 Again, we're reading the Holy Quran, the final testament, authorized English version, okay, and this is translated from the original by Rashad Kalafa, PhD revised edition number three. We're reading Surah 19, chapter 19, Mary, Maryam, okay, and it's on page 179. Surah 19, Mary, Maryam. In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful, k-h-y-a-s, k-f-h-y-a-i-sad. Zachariah, a narration about our Lord's mercy towards his servant, Zachariah. He called his Lord a secret call. He said, quote, my Lord, the bones have turned brittle in my body and my hair is aflame with gray. As I implore you, my Lord, I never despair. I worry about my dependence after me and my wife has been sterile. Grant me from you an heir. Let him be my hair, heir, and the heir of Jacob's clan and make him my Lord acceptable. And quote, John, quote, O Zachariah, we give you good news, a boy whose name shall be John. Yah, yah, yah, hayah. Yah, we never created anyone like him before. He said, quote, my Lord, will I have a son despite my wife's sterility and despite my old age, end quote. He said, quote, thus said your Lord, it is easy for me to do. I created you before that and you were nothing. He said, quote, my Lord, give me a sign. He said, quote, your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three consecutive nights, end quote. He came out to his family from the sanctuary and signaled to them, quote, meditate on God day and night, end quote. Quote, O John, you shall uphold the scripture strongly, end quote. We endowed him with wisdom, even in his youth. And we endowed him with kindness from us and purity, for he was righteous. He honoured his parents and was never a disobedient tyrant. Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies and the day he is resurrected back to life. Mary. Mention in the scripture, Mary. She isolated herself from her family into an eastern location. While a barrier separated her from them, we sent to her our spirit. He went to her in the form of a human being. She said, quote, I seek refuge in the most gracious that you may be righteous, end quote. He said, quote, I am the messenger of your Lord to grant you a pure son, end quote. She said, quote, how can I have a son when no man has touched me? I have never been unchast, end quote. He said, quote, thus said your Lord, it is easy for me. We will render him a sign for the people and mercy from us. This is a predestined matter, end quote. The birth of Jesus. When she bore him, she isolated herself to a faraway place. The birth process came to her by the trunk of a palm tree. She said, quote, I am so ashamed. I wish I were dead before this happened and completely forgotten, end quote. The infant called her from beneath her, saying, quote, do not grieve. Your Lord has provided you with a stream. If you shake the trunk of this palm tree, it will drop ripe dates for you. Eat and drink and be happy. When you see anyone say, I have made a vow of silence, I am not talking today to anyone. She came to her family, carrying him. They said, quote, O Mary, you have committed something that is totally unexpected. O descendant of Aaron, your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother unchast, end quote. The infant makes a statement. She pointed to him. They said, quote, how can we talk with an infant in the crib, end quote. The infant spoke and said, quote, I am a servant of God. He has given me the scripture and has appointed me a prophet. He made me blessed wherever I go and enjoyed, enjoyed me to observe the contact prayers, salat, and obligatory charity, zakat, for as long as I live. I am the honor, I am to honor my mother. He did not make me a disobedient rebel and peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I get resurrected. The proven truth, that was Jesus, the son of Mary, and this is the truth of this matter, about which they continue to doubt. It does not befit God that he begets a son. Be he glorified. To have anything done, he simply says to it, be and it is. He also proclaimed, God, quote, God is my Lord and your Lord. You shall worship him alone. This is the right path, end quote. The various parties disputed among themselves, regarding the identity of Jesus, therefore woe to those who disbelieve from the sight of a terrible day. Wait till you hear them and see them when they come to face us. The transgressors on that day will be totally lost. Warn them about the day of remorse. When judgment will be issued, they are totally, totally oblivious. They do not believe. We are the ones who inherit the earth and everyone on it. To us, everyone will be returned. Abraham mentioned in scripture Abraham, he was a saint, a prophet. He said to his father, quote, all my father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see nor help you in any way? All my father, I have received certain knowledge that you did not receive. Follow me and I will guide you in a straight path. Oh father, do not worship the devil. The devil has rebelled against the most gracious. All my father, I fear lest you incur retribution from the most gracious, then become an ally of devil. He said, quote, have you forsaken my gods, oh Abraham, unless you stop, I will stone you. Leave me alone, end quote. He said, quote, peace be upon you. I will implore my lord to forgive you. He has been most kind to me. I will abandon you and the gods you worship beside God. Besides God, I will worship only my lord. By imploring my lord alone, I cannot go wrong. End quote. Because he abandoned them and the gods they worship besides God, we granted them Isaac and Jacob and we made each of them a prophet. We showered them with our mercy and we granted them an honored position in history. Moses mentioned in the scripture Moses. He was devoted and he was a messenger prophet. We called him to the right side of Mount Sinai. We brought him close to confer with him and we granted him out of our mercy his brother Aaron as a prophet and mentioned in the scripture Ishmael. He was truthful when he made a promise and he was a messenger prophet. He used to enjoy his family to observe the contact prayer, salat, and obligatory charity, zakat. He was acceptable to his lord and mentioned in the scripture Idis. He was a saint, a prophet. We raised him to an honorable rank. There are some of the prophets whom God blessed. They were chosen from among the descendants of Adam and the descendants of those who we carried with Noah and the descendants of Abraham and Israel and from among those who we guided and selected. When the revelations of the most gracious are recited to them they fall prostrate weeping. Losing the contact prayers, salat. After them he substituted generations who lost the contact prayers, salat, and pursued their lusts. They will suffer the consequences. Only those who repent, believe, and lead a great righteous life will enter paradise without the least injustice. The gardens of Eden await them as promised by the most gracious for those who worship him even in privacy. Certainly his promise must come to pass. They will not hear any nonsense therein, only peace. They receive their provisions therein, day and night, such as paradise. We grant it to those among our servants who are righteous. We do not come down except by the command of your Lord. To him belongs our past, our future, and everything between them. Your Lord is never forgotten, forgetful. The Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything between them. You shall worship him and steadfastly preserve in worshiping him. Do you know of anyone who equals him? The human beings ask, quote, after I die, do I come back to life? End quote. Did the human being forget that we created him already and he was nothing? Special warning to the leaders. By your Lord we will certainly summon them together with the devil and will gather them around hell humiliated. Then we will pick out from each group the most ardent opponent of the most gracious. We know full well those who are most deserving of burning therein. Everyone sees hell. Every single one of you must see it. This is an irrevocable decision of your Lord. Then we rescue the righteous and leave the transgressors in it, humiliate it. The majority, when our revelations are cited to them, clearly those who disbelieve say to those who believe, quote, which of us is more prosperous? Which of us is in the majority? End quote. Many generations have we annihilated before them. They were more powerful and more prosperous. Say, quote, those who choose to go astray, the most gracious will lead them on until they see what is promised for them, either the retribution of the hour. That is when they find out who really is worse off, the weaker in power, end quote. God augments the guidance of those who choose to be guided for the good deeds are eternally, eternally rewarded by your Lord and bring far better returns. Have you noted the one who rejects our revelations, then said, quote, I will be given wealth and children, end quote. Has he seen the future? Has he taken such a pledge from the most gracious indeed? We will record what he utters, then commit him to an ever increasing retribution. Then we inherit everything he possessed, and he comes back to us all alone. They worship beside God, other gods, that may be of help to them. The idols disown their worshipers. On the contrary, they will reject their ideology, ideology, and will be their enemies. Do you not see how we unleash the devils upon the disbelievers to stir them up? Do not be impatient. We are preparing for them some preparations. The day will come when we summon the righteous before the most gracious in a group, and we will hurt the guilty to hell, to be their eternal abode. No one will possess the power to intercede except those who conform to the laws of the most gracious. Gross blasphemy. They said, quote, the most gracious has begotten a son, end quote. You have uttered a gross blasphemy. The heavens are about to shatter, the earth is about to tear asunder, and the mountains are about to crumble. Because they claim that the most gracious has begotten a son, it is not befitting the most gracious that he should beget a son. Every single one in the heavens and the earth is a servant of the most gracious. He has encompassed them and has counted them one by one. All of them will come before him one day on the day of resurrection as individuals. Surely those who believe and lead a righteous life, the most gracious will shower them with love. We thus made the sporon elucidated in your tongue in order to believe to deliver good news to the righteous and to warn with it the opponents. Many generations before them we annihilate it. Can you perceive any of them or hear from them any sound?