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Ali 'Imran 40

Ayah 40 of 200 · Medinan

قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَٰمٞ وَقَدۡ بَلَغَنِيَ ٱلۡكِبَرُ وَٱمۡرَأَتِي عَاقِرٞۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ ٱللَّهُ يَفۡعَلُ مَا يَشَآءُ ٤٠

He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" He [the angel] said, "Such is Allāh; He does what He wills."

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. قَالَHe saidqāla
  2. رَبِّMy Lordrabbi
  3. أَنَّىٰhowannā
  4. يَكُونُcan (there) beyakūnu
  5. لِيfor melī
  6. غُلَٰمٞa songhulāmun
  7. وَقَدۡand verilywaqad
  8. بَلَغَنِيَhas reached mebalaghaniya
  9. ٱلۡكِبَرُ[the] old agel-kibaru
  10. وَٱمۡرَأَتِيand my wifewa-im'ra-atī
  11. عَاقِرٞۖ(is) [a] barrenʿāqirun
  12. قَالَHe saidqāla
  13. كَذَٰلِكَThuskadhālika
  14. ٱللَّهُAllahl-lahu
  15. يَفۡعَلُdoesyafʿalu
  16. مَاwhatmā
  17. يَشَآءُHe willsyashāu

Tafsir

When the angels gave him the good news about John, Zachariah said, ‘O Lord, how can I have a child after I have become old and my wife is unable to bear children?’ Allah replied to him that the example of the creation of John, in spite of his old age and his wife being barren, is like that of the creation of anything that Allah wishes to create, even though it is out of the ordinary. This is because Allah has power over everything and does whatever He wills in His wisdom and knowledge.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran