Surah Maryam, Ayah 8 (19:8)

مَرْيَم

قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى غُلَٰمٌ وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ ٱلْكِبَرِ …

Quran 19:8 is ayah 8 of Surah Maryam (“Mary”), a Meccan surah of 98 ayahs. It is in Juz 16, on page 305 of the Madani Mushaf.

19:8
قَالَرَبِّأَنَّىٰيَكُونُلِىغُلَٰمٌوَكَانَتِٱمْرَأَتِىعَاقِرًاوَقَدْبَلَغْتُمِنَٱلْكِبَرِعِتِيًّا٨
qāla rabbi annā yakūnu lī ghulāmun wakānati im'ra-atī ʿāqiran waqad balaghtu mina l-kibari ʿitiyyan

He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy when my wife has been barren and I have reached extreme old age?"(8)

Word by word

  1. قَالَqālaHe said
  2. رَبِّrabbiMy Lord
  3. أَنَّىٰannāHow
  4. يَكُونُyakūnucan
  5. لِىlīI have
  6. غُلَٰمٌghulāmuna boy
  7. وَكَانَتِwakānatiwhile is
  8. ٱمْرَأَتِىim'ra-atīmy wife
  9. عَاقِرًاʿāqiranbarren
  10. وَقَدْwaqadand indeed
  11. بَلَغْتُbalaghtuI have reached
  12. مِنَminaof
  13. ٱلْكِبَرِl-kibarithe old age
  14. عِتِيًّاʿitiyyanextreme

Tafsir (commentary) of 19:8

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 19:8–9 together.

His amazement after the acceptance of His Supplication

Zakariyya was amazed when his supplication was answered and he was given the good news of a son. He became extremely overjoyed and asked how this child would be born to him, and in what manner he would come. This was particularly amazing because his wife was an old woman who was barren and had not given birth to any children in her entire life. Even Zakariyya himself had become old and advanced in years, his bones had become feeble and thin, and he had no potent semen or vigor for sexual intercourse. The Answer of the Angel

قَالَ

(He said:) That is, the angel, in his response to Zakariyya and his was amazement.

كَذَلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَىَّ هَيِّنٌ

("Thus says your Lord: `It is easy for Me..."') Meaning the birth of the son will be from you and from this wife of yours and not from any other (woman).

هَيِّنٌ

(easy) Meaning, it is simple and easy for Allah to do. Then he (the angel) mentioned to him that which is more amazing than what he was asking about. The angel said that the Lord said,

وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئاً

(Certainly I have created you before, when you had been nothing!) This is similar to Allah's statement,

هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنسَـنِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئاً مَّذْكُوراً

(Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning) 76:1

Read the full Surah Maryam