CHAPTER I
PASSAGES FROM THE KORÂN

II, 81.–And We have brought Moses the Book and sent the apostles after him. And We have brought Jesus, son of Mary, the proofs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.

II, 254.–And We brought Jesus, son of Mary, the proofs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.

III, 31.–When the wife of `Imrân said, “My Lord, verily I have vowed to Thee that which is in my womb, dedicated [to Thee], so accept [it] from me; verily Thou art He who hears and knows.” Then when she gave birth she said, “My Lord, verily I have given birth to a female” (and God knew well what she had given birth to); “and a male is not like a female; and verily I have called her Mary, and verily I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the accursed Satan.”

III, 37-52.–And when the angels said, “O Mary, verily God has chosen you and purified p. 18 you and chosen you above the women of the worlds. O Mary, obey your Lord, and worship and bow down with those who bow down.” That is one of the pieces of information regarding the unseen which We reveal to you, although you were not with them when they were casting their reeds [to see] which of them should have charge of Mary, and were not with them when they were disputing. When the angels said, “O Mary, verily God gives you good news of a Word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, eminent in this world and the next, and one of those who approach God’s presence. And he shall speak to men in the cradle and when he is grown up, and shall be one of the upright.” She said, “My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?” He said, “Thus God creates what He wills; when He decrees a thing, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it comes into being. And He will teach him the Book, and wisdom, and the Torah, and the Gospel; and [will appoint him] an apostle to the Children of Israel, [saying], ‘I have brought you a sign from your Lord. Verily I will create for you of clay something like a bird and will blow into it, and it will become a bird by God’s permission; and I will cure the blind from birth and the leper, and will raise the dead by God’s permission, and will inform you about what you shall eat and what p. 19 you shall store up in your houses. Verily in that is a sign for you, if you are believers. And [I come] confirming what is before me with respect to the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of that which has been forbidden you. And I have brought you a sign from your Lord; so fear God and obey me. Verily God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him; this is a straight path.'” But when Jesus perceived their unbelief he said, “Who will be my helpers towards God?” The disciples said, “We will be God’s helpers; we believe in God and witness that we are Muslims. O our Lord, we believe in what Thou hast sent down, and we have followed the apostle; so write us down with those who bear witness.” And they plotted, but God plotted, and God is the best of plotters. When God said, “O Jesus, verily I will cause you to die, and will raise you to Myself, and will cleanse you from those who are unbelievers, and will put those who followed you above those who were unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection; then to Me will be your return. [This last phrase is not addressed to Jesus, as the pronoun is plural.] And I will judge between you about that in which you disagree. Then as regards those who were unbelievers, I will punish them severely in this world and the next, and they shall have no helpers.” And as regards those who believed and did good deeds, He will pay p. 20 them their rewards, for God does not love the unjust. That do We recite to you of the signs and the wise reminder. Verily Jesus in the sight of God is like Adam whom He created of earth, then said to him, “Be,” and he came into being.

IV, 154-157.–Because of their unbelief and their speaking great slander against Mary, and their saying, “Verily we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, God’s apostle.” But they did not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but one was made to appear to them like him. And verily those who disagreed about him are in doubt regarding him; they have no knowledge of him but the following of opinion, and they did not really kill him. On the contrary, God raised him to Himself; and God is mighty and wise. And there shall not be any of the people of the Book who will not believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.

IV, 169, 170.–O people of the Book, do not be fanatical in your religion, and do not say anything but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only God’s apostle and His Word which He cast into Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His apostles, and do not say, “[He is] three.” Abstain, and it will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from Him that He should have a son! p. 21 What is in the heavens and what is in the earth are His, and God suffices as Governor. The Messiah does not scorn to be a servant of God, nor do the angels who are near His presence. All those who scorn His worship and are proud will He gather to Himself.

V, 19.–They have disbelieved who said, “Verily God is the Messiah, son of Mary.” Say, “Who could prevent God at all if He wished to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother, and all who are in the earth?”

V, 50, 51, [following on reference to previous prophets].–And we made Jesus, son of Mary, follow in their traces, verifying what was before him respecting the Torah; and we brought him the Gospel in which is guidance and light; and [he was] verifying what was before him with respect to the Torah, and was a guidance and warning to the God-fearing. And let the people of the Gospel judge by what God has sent down in it; but whoever does not judge by what God has sent down, those are the impious.

V, 76-79.–They have disbelieved who said, “Verily God is the Messiah, son of Mary,” when the Messiah said, “O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord.” Verily he who takes a partner to God, God has forbidden Paradise to him, and his destination will be hell, and the unjust will have no helpers. They have disbelieved who said, “Verily God is the third p. 22 of three,” when there is no God but one God; and if they do not abstain from what they say, a painful punishment will befall those of them who disbelieved. Will they not turn to God in repentance and ask His pardon? For God is forgiving and compassionate. The Messiah, son of Mary, was only an apostle–the apostles have passed away before him–and his mother was an upright woman; they were both eating food.

V, 82.–Those of the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and of Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they were disobedient and were transgressors.

V, 109-118.–When God said, “O Jesus, son of Mary, remember my favour to you and to your mother when I strengthened you by the Holy Spirit; you were speaking to men in the cradle and when grown up; and when I taught you the Book and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you were creating from clay something like a bird by My permission and were blowing into it and it was becoming a bird by My permission; and you were curing the blind from birth and the leper by My permission; and when you were raising the dead by My permission; and when I turned away the Children of Israel from you when you brought them the proofs, then those of them who disbelieved said, ‘This is nothing but clear magic;’ and when I revealed to the disciples, ‘Believe p. 23 in Me and My apostles,’ they said, ‘We believe and witness that we are Muslims.'”

When the disciples said, “O Jesus, son of Mary, is your Lord able to send down to us a table from heaven?” he said, “Fear God if you are believers.” They said, “We wish to eat of it that our hearts may be at rest, and that we may know that you have spoken the truth to us, and that we may be witnesses to it.” Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O God our Lord, send down to us a table from heaven which will be a feast for us, for the first of us and the last of us, and a sign from Thee. And give us provision, for Thou art the best of providers.” God said, “Verily I am sending it down to you, so whoever of you disbelieves afterwards, I will punish him in a way in which I will not punish anyone in the worlds.”

And when God said, “O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to men, ‘Take me and my mother as gods besides God?'” he said, “Praise be to God! It is not fitting for me to say what is not mine by right. If I had said it Thou wouldest have known it; Thou knowest what is in my soul, but I do not know what is in Thy soul; verily Thou art the Knower of hidden things. I said to them only what Thou commanddest me, ‘Worship God, my Lord and your Lord,’ and I was a witness against them as long as I was among them. If Thou punishest them, they are Thy servants; and if Thou p. 24forgivest them, Thou art the mighty and the wise One.”

VI, 84-90.–And We gave him [Abraham] Isaac and Jacob, both We guided, and Noah We guided formerly; and of his seed were David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron, and thus do We reward those who do good; and Zechariah and John and Jesus and Elijah, all were of the upright; and Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot, and we favoured them all above the worlds; and some of their fathers and offspring and brethren, and We chose them and guided them to a straight path. That is God’s guidance with which He guides those of His servants whom He wills; but if they had been idolaters, what they were doing would have been fruitless. Those were they to whom We brought the Book and authority and prophecy; so if these disbelieve in it, We will put it in trust of a people who will not disbelieve in it. Those are they whom God guides, so follow their guidance.

IX, 30-32.–The Jews said, “Ezra is the son of God;” and the Christians said, “The Messiah is the son of God.” That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate what former disbelievers said. God fight with them! How are they turned away! They have taken their doctors and monks as lords besides God, and the Messiah, son of Mary, when they were commanded to worship only one God. There is p. 25 no God but He. Far be He from what they associate with Him! They wish to extinguish God’s light with their mouths, and God refuses but to perfect His light, even if the unbelievers dislike it.

XIX, 16-34.–And mention in the Book Mary, when she withdrew from her people in an eastern place and took a veil apart from them. Then We sent Our spirit to her, and he appeared to her as a well-formed man. She said, “Verily I take refuge in the Merciful from you if you are God-fearing.” He replied, “I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you a pure boy.” She said, “How can I have a boy when no man has touched me, and I am not a prostitute?” He replied, “Thus has your Lord said, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter that is decreed.'” Then she conceived him and withdrew with him to a remote place; and the pangs of child-birth made her come to the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “Would that I had died before this and had been forgotten and unremembered!” Then he called to her from under her, “Do not grieve; your Lord has put a streamlet below you; and shake towards you the trunk of the palm-tree, and it will let fresh, ripe dates fall on you; so eat and drink and refresh yourself. And if you see anyone, say, ‘Verily I have vowed a fast to the Merciful, p. 26 so I will not speak to a human being to-day.'” Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have brought an extraordinary thing. O sister of Aaron, your father was not a bad man and your mother was not a prostitute.” Then she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to one who is a boy in the cradle?” He said, “Verily I am God’s servant. He has brought me the Book and has made me a prophet and made me blessed wherever I am, and has enjoined on me prayer and alms as long as I live and filial piety to my mother, and He has not made me proud and miserable. And peace be upon me the day I was born and the day I die and the day I am raised up alive!” This is Jesus, son of Mary, the Word of truth, about whom they doubt. It was not fitting for God that He should beget any son. Praise be to Him! When He decrees anything, He only says to it, “Be,” and it comes into being.

XXI, 91.–And [remember] her who preserved her chastity and in whom We breathed of Our spirit, and made her and her son a sign to the worlds.

XXIII, 52.–And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and gave them shelter in a hill possessed of security and running water.

XXXIII, 7.–And [remember] when We received from the prophets their covenant, and p. 27 from you, and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, son of Mary; and We received from them a strong covenant.

XLII, 11.–He has ordained to you with respect to religion what He enjoined on Noah and what We revealed to you, and what We enjoined on Abraham and Moses and Jesus, viz. “Establish the religion, and do not divide concerning it.”

XLIII, 57-65.–And when the son of Mary was quoted as an example, behold! your people were turning away from him, and they said, “Are our gods better, or he?” They have only quoted him out of skill in argument; verily they are a quarrelsome people. He is only a servant on whom We bestowed favour and whom We made an example to the Children of Israel. And if We pleased, We could make from among you angels succeeding you in the earth; And verily he is a sign [lit. knowledge] of the [last] hour; so do not doubt it, and follow me. This is a straight path. And let not the devil turn you away; verily he is to you a sure enemy. And when Jesus brought the proofs he said, “I have brought you wisdom, and will make clear to you some of that about which you differ; so fear God and obey me. Verily God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. Verily this is a straight path.” Then the parties among them disagreed. So woe to those who did unjustly, because of the punishment of a painful day!

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LVII, 26, 27.–And We have sent Noah and Abraham and have put in their offspring prophecy and the Book, and some of them were rightly guided, but many of them were impious. Then We caused Our apostles to follow in their traces and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow; and We brought him the Gospel and put gentleness and compassion in the hearts of those who followed him. But as for the monastic state, they invented it. We prescribed for them only desire for the acceptance of God; but they did not observe it as it ought to be observed. So We gave their reward to those of them who believed, but many of them were impious.

LXI, 6.–And when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, verily I am God’s apostle to you verifying what was before me with respect to the Torah and bringing good news of an apostle who will come after me whose name will be Ahmad.” Then when he brought them the I proofs they said, “This is clear magic.”

LXI, 14.–O you who believe, be God’s helpers, as Jesus, son of Mary, said to the disciples, “Who will be my helpers towards God?” The disciples said, “We will be God’s helpers.” Then a section of the Children of Israel believed, but a section disbelieved; and God strengthened those who believed against their enemy, and they became conquerors.