Tafsir of Maryam 19:36

This is conjoined to his statement: "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah." It is therefore a completion of the words of Jesus, peace be upon him, establishing the meaning of servitude. The two verses are parenthetical, and this is supported by what has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them. Ubayy read it without the conjunction "and" (wa).

The apparent meaning, according to this, is with the assumption of an address to the Master of those addressed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; that is: "Say, O Muhammad: Indeed, Allah..." The two Meccans and Abu Amr read it (wa anna) with the conjunction "and" and the hamza opened (fatha). Al-Zamakhshari explained this by the omission of a preposition and its connection to "so worship Him," meaning: "And because Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him." It is similar to His saying, "And that the mosques are for Allah, so do not invoke along with Allah anyone." This is the view of Al-Khalil and Sibawayh.

Al-Farra permitted that "that" (anna) and what follows it be interpreted as a masdar (verbal noun) conjoined to "the Zakah," meaning: "And He enjoined upon me prayer and Zakah, and that Allah is my Lord and your Lord..." Al-Kisa'i permitted it to be the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: "And the matter is that Allah is my Lord and your Lord."

Abu Ubaydah reported from Abu Amr ibn al-Ala' that it is conjoined to "a matter" (amran) from His saying, "When He decrees a matter," meaning: "When He decrees a matter, and decrees that Allah is my Lord and your Lord." This is a confusion in syntax; perhaps it is not authentic from Abu Amr, for he holds a position of greatness in the science of grammar. It has also been said that it is conjoined to "the Book." In the codex of Ubayy, may Allah be pleased with him, it is also written "and that" (wa bi-anna), with the conjunction "and" and the preposition ba. Some explained this as a conjunction to "prayer" or "Zakah," and others as being connected to "so worship Him," meaning: "Because of that, worship Him."

The address is either to the contemporaries of Jesus, peace be upon him, or to the contemporaries of our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. "This"—that is, what has been mentioned of monotheism—"is a straight path." One who follows it does not go astray.