Al-Qur'an Surah Maryam Verse 20

Mufti Taqi Usmani

She said, “How shall I have a boy while no human has ever touched me, nor have I ever been unchaste?”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

She wondered, “How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me, nor am I unchaste?”

Ruwwad Translation Center

She said, “How can I have a son when no man has touched me, nor have I ever been unchaste?”

A. J. Arberry

She said, 'How shall I have a son whom no mortal has touched, neither have I been unchaste?'

Abdul Haleem

She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me? I have not been unchaste,’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

She said: in what wise shall there be a boy unto me, whereas not a human being hath touched me, nor have I been a harlot?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

She said; "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"

Abul Ala Maududi

Mary said: "How can a boy be born to me when no man has even touched me, nor have I ever been unchaste?"

Ahmed Ali

"How can I have a son," she said, "when no man has touched me, nor am I sinful?"

Ahmed Raza Khan

She said, “How can I bear a son? No man has ever touched me, nor am I of poor conduct!”

Ali Quli Qarai

She said, ‘How shall I have a child seeing that no human being has ever touched me, nor have I been unchaste?’

Ali Ünal

She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing no mortal has ever touched me, and I have never been unchaste?"

Amatul Rahman Omar

She said, `How can I bear a son while no man (has married me and) has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste.´

English Literal

She said: "How/from where (there) be for me a boy and (a) human has not touched me, and I was not afornicatress/adulteress/prostitute ?

Faridul Haque

She said, "How can I bear a son? No man has ever touched me, nor am I of poor conduct!"

Hamid S. Aziz

Said he, "I am only a messenger of your Lord to bestow on you a pure son."

Hilali & Khan

She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?"

Maulana Mohammad Ali

He said: I am only bearer of a message of thy Lord: That I will give thee a pure boy.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste?

Muhammad Sarwar

She said, "How can I have a son when no mortal has touched me nor am I an unchaste woman".

Qaribullah & Darwish

'How shall I bear a son' she answered, 'when I am not touched by a human and not unchaste'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

She said: "How can I have a son when no man has touched me, nor am I Baghiyya"

Wahiduddin Khan

She said, "How can I have a son when no man has touched me; and neither have I been unchaste?"

Talal Itani

She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?”

Tafsir jalalayn

She said, `How shall I have a boy when no human being has [ever] touched me, by way of conjugality, neither have I been unchaste?', [neither have I been] a fornicator.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

قَالَتْ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ

She said;"How can I have a son..."

This means that Maryam was amazed at this. She said, "How can I have a son'!'

She said this to mean, "In what way would a son be born to me when I do not have a husband and I do not commit any wicked acts (i.e. fornication)."

For this reason she said,

وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا



when no man has touched me, nor am I Baghiyya.

The Baghiyy is a female fornicator.

For this reason, a Hadith has been reported prohibiting the money earned from Baghiyy