NAME: مريم, Maryam.
Name taken from Verse 16 where there is a mention of “Maryam” Mother of prophet Jesus, and their story from verse 16-37.
١٦ وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انْتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا
16 And mention, [O Muhammad], in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east.
But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.
ENGLISH NAME: Mary.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 19
SURAH MARYAM TOTAL VERSES: 98
SURAH MARYAM TOTAL WORDS: 971
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 589
TOTAL LETTERS: 3,935
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 615 – 617 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Zechariah, Yahya/John, Maryam/Marry, Angel/Ruh, Angel In Man Shape, Jesus, Ibrahim & His Father, Moses, Idrees/Enoch, Adam, Noah, descendants of Abraham and Israel, Disbelievers, Satan/Devils.
SURAH MARYAM MAIN TOPICS:
Zechariah Yahya/John Story, Maryam/Marry Story and Jesus Birth, Ibrahim & His Father Dialogues, Scene of Hashr/Last Day, All Will be presented around Hell on Their Knees, God increases those who were guided, in guidance and those in error in their error.
SURAH MARYAM KEY VERSES:
٧ يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا
7 [He was told], “O Zechariah, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be John. We have not assigned to any before [this] name.”
١٧ فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا
17 And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.
٢٨ يَا أُخْتَ هَارُونَ مَا كَانَ أَبُوكِ امْرَأَ سَوْءٍ وَمَا كَانَتْ أُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا
28 O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.”
٦٨ فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَحْشُرَنَّهُمْ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ ثُمَّ لَنُحْضِرَنَّهُمْ حَوْلَ جَهَنَّمَ جِثِيًّا
68 So by your Lord, We will surely gather them and the devils; then We will bring them to be present around Hell upon their knees.
٧١ وَإِنْ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا ۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَقْضِيًّا
71 And there is none of you except he will come to it. This is upon your Lord an inevitability decreed.
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-15(Zechariah Yahya/John Story, Tiding of Yahya/John This Name Not Given to Anyone Before Verse7, Token and Sign of Three Days Zechariah Mute Verse10), 16-21(Maryam/ Marry Went in East, Angel in Man Shape Verse17), 24(a Cry (Angel) Fm Below Her Do Not Grieve; Your Lord Has Provided Beneath You a Stream), 28-35(Maryam/Marry Came Back to her People, They Said o Sister of Aaron, Your Father Was Not a Man of Evil, nor Was Your Mother Unchaste.” Verse28, Jesus Speaks From the Cradle Verse29-30, Jesus Son of Maryam), 41-50(Ibrahim & his Father: Ibrahim Said: Indeed There Has Come to Me of Knowledge That Which Has Not Come to You, So Follow Me I Will Guide You to an Even Path, Ibrahim Left his Father and his Folks), 51-52(Mention of Moses, God Called Him From Right Side of Tur/Mountain), 56-57(Mention of Idrees/Enoch; God Raised Him to a High Station), 58-59(Mention of Adam, Noah, Descendants of Abraham and Israel), 64(Angels Do Not Descend Except With God’s Command), 66-71(Disbeliever Says, “When I Have Died, Am I Going To Be Brought Forth Alive?” Quran Says: God Will Surely Gather Them and the Devils Around Hell Upon Their Knees. And There Is None of You Except He Will Come to It, Then God Will Save Those Who Feared Him and Leave the Wrongdoers Within It, on Their Knees.), 75-85(God Increases Those Who Were Guided, in Guidance and Those in Error in Their Error, “ Do You Not See That We Have Sent the Devils Upon the Disbelievers, Inciting Them to [Evil] With [Constant] Incitement?”), 88-92( They Say, “the Most Merciful Has Taken a Son, This Is Such a Monstrous Lie That Even the Heavens May Rupture,the Earth Splits And The Mountains May Collapse on Their This Saying), 93-95(all Will Come to God As Slaves&, Alone)
SURAH MARYAM BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND
This Surah has 98 verses divided into 6 Rukus/Sections. This Surah was revealed in Mecca almost six to seven years before Prophet Muhammad’s migration to Yathrib (Madina). This was the time when the opposition of Meccans turned from verbal accusations and abuse to physical and socio-economic torture and bans. This is the time when many Muslims migrated to nearby country of Abyssinia.
The Prophet himself advised his companions to migrate to Abyssinia as the Cristian Ruler there Negus “Najashi” was famous for his justice. Thus initially eleven men and four women left for Abyssinia than in a few months this number increased to almost a hundred and only forty Muslims left there in Mecca with the Prophet. Meccans decided to send a delegation under Abdullah bin Abi Rabiyah and Amr bin As to Habash with gifts to the King and his ministers with a request to send the migrants back to Makkah claiming that these spoiled youth have forsaken their faith and also have not embraced Christian faith either, but have invented a new religion.
Traditions are that when the King inquired this to migrant refugees, Jaafar bin Abu Talib recited verses 1 to 40 of this Surah. According to some historians, by listening to this, the king started weeping and said ‘Indeed, this revelation and that of Moses proceed from the same source.”
The central theme of this Surah is that although all this world is running by specific laws and cause and effects but God is above all these laws and to show this He performs Miracles like the birth of John and Jesus. Also, God can give Miraculous abilities to any one of his servants as he has given to Jesus. Regardless of all Miracles, Jesus was merely a slave of God, and the claim that Jesus is the son of God is strongly rebuffed. Several other Prophets also mentioned like Ibrahim, Musa, Ismail and Idris and lastly Scene of Hashr/ The Last Day depicted to warn humankind.
