The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 19. Maryam: Mary

This is Surah 19 (Maryam/Mary) from the Qur'an, presented in M.M. Pickthall's early 20th-century English translation, one of the most respected classical renderings by a native English-speaking Muslim. The chapter narrates the miraculous births of John the Baptist (to the elderly, barren-wife Zachariah) and Jesus (to the virgin Mary), then surveys a series of prophets — Abraham, Moses, Ishmael, and Idris — emphasizing their obedience to God and rejection of idolatry. A central theological argument runs throughout: Jesus is affirmed as a prophet and servant of God, but the chapter explicitly and emphatically rejects the Christian doctrine of divine sonship, declaring it a cosmic blasphemy so grave it nearly tears the heavens apart. The surah closes with eschatological warnings — vivid depictions of Hell, Judgment Day, and the fate of disbelievers — contrasted with the rewards awaiting the devout. Pickthall's translation is notably formal and archaizing (using "thee/thou" throughout), aiming for a Qur'anic solemnity, and his rendering of the title "the Beneficent" for *Al-Rahman* is a distinctive interpretive choice that recurs as a structural motif across the chapter.

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 19. Maryam: Mary

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