The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 1
CHAPTER 19 MARYAM (Revealed before Hijrah) Title and Date of Revelation As this Surah primarily deals with the story of Mary, around which all the other incidents in the chapter revolve, and as it particularly draws our attention to the distinctive features of Mary's character and personality, it bears the title Maryam, despite the fact that great prophets of God like Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Ishmael and other Divine Messengers like Idrīs, Zachariah and Yaḥyā have also found prominent mention in the Surah. The consensus of opinion among such Companions of the Holy Prophet who have expressed any view about this Surah's date of the revelation, regards it of Meccan origin. 'Abdullāh bin Mas'ud who was one of the earliest Companions of the Holy Prophet holds the view that Bani Isrā'īl, Kahf and Maryam were among the Surahs that were revealed very early in the Holy Prophet's ministry (Bukhārī). Christian writers such as Rodwell, Wherry and Muir, also consider it as having been revealed at Mecca. It is a well- known fact of history, related by the historian Ibn Isḥāq, that when in the early days of Islam the persecution of Muslims exceeded all bounds and life at Mecca became quite unsafe for them, some of them were asked by the Holy Prophet to migrate to Abyssinia. Realizing that the persecuted Muslims had found safe refuge in a foreign land and that their evil designs to nip the young and tender plant of Islam in the bud had been frustrated, a deputation of Meccans led by the famous 'Amr bin al-‘Āṣ went to Abyssinia to ask the Negus, its Christian king, for extradition of the Muslims who had taken refuge in his country, and in order to excite his jealousy told him that they did not accord to Jesus and Mary that high spiritual status in which they were held by the Christians and even defamed and disgraced them. Before, however, granting the deputation's request, the Negus asked Ja'far, the leader of the refugee Muslims, as to what he had to say in the matter. Upon this Ja'far recited those verses (from 17 th to 41st verse) of this Surah which shed full light on the true status of Jesus and his mother. On hearing the Quranic verses the Negus was greatly moved and he said that his own belief about Jesus and Mary was not a whit different from that of the Muslims. Consequently he flatly refused to accede to the request of the Meccans and assured the 1915