Tafsir of Maryam 19:34-35

Surah Maryam (19): Verses 34–35

(34) That is Jesus, the son of Mary, the statement of truth, concerning which they are in doubt.

(35) It is not for Allah that He should take a son. Exalted is He! When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.

Issue 1: The Reading of قول الحق (The Statement of Truth)

There are different established recitations (Qirā’āt) for this phrase:

1. قول الحق (Qawl al-Ḥaqq) (Nominative/Ra'f): Read by 'Āṣim and Ibn 'Āmir.
2. قال الحق (Qāla al-Ḥaqq) (Verb): Attributed to Ibn Mas'ūd, alongside قال الله (Allāh said).
3. قول الحق (Qūl al-Ḥaqq) (Verbal Noun/Maṣdar, with ḍamma on the Qāf): Attributed to al-Ḥasan.

The verbal noun (القول, القال, الرهب) carries the same meaning across these forms.

• Grammatical Analysis (Nominative Case - رفع): It functions as a second predicate (خبر بعد خبر) or as the predicate (خبر) of an implied subject (مبتدأ محذوف).
• Grammatical Analysis (Accusative Case - نصب): It is interpreted as an expression of praise (مدح), meaning "the Word of Allāh," or as an emphatic verbal noun (مصدر مؤكد) reinforcing the meaning of the preceding sentence (e.g., "He is, with Allāh, the Truth, not falsehood").

Issue 2: The Meaning of "The Statement of Truth" (قول الحق) and Refutation of Doubt

The phrase ذلك عيسى ابن مريم (That is Jesus, the son of Mary) clearly refers back to the description given previously (i.e., "I am the servant of Allāh; He has given me revelation...") (19:30). Stating "son of Mary" confirms he was born of this woman, not that he is the Son of God.

Regarding قول الحق (The Statement of Truth), there are several interpretations:

1. Jesus Himself is the Truth: Jesus (عليه السلام) is the Statement of Truth. Since Al-Ḥaqq (The Truth) is a Name of Allāh, saying Jesus is the "Statement of Truth" is equivalent to saying he is the "Word of Allāh" (كلمة الله).
2. An Adjective Emphasizing the Previous Statement: It means "Jesus, the son of Mary, the True Statement" (القول الحق). The description is added to the described, similar to إن هاذا لهو حق اليقين (Indeed, this is the reality of certainty) (56:95). The purpose of using القول الحق is to confirm what was stated earlier: that Jesus is the son of Mary.
3. A Predicate for an Implied Subject: It functions as the predicate (خبر) for an implied subject. It is as if the verse means: "That is Jesus, the son of Mary, and this description is the Statement of Truth." This means the reality concerning him is established and cannot be invalidated by the doubts raised by Jews and Christians (as mentioned previously in Sūrat Āl 'Imrān).

Regarding the Doubts: It is narrated that when Jesus (عليه السلام) was raised, four of their greatest scholars were summoned. One claimed: "He is God, and his mother is God, and God is God." Others followed this view (the Isrā’īliyyah). When the fourth scholar was asked, he replied: "He is the servant of Allāh and His Messenger, the believer, the Muslim. Do you not know that Jesus used to eat and sleep, things that are impossible for Allāh?" He thus refuted them.

Meaning of ما كان لله أن يتخذ من ولد (It is not for Allah that He should take a son):

This has two implications:

1. Impossibility of Falsity: Attributing a son to Allāh is impossible. Saying ما كان لله أن يتخذ من ولد is like saying ما كان لله أن يقول لأحد إنه ولدي (It was not for Allāh to say to anyone, 'You are My son'), because such a statement would be a lie, and lies are incompatible with Allāh's wisdom and perfection. It is similar to saying ما كان لله أن يظلم (It was not for Allāh to be unjust).
2. Refutation of Al-Jubbā’ī: Al-Jubbā’ī used this verse to argue that Allāh does not do everything, claiming the verse implies Allāh lacks the choice/power to create a son. Our scholars refute this by stating that the verse refers to the impossibility of falsehood concerning Allāh, not a limitation on His power.

Meaning of سبحانه إذا قضى أمرا فإنما يقول له كن فيكون (Exalted is He! When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is):

This section contains further issues:

Issue 1: Proof of His Transcendence (Tanzīh) from Having Offspring

When Allāh says سبحانه (Exalted is He) immediately followed by the statement of creation by command (كن فيكون), it serves as proof of His transcendence and refutation of the claim of offspring.

If something were His offspring, it would be either:

1. Eternal (قديم أزلي): This is impossible, as it would imply more than one Necessary Existent (واجب الوجود), which is a contradiction.
2. Contingent (محدث): If contingent, it requires the Necessary Existent for its existence. Therefore, it would be dependent upon Allāh and thus His servant (عبد), not His son.

If the alleged offspring is contingent, its existence follows His command: إذا قضى أمرا فإنما يقول له كن فيكون. Thus, it becomes His servant, not His son. This proves the impossibility of Allāh having a son.

Issue 2: Debate on the Eternity of God's Word (Kalām Allāh)

• The Ash'arī Argument (for Eternity): The verse implies that when Allāh wills to create something, He says "Be," and it comes into being. If the command "Be" (كن) were contingent (محدث), its creation would require another command, leading to an infinite regress (تسلسل), which is impossible. Therefore, the Word of Allāh (قول الله) must be eternal (قديم).
• The Mu'tazilī Argument (for Contingency): They argue for the contingency of God's Word based on three points:
  1. The use of إذا (When), which implies a future event, meaning the utterance must occur in the future.
  2. The letter ف (Fa) in فإنما يقول (then He only says) indicates immediate succession (تعقيب). What follows another event is contingent.
  3. The letter ف (Fa) in فيَكون (and it is) indicates that the thing comes into being immediately after the utterance. If the utterance precedes the contingent thing without separation, the utterance itself must be contingent.

Critique of Both Arguments: Both arguments are weak. The Ash'arī argument incorrectly implies that the command "Be" (كن) itself must be eternal, which is agreed upon as false. The Mu'tazilī argument incorrectly assumes that God's Word (كلام الله) refers to the composite of letters and sounds, which is indeed contingent. The true debate is over the eternity of something else (the underlying Divine Attribute).

Issue 3: The Meaning of "Be" (كن)

Some interpreters take the verse literally: Allāh speaks the command "Be" to an object before or during its creation.

• If spoken before creation, it is addressing non-existence, which is futile.
• If spoken during creation, the thing already exists through His Power and Will; the command "Be" has no effect on it.

Other scholars interpret كن (Be) as referring to Creation/Actualization (التكوين) itself. This is because the Power to create something is distinct from the act of creating it. Allāh is eternally Powerful, but not eternally actualizing (creating) the worlds. Since the created thing (المكون) exists because Allāh actualized it (كوّنه), if "actualization" (التكوين) were the same as the "actualized thing" (المكون), the statement "The actualized thing exists by the actualization of Allāh" would reduce to "The actualized thing exists by itself," which is impossible. Thus, كن refers to the attribute called "Actualization" (التكوين).

Others state that كن is a metaphor (استعارة) for the unimpeded execution of Allāh's Power and Will in contingent beings. Their immediate occurrence upon His command, without resistance, is likened to an obedient, subservient slave responding to his Master's command.

Verses 36–41 (Continuation of Context)

(36) And indeed, Allāh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path.

(37) But the factions differed among themselves, so woe to those who disbelieve from the witnessing of the Great Day.

(38) How clearly will they hear and see the Day they come to Us! But the wrongdoers today are in manifest error.

(39) And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be decided, while they are in heedlessness, and they do not believe.

(40) Indeed, it is We who will inherit the earth and whomever is upon it, and to Us they will be returned.