Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 90

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So, We responded to him and gave him YaHyā and made his wife good for him. They used to race towards the good deeds and call Us with hope and fear; and they were humble to Us.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

So We answered his prayer, granted him John, and made his wife fertile. Indeed, they used to race in doing good, and call upon Us with hope and fear, totally humbling themselves before Us.

Ruwwad Translation Center

So We answered his prayer and gave him John, and made his wife fertile. They used to hasten in doing good deeds and used to call upon Us with hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.

A. J. Arberry

So We answered him, and bestowed on him John, and We set his wife right for him; truly they vied with one another, hastening to good works, and called upon Us out of yearning and awe; and they were humble to Us.

Abdul Haleem

We answered him––We gave him John, and cured his wife of barrenness- they were always keen to do good deeds. They called upon Us out of longing and awe, and humbled themselves before Us.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

So We answered him, and We bestowed on him Yahya and We made sound for him his spouse. Verily they Were wont to vie with one anot her in good deeds and to call upon us with longing and dread, and they were ever before us meek.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

So We listened to him; and We granted him Yahya; We cured his wife's (Barrenness) for him. These (three) were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us.

Abul Ala Maududi

So We accepted his prayer and bestowed upon him John, and We made his wife fit (to bear a child). Verily they hastened in doing good works and called upon Us with longing and fear, and humbled themselves to Us.

Ahmed Ali

So We heard him and gave him John, and cured his wife (of barrenness). These were men who vied in good deeds with one another, and prayed to Us with love and awe, and were meek before Us.

Ahmed Raza Khan

We therefore heard his prayer; and bestowed him Yahya, and cured his wife for him; indeed they used to hasten to perform good deeds, and pray to Us with hope and fear; and used to weep before Us.

Ali Quli Qarai

So We answered his prayer, and gave him John, and cured for him his wife [of infertility]. Indeed, they were active in [performing] good works, and they would supplicate Us with eagerness and awe and were humble before Us.

Ali Ünal

We answered his call, too, and bestowed upon him John, and cured his wife for him (so she was able) to bear a child. Truly, these (three) used to hasten to do good deeds as if competing with each other, and invoke Us in hopeful yearning and fearful anxiety. And they were utterly humble before Us.

Amatul Rahman Omar

So We heard his prayer and granted him (a son) John, and cured his wife (of sterility) making her fit (for bearing children) for him. They used to vie one with another in (doing) good deeds and call upon Us with (mixed feelings of) hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.

English Literal

So We answered/replied to him, and We granted to him John/Yahya and We corrected/reconciliated for him his wife , that they truly were speeding/rushing in the goodnesses , and they call Us desiring/wishing and with awe/monastically , and they were for Us humble/submissive .

Faridul Haque

We therefore heard his prayer; and bestowed him Yahya, and cured his wife for him; indeed they used to hasten to perform good deeds, and pray to Us with hope and fear; and used to weep before Us.

Hamid S. Aziz

And (remember) Zachariah, when he cried unto his Lord, "O Lord! Leave me not without off-spring, though you are the best of inheritors."

Hilali & Khan

So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya (John), and cured his wife (to bear a child) for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And Zacharias, when he cried to his Lord: My Lord leave me not alone! and Thou art the Best of inheritors.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

So We responded to him and gave him Yahya and made his wife fit for him; surely they used to hasten, one with another In deeds of goodness and to call upon Us, hoping and fearing and they were humble before Us.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Then We heard his prayer, and bestowed upon him John, and adjusted his wife (to bear a child) for him. Lo! they used to vie one with the other in good deeds, and they cried unto Us in longing and in fear, and were submissive unto Us.

Muhammad Sarwar

We answered his prayer and granted him his son, John, by making his wife fruitful. They were people who would compete with each other in good deeds and pray to Us with love and reverence. With Us they were all humble people.

Qaribullah & Darwish

So We answered him, and gave him John, curing his wife (of sterility). They raced with each other in good works and called on Us out of yearning and awe, and they were humble to Us.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya, and cured his wife for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and they were Khashi`in before Us.

Wahiduddin Khan

So We heard his prayer and bestowed John upon him and made his wife fit to bear him a child. They used to hasten to do good and they called on Us in hope and fear, and they were always humble towards Us.

Talal Itani

So We answered him, and gave him John. And We cured his wife for him. They used to vie in doing righteous deeds, and used to call on Us in love and awe, and they used to humble themselves to Us.

Tafsir jalalayn

So We responded to him, in his call, and gave him John, as a son, and We restored [fertility to] his wife for him, and so she bore a child, having been barren. Truly they, those prophets that have been mentioned, would hasten to, [they would] hurry [to perform], good works, [namely] acts of obedience, and supplicate Us out of desire, for Our mercy, and in awe, of Our chastisement, and they were submissive before Us, humble in their worship.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah says;

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَى وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ

So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya, and cured his wife for him.

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr said;

"She was barren and never had a child, then she gave birth."

...
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ

Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds,

means, acts of worship and acts of obedience towards Allah.

...
وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا

and they used to call on Us with hope and fear,

Ath-Thawri said,

"Hoping for that (reward) which is with Us and fearing that (punishment) which is with Us."

...
وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ

and they were Khashi`in before Us.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas that;

this means, sincerely believing in that which was revealed by Allah.

Mujahid said;

"Truly believing."

Abu Al-`Aliyah said;

"Fearing."

Abu Sinan said;

"Khushu` means the fear which should never leave our hearts."

It was also reported from Mujahid that;

"the Khashi`in are those who are humble."

Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak said,

"The Khashi`in are those who humble themselves before Allah."

All of these suggestions are close in meaning.