Tafsir of Surah Maryam - Verse 58

These Prophets are the Chosen Ones

Allah, the Exalted, says that these Prophets (were favored), but this does not mean only these Prophets who were mentioned in this Surah. Rather, it is referring to all of those who were Prophets. Allah merely changes the implication of the discussion from specific individuals to the entire group of Prophets.

الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّيْنَ مِن ذُرِّيَّةِ ءادَمَ

(they unto whom Allah bestowed His grace from among the Prophets, of the offspring of Adam.) As-Suddi and Ibn Jarir both said, "That which is meant by the offspring of Adam is Idris, and what is meant by the offspring of those `whom We carried with Nuh' is Ibrahim, and what is meant by the offspring of Ibrahim is Ishaq, Ya`qub and Isma`il, and what is meant by the offspring of Isra`il is Musa, Harun, Zakariyya, Yayha and `Isa bin Maryam." Ibn Jarir said, "And that is the distinction of their genealogies, even though Adam gathers all of them (as their original father). This is because among them is he who was not a descendant of those who were on the ship with Nuh, and he that is Idris. For verily, he was the grandfather of Nuh." I say that this is the most apparent meaning, which concludes that Idris is amongst the pillars of Nuh's ancestral lineage. The view that this Ayah refers to the ancestral lineage of the Prophets, is the fact that it is similar to Allah's statement in Surah Al-An`am,

وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهَآ إِبْرَهِيمَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ - وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ كُلاًّ هَدَيْنَا وَنُوحاً هَدَيْنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَـنَ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُوسُفَ وَمُوسَى وَهَـرُونَ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِينَ - وَزَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَى وَعِيسَى وَإِلْيَاسَ كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ - وَإِسْمَـعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطاً وَكُلاًّ فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعَـلَمِينَ - وَمِنْ ءابَائِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّـتِهِمْ وَإِخْوَنِهِمْ وَاجْتَبَيْنَـهُمْ وَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

(And that was our proof which We gave Ibrahim against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. And We bestowed upon him Ishaq and Ya`qub, each of them We guided; and before him We guided Nuh, and among his progeny Dawud, Sulayman, Ayyub, Yusuf, Musa and Harun. Thus do We reward the doers of good. And Zakariyya, and Yahya, and `Isa and Ilyas, each one of them was of the righteous. And Isma`il and Al-Yasa` and Yunus and Lut and each one of them We preferred above the `Alamin. And also some of their fathers and their progeny and their brethern, We chose them, and We guided them to the straight path.)6:83-87 Until Allah's statement,

أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ

(They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance.) 6: 90 Allah, the Exalted, says,

مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ

(Of some of them We have related to you their story. And of some We have not related to you their story.) 40:78 In Sahih Al-Bukhari it is reported from Mujahid that he asked Ibn `Abbas, "Is there a prostration in Surah Sad" Ibn `Abbas replied, "Yes." Then he recited,

أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ

(They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance.) 6:90 Ibn `Abbas then said, "So your Prophet is one of those who have been commanded to follow them. And he is of those who should be followed." -- referring to Dawud. Allah, the Exalted, said in this noble Ayah,

إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ ءايَـتُ الرَّحْمَـنِ خَرُّواْ سُجَّداً وَبُكِيّاً

(When the Ayah of the Most Gracious were recited unto them, they fell down prostrate and weeping.) This means that when they heard the Words of Allah, mentioning His proofs and evidences, they prostrated to their Lord in humility, humbleness, praise and thanks for the great favors they were blessed with. The word Bukiyan at the end of the Ayah means those who are crying, and it is the plural of Baki. Due to this the scholars agree that it is legislated to prostrate upon reading this Ayah, in following them and adhering to their manner of worship.

أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِن ذُرِّ‌يَّةِ آدَمَ

"Those are the people whom Allah has blessed with bounties, the prophets from the progeny of Adam." - 19.58.

This relates only to Sayyidna Idris (علیہ السلام) .

وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ

"And from those whom We boarded (the Ark) along with Nuh." - 19:58.

This relates to Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) only,

وَمِن ذُرِّ‌يَّةِ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ

"and from the progeny of Ibrahim" - 19:58.

This relates to Ismail, Ishaq and Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) .

وَإِسْرَ‌ائِيلَ

"and Isra'il" - 19:58.

This points out to Sayyidna Musa, Haran, Zakariyya and Yahya and ` Isa (علیہم السلام) .

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ خَرُّ‌وا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا

"When the verses of The Rahman (All-Merciful) are recited before them they fall down in Sajdah (prostration), weeping." -19:58.

Some very prominent prophets have been mentioned in the preceding verses as also their exalted status. Thus, there was a real danger that people might raise them to an exaggerated and high position as was the case with Jews who treated Sayyidna ` Uzair (علیہ السلام) as God, or the Christians who elevated Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) to a level where they called him the son of God. Therefore, after the mention of all those prophets it was made very clear in the very next verse that they were all very God-fearing and used to prostrate (سَجدَہ) themselves before Allah in extreme reverence. It is to avoid any possibility of crossing the limits of reverence for them (Bayan ul-Qur'an).

Weeping during the recitation of Qur'an / Divine Book was the Practice of the Prophets (علیہ السلام)

Weeping while reciting Qur'an is a commendable act and was also an attribute of the prophets. It has been reported that The Holy Prophet ﷺ ، his companions, their followers and the God-fearing people followed this practice.

Qurtubi has reported that religious scholars consider it desirable that when going into Sajdah after reciting a verse of Sajdah (آیَت سجدہ) one should recite a prayer which is appropriate to the verse of Sajdah (آیَتِ سجدہ). For instance in Surah Sajdah (surah # 32) the following prayer be recited.

اللَّھُم اجعَلنِی مِنَ السَّاجِدِینَ لِوَجھِکَ المُسَبِّحِینَ بِحَمدِکَ وَاَعُوذُ بِک اَن اَکُونَ مِنَ المُستَکبِرِینَ عَن اَمرِکَ

(0 Allah, make me of those who prostrate to You alone, and who glorify You along with proclaiming Your praise. And I seek refuge with You from being of those who turn their faces, in arrogance, against Your command.)

While in the case of Sajdah at verse # 109 of (Surah Bani Isra'il) one should recite.

اللَّھُمَّ اَجعَلنِی مِنَ البَاکِینَ اِلَیکَ الخَاشِعِینَ لَکَ

(0 Allah, make me of those who weep before You and who are humble in heart before You.)

And for the verse of Sajdah under reference the following should be recited.

اللَّھُمَّ اجعَلنِی مِن عِبَادِکَ المُنعِمِ عَلَیھِمُ المَھدِیِّینَ السَّاجِدِینَ لِکِ البَاکِینَ عِندَ تِلَاوَۃِ آیَاتِکَ

( O Allah make me of those among Your slaves upon whom You bestowed Your bounties, who prostrate before You, who weep while reciting Your verses.) (Qurtubi)

Here, special mention is made of those prophets who were raised in the generations descending respectively from Adam, Noah and Abraham. God found them deserving of being blessed with His special guidance and of being selected to represent Him to the people. Why did God shower His great blessings on these august personalities? God says that this was due to a virtue common to all of them, namely, their realization of God’s greatness and majesty being so absolute that they would tremble on hearing His message and cry and fall down before Him on the ground. To cry and fall down in prostration, or sajdah, is the ultimate stage of the realization and admission of God’s greatness and majesty. One who attains this stage has had a foretaste of that faith which is characteristic of God’s messengers and prophets.