Al-Qur'an Surah Maryam Verse 8

Mufti Taqi Usmani

He Said, “My Lord, how shall there be a boy for me while my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme of old age?”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

He wondered, “My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?”

Ruwwad Translation Center

He said, “My Lord, how can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have reached an extremely old age?”

A. J. Arberry

He said, 'O my Lord, how shall I have a son, seeing my wife is barren, and I have attained to the declining of old age?'

Abdul Haleem

He said, ‘Lord, how can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I am old and frail?’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

He said: O my Lord! in what wise shall there be for me a boy, whereas my wife hath been barren, and surely have reached an age of extreme degree?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

He said; "O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?"

Abul Ala Maududi

He said: "My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached an extremely old age?"

Ahmed Ali

"How can I have a son, O Lord" he said, "when my wife is barren and I am old and decrepit?"

Ahmed Raza Khan

He submitted, “My Lord – how can I have a son whereas my wife is barren and I have reached infirmity due to old age?”

Ali Quli Qarai

He said, ‘My Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I am already advanced in age?’

Ali Ünal

He said: "My Lord! How shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have already reached infirmity in old age?"

Amatul Rahman Omar

He (- Zachariah) said, `My Lord! how shall I beget a son when my wife is barren and I have (already) reached the extreme (limit of) old age?´

English Literal

He said: "My Lord that how (could there) be for me a boy and my woman (wife) was infertile and I had reached from the old age exceeding the limit?"

Faridul Haque

He submitted, "My Lord - how can I have a son whereas my wife is barren and I have reached infirmity due to old age?"

Hamid S. Aziz

(The answer came), "O Zachariah! Verily, We give you glad tidings of a son, whose name shall be John. None by that name have We distinguished before."

Hilali & Khan

He said: "My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O Zacharias, We give thee good news of a boy, whose name is John: We have not made before anyone his equal.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

He said: O my Lord! when shall I have a son, and my wife is barren, and I myself have reached indeed the extreme degree of old age?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?

Muhammad Sarwar

He said, "Lord, how can I have a son? My wife is barren and I have reached an extremely old age".

Qaribullah & Darwish

'How shall I have a son, Lord' he asked, 'when my wife is barren, and I am advanced in years'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

He said: "My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age."

Wahiduddin Khan

"My Lord!" [said Zachariah], "How shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached such extreme old age?"

Talal Itani

He said, “My Lord, how can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have become decrepit with old age?”

Tafsir jalalayn

He said, `My Lord, how shall I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?' (`itiyyan, [derives] from [the verb] `at, `it became withered') in other words, [he had reached] extreme old age, 120 years; and his wife had reached the age of 98 (`atiya in terms of its root derives from `utuwwun, but the t' is vowelled as -ti-, to soften it, the first ww [vowel] is changed into a y' to be in harmony with the �ti- vowelling, while the second [ww letter] is changed into a y' so that the [previous] y' can be assimilated with it).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

His amazement after the acceptance of His Supplication

Allah tells;

قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا

وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا



He (Zakariyya) said;"My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age."

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 Ange