of wealth). Whatever we leave behind, then it is charity.) Mujahid said concerning his statement,

يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ

(Who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya'qub.) 19:6 "His inheritance was knowledge, and Zakariyya was one of the descendants of Ya`qub." Hushaym said, "Isma'il bin Abi Khalid informed us that Abu Salih commented about the Ayah:

يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ

(who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya`qub.) "He would be a Prophet like his forefathers were Prophets." Allah's statement,

وَاجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيّاً

(and make him, my Lord, one with whom You are well-pleased!) means "Make him pleasing to You (Allah) and your creation. Love him and make him beloved to your creatures, in both his religion and his character."

He said ‘My Lord truly the bones all the bones within me have become feeble weak and my head is alight with grey hair shayban a specification derived from the subject of the verb in other words hoariness has spread throughout his hairs just as a spark of fire spreads through firewood and I wish to supplicate to you and I have never been in my supplications to You my Lord unsuccessful that is I have never been disappointed in the past so do not disappoint me in what follows.

إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّ‌أْسُ شَيْبًا

"Here I am that bones within me have turned feeble, and the head has flared up grey with old age." - 19:4

Human body becomes weak with the aging of bones, because it is the bones which keep the body firm and upright. When bones lose their strength, the whole body turns weak.

The literal meaning of اشْتَعَالَ is a sudden burst of fire. Here the word is used as a simile for grey hair covering the head like a glow of fire.

Mention of one's needs in supplication is desirable

Here Sayyidna Zakariyya (علیہ السلام) before making his supplication, mentioned about his weakness and old age by referring to his bones. One of the reasons for this was, as pointed out in the translation, that in his peculiar circumstances i.e. his old age and physical weakness, it was not appropriate for him to ask for a child. Another reason given by Imam Qurtubi in his commentary is, that for possible acceptance of supplication it is better to mention one's weakness, destitution and inadequacy. For this reason religious scholars have emphasized that one should recount Allah Ta` ala's blessings and his own exigency before making his supplication.