Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 36

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So, when she delivered her, she said: “O my Lord, I have delivered her, a female child.”-And Allah knew better what she had delivered, and the male was not like the female -” I have named her Maryam, and I place her and her progeny under Your shelter against Satan, the rejected.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

When she delivered, she said, “My Lord! I have given birth to a girl,”—and Allah fully knew what she had delivered—“and the male is not like the female.[[ Service at the temple was hosted by males only.]] I have named her Mary, and I seek Your protection for her and her offspring from Satan, the accursed.”[[ The prayers of Mary’s mother were answered. In a ḥadîth collected by Bukhâri and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) says, “Every child is touched by Satan when they are born—and they cry because of this contact—except Jesus and his mother.”]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

When she gave birth, she said, “My Lord, I have given birth to a female child,” – and Allah knew best what she had given birth to – “and the male is not like the female. I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You for her and her offspring from Satan, the accursed.”

A. J. Arberry

And when she gave birth to her she said, 'Lord, I have given birth to her, a female.' (And God knew very well what she had given birth to; the male is not as the female.) 'And I have named her Mary, and commend her to Thee with her seed, to protect them from the accursed Satan.'

Abdul Haleem

but when she gave birth, she said, ‘My Lord! I have given birth to a girl’- God knew best what she had given birth to: the male is not like the female- ‘ I name her Mary and I commend her and her offspring to Your protection from the rejected Satan.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Then when she brought her forth, she said: my Lord verily have brought forth a female - and Allah knew best that which she had brought forth, - and the male is not as the female, and verily have named her Maryam, and verily seek refuge for her and her progeny with Thee from the Satan the accursed.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

When she was delivered, she said; "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!"- and Allah knew best what she brought forth- "And no wise is the male Like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One, the Rejected."

Abul Ala Maududi

But when she gave birth to a female child, she said: 'O Lord! I have given birth to a female' - and Allah knew full well what she had given birth to - 'and a female is not the same as a male. I have named her Mary and commit her and her offspring to You for protection from Satan, the accursed.'

Ahmed Ali

And when she had given birth to the child, she said: "O Lord, I have delivered but a girl." -- But God knew better what she had delivered: A boy could not be as that girl was. "I have named her Mary," (she said), "and I give her into Your keeping. Preserve her and her children from Satan the ostracized."

Ahmed Raza Khan

So when she gave birth to it, she said, “My Lord! I have indeed given birth to a girl!” And Allah well knows what she gave birth to; and the boy she had prayed for is not like this girl; “And I have named her Maryam and I give her and her offspring in Your protection, against Satan the outcast.”

Ali Quli Qarai

When she bore her, she said, ‘My Lord, I have borne a female [child]’—and Allah knew better what she had borne, and the male [child she expected] was no match for the female [child she had borne] —‘and I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Your care against [the evil of] the outcast Satan.’

Ali Ünal

When she was delivered of it she said: "My Lord, I have given birth to a female." – God knew best of what she was delivered, (so she did not need to be sorry, because) the male child (she expected) could not be the same as (the) female child (whom We bestowed on her and would honor with a great favor). – I have named her Mary and commend her and her offspring to You for protection from Satan eternally rejected from God’s Mercy."

Amatul Rahman Omar

But when she gave birth to it she said, `My Lord! I have given birth to a female.´ Allâh knew best what she had given birth to, and the male (she was thinking of) was not like this female (she had brought forth). `I have named her Mary and I do commend her to Your protection and (also) her offspring (to be saved) from satan, the accursed.´

English Literal

So when she gave birth to her, she said: "My Lord, that I gave birth to her, a female." And God (is) more knowing with what she gave birth to. "And the male is not as/like the female and that I named her Mary ,and that I seek protection for her with (in) You, and her descendants, from the devil the cursed/expelled."

Faridul Haque

So when she gave birth to it, she said, “My Lord! I have indeed given birth to a girl!” And Allah well knows what she gave birth to; and the boy she had prayed for is not like this girl; “And I have named her Maryam and I give her and her offspring in Your protection, against Satan the outcast.”

Hamid S. Aziz

And when she brought it forth she said, "Verily, I have brought forth a female" - Allah knew best what she brought forth; and a male is not like a female - "I have called her Mary, and I seek a refuge in Thee for her and for her seed from Satan the outcast."

Hilali & Khan

Then when she delivered her [child Maryam (Mary)], she said: "O my Lord! I have delivered a female child," - and Allah knew better what she delivered, - "And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Maryam (Mary), and I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Shaitan (Satan), the outcast."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

When a woman of Amran said: My Lord, I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service), so accept (it) from me; surely Thou, only Thou, art the Hearing, the Knowing.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

So when she brought forth, she said: My Lord! Surely I have brought it forth a female-- and Allah knew best what she brought forth-- and the male is not like the female, and I have named it Marium, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Shaitan.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast.

Muhammad Sarwar

When the baby was born she said, "Lord, it is a female." God knew this. Male and female are not alike. "I have named her Mary. I pray that You will keep her and her offspring safe from Satan, the condemned one."

Qaribullah & Darwish

And when she was delivered of her, she said: 'Lord, I have given birth to her, a female' Allah knew of what she had given birth the male is not like the female 'and I have called her Mary. Protect her and all her descendants from satan, the stoned one'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Then when she gave birth to her, she said: "O my Lord! I have given birth to a female child, ـ and Allah knew better what she bore, ـ "And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from Shaytan, the outcast."

Wahiduddin Khan

When she gave birth, she said, "My Lord, I have given birth to a girl," God knew very well what she had given birth to: a male is not like a female, "I have named her Mary and placed her and her children in Your protection from the rejected Satan."

Talal Itani

And when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female,” and God was well aware of what she has delivered, “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and have commended her and her descendants to Your protection, from Satan the outcast.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And when she gave birth to her, a girl, and she had been hoping for a boy, since only males were consecrated to the service of God, she said, apologetically, `O, Lord, I have given birth to a female' -- and God knew very well what she had given birth to; a parenthetical statement constituting God's speech (a variant reading [for wada`at, `she gave birth', has wada`tu, `I gave birth' [making these Hanna's words, sc. `and God knows very well what I have given birth to']); the male, that she had asked for, is not as the female, that was bestowed upon her, because he is designed for the service [of God], while she would not be suitable on account of her lesser physical ability, her private parts, the effects of menstruation on her, and so on. `And I have named her Mary, and commend her to You with her seed, her children, to protect them from the accursed, the outcast, Satan'. In a hadth [it is stated]; `Every new-born is touched by Satan and begins [life] by crying, except for Mary and her son', as reported by the two Shaykhs [Bukhr and Muslim].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنثَى وَاللّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ

Then when she gave birth to her, she said;"O my Lord! I have given birth to a female child, ـ and Allah knew better what she bore.

وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالاُنثَى

And the male is not like the female,

in strength and the commitment to worship Allah and serve the Masjid in Jerusalem.

وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ

And I have named her Maryam,

thus, testifying to the fact that it is allowed to give a name to the newly born the day it is born, as is apparent from the Ayah, which is also a part of the law of those who were before us.

Further, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah mentioned that the Prophet said,

وُلِدَ لِيَ اللَّيْلَةَ وَلَدٌ سَمَّيْتُهُ بِاسْمِ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيم

This night, a son was born for me and I called him by my father's name, Ibrahim.

Al-Bukhari and Muslim collected this Hadith.

They also recorded that;

Anas bin Malik brought his newborn brother to the Messenger of Allah who chewed a piece of date and put it in the child's mouth and called him Abdullah.

Other new born infants were also given names on the day they were born.

Qatadah narrated that Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, that Samurah bin Jundub said that the Messenger of Allah said,

كُلُّ غُلَمٍ رَهِينٌ بِعَقِيقَتِهِ يُذْبَحُ عَنْهُ يَوْمَ سَابِعِهِ وَيُسَمَّى وَيُحْلَقُ رَأَسُه

Every new born boy held in security by his Aqiqah, until his seventh day, a sacrifice is offered on his behalf, he is given a name, and the hair on his head is shaved.

This Hadith was collected by Ahmad and the collectors of the Sunan, and was graded Sahih by At-Tirmidhi.

We should mention that another narration for this Hadith contained the wording, "and blood is offered on his behalf," which is more famous and established than the former narration, and Allah knows best.

Allah's statement that Maryam's mother said,

وِإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ



"...And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from Shaytan, the outcast."

means, that she sought refuge with Allah from the evil of Shaytan, for her and her offspring, i.e., `Isa, peace be upon him.

Allah accepted her supplication, for Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ يُولَدُ إِلاَّ مَسَّهُ الشَّيْطَانُ حِينَ يُولَدُ فَيَسْتَهِلُّ صَارِخًا مِنْ مَسِّهِ إِيَّاهُ إِلاَّ مَرْيَمَ وَابْنَهَا

Every newly born baby is touched by Shaytan when it is born, and the baby starts crying because of this touch, except Maryam and her son.

Abu Hurayrah then said,

"Read if you will,
وِإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
(And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from Shaytan, the outcast)."

The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith