Al-Qur'an Surah Maryam Verse 23

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Then the labour pains brought her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She said “O that I would have died before this, and would have been something gone, forgotten.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Then the pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She cried, “Alas! I wish I had died before this, and was a thing long forgotten!”

Ruwwad Translation Center

The pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, “Oh, would that I had died before this and had been completely forgotten!”

A. J. Arberry

And the birthpangs surprised her by the trunk of the palm-tree. She said, 'Would I had died ere this, and become a thing forgotten!'

Abdul Haleem

and, when the pains of childbirth drove her to [cling to] the trunk of a palm tree, she exclaimed, ‘I wish I had been dead and forgotten long before all this!’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Then the birth-pangs drave her to the trunk of a palm- tree; she said: would that had died afore this and become forgotten, lost in oblivion!

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree; She cried (in her anguish); "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"

Abul Ala Maududi

Then the birth pangs drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree and she said: "Oh, would that I had died before this and had been all forgotten."

Ahmed Ali

The birth pangs led her to the trunk of a date-palm tree. "Would that I had died before this," she said, "and become a thing forgotten, unremembered."

Ahmed Raza Khan

Then the pangs of childbirth brought her to the base of the palm-tree; she said, “Oh, if only had I died before this and had become forgotten, unremembered.”

Ali Quli Qarai

The birth pangs brought her to the trunk of a date palm. She said, ‘I wish I had died before this and become a forgotten thing, beyond recall.’

Ali Ünal

And the throes of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said: "Would that I had died before this, and had become a thing forgotten, completely forgotten!"

Amatul Rahman Omar

(At the time of the delivery of the child) the throes of child birth drove her to the trunk of the palm-tree. She said, `Oh! would that I had become unconscious before this and had become a thing gone and forgotten.´

English Literal

So the labour/childbirth came to her to (at) the palm tree`s trunk/stem, she said: "Oh I wish I would have died before this and I was forgotten (and long) forgotten."

Faridul Haque

Then the pangs of childbirth brought her to the base of the palm-tree; she said, "Oh, if only had I died before this and had become forgotten, unremembered."

Hamid S. Aziz

So she conceived him, and she retired with him into a remote place.

Hilali & Khan

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said: "Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!"

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Then she conceived him; and withdrew with him to a remote place.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten!

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!

Muhammad Sarwar

When she started to experience (the pain of) of childbirth labor, by the trunk of a palm tree in sadness she said, "Would that I had died long before and passed into oblivion."

Qaribullah & Darwish

And when the birthpangs came upon her by the trunk of a palmtree, she said: 'Oh, would that I had died before this and become a thing forgotten'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date palm. She said: "Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!"

Wahiduddin Khan

The pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said, "Oh, if only I had died before this and passed into oblivion!"

Talal Itani

The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And the birth pangs, the pains of childbirth, brought her to the trunk of the palm-tree, that she may support herself against it, and then she gave birth; the conception, formation [of the foetus] and delivery [all] took place within one hour. She said, `O (y is [used] to call attention [to something]) would that I had died before this, affair, and become a forgotten thing, beyond recall!', a thing abandoned which no one knows or mentions.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

فَأَجَاءهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date palm.

This means that her pains of labor compelled her to go to the trunk of a date-palm tree that was at the place where she had secluded herself.

The scholars differed over its location.

As-Suddi said,

"Her place of seclusion was to the east and that was where she would pray at the Sacred House of Jerusalem."

Wahb bin Munabbih said,

"She ran away and when she reached an area between Ash-Sham and Egypt, she was overcome by labor pains."

In another narration from Wahb, he said,

"This took place eight miles from the Sacred House of Jerusalem in a village that was known as Bayt Al-Lahm (Bethlehem)."

I say, there are Hadiths about the Isra' (Night Journey of the Prophet) that are reported by An-Nasa'i on the authority of Anas, and Al-Bayhaqi on the authority of Shadad bin Aws, that say that;

this took place at Bait Al-Lahm. Allah knows best.

This is what is well known that the people all relate from each other. The Christians have no doubt held that the place of this occurrence was Bethlehem and this is what all the people relate. It has been related in a Hadith also, if the Hadith is authentic.

Allah says, informing about her,

قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا

She said;"Would that I had died before this,

In this is an evidence of the permissibility to wish for death when a calamity strikes. She knew that she was going to be tested with the birth, the people would not assist her, and they would not believe her story. After she was known as a devout worshipper among them, they now thought that she had become a fornicating whore. She said,
يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا
(Would that I had died before this), She said this to mean before this situation.

وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا




and I had been forgotten and out of sight!

This means, "I wish I had not been created and I was nothing."

This was mentioned by Ibn Abbas.

Qatadah said,

"This means something unknown, forgotten and no one knew who I was.