Surah Maryam (مَرْيَم) is one of the most prominent Surahs of the Quran. It falls in the 16th Juzz. It was revealed during the Prophet Muhammad’s صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ stay in Mecca, just around the time prior to first migration of Muslims to Habshah. In this Surah, basic knowledge about different Prophets is mentioned. The name of this Surah is taken from the name of the mother of the Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ.
Surah Maryam starts with 5 consecutive anonymous letters, كٓهيعٓصٓ (Kãf-Ha-Ya-’Aĩn- Ṣãd). This type of word is specifically known as "haroof muqatta’at” in the Quranic accounts. 29 Surahs of the Quran start with such letters, the exact meanings of which cannot be ascertained. Surah Maryam happens to be the one starting with five of such letters. Surah Maryam comprises 98 short verses. The 58th verse of this Surah is the verse of Sajdah.
The Surah narrates the story of different Prophets. The Prophets described in this Surah include, Zakariyya, Isa, Yahya, Ibrahim, Ismael, Musa and Idrees عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ. It starts with the story of birth of Hazrat Yahha عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ, on specific request of the Prophet Zakariyya عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ. The story of Hazrat Maryam عَلَيْهَا ٱلسَّلَامُ is specifically mentioned in details, with reference to birth of Hazrat Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. According to different Islamic scholars and the Quran commentators, the reason of revelation of these verses about the birth of Hazrat Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ is related to the first Islamic migration of the followers of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ to Habshah. These verses explicitly narrate that Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was not the son of God, as was believed in Christianity. This helped the migrants to respond to the queries of the King of Habshah, who then allowed them to settle in his kingdom.
Hence, the first part of the Surah Maryam is referred to as a consolation and encouragement for the migrants. The concept is further emphasized by narrating the story of Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, as he also left his native town by the Will and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, so that His message may be spread. The purpose of narrating the story of different Prophets in this Surah is to make the people realize that the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ invites them to the same way of life that the Prophets taught before him but their followers are distracted from that and had adopted wrong and corrupt practices.
Lastly, the rewards for the believers and the fate of the disbelievers is mentioned in the typical Quranic way.
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During the early days of Islam, Quraysh of Mecca tried to suppress the newly converted Muslims by adopting different tactics. Despite their suppressive actions, the message of Islam kept on spreading. In response, the leaders of Quraysh, like Abu Jahl, started severe actions against Muslims, especially the weak, poor, and slaves. These Muslims were beaten by the Quraysh, dragged on the hot sand, and even killed by the Quraysh.
In these difficult circumstances, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ instructed his followers to migrate to Habshah. The King of Habshah was known for his kindness and fair dealings. Hence, the Prophet advised his followers to leave Mecca and settle in the Kingdom of Habshah. In the first phase, eleven men and four women migrated to Habshah. Later on, more people migrated to Habshah, making the total migrants 83 men and 11 women. The leaders of Quraysh were not happy with this situation. They sent Abdullah bin Abi Rabiy'ah (half-brother of Abu Jahl), and Amr ibn al-As to Habshah to demand the repatriation of the migrant Muslims to Mecca.
When they reached Habshah and demanded the return of the migrants, the King asked the migrants to explain their position. The leader of the migrants, Hazrat Jaffer رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ, recited the first 40 verses of Surah Maryam in front of the King in response to his queries. It is believed that Surah Maryam, especially its first 40 verses, was revealed for the benefit of these migrants just before the historic migration of Muslims to Habshah.
Surah Maryam is a Makki surah. It was revealed in the fifth year of the inception of Islam. When the first migration of Muslims to Habshah took place, the Quraysh demanded the return of the migrants to Mecca. The King of Habshah asked the migrants to explain their position. In response, Hazrat Jaffer, the leader of migrants, recited the first 40 verses of this Surah. Hence, it is established that Surah Maryam was revealed during the Prophet's stay in Mecca, before the event of the first migration.
Surah Maryam falls in Juzz (para) 16. By the order of revelation, it comes at number 44, whereas in the sequence of recitation, it falls at number 19. Within the Juzz 16, Surah Maryam falls at number two, after Surah Al-Kahf and before Surah Taha.
Surah Maryam has 98 verses.
Surah Maryam is divided into 6 sections (Rukus).
Surah Maryam is a unique Surah in the sense that it describes the stories of different Prophets. It starts with the story of the birth of two Prophets, Yahya and Isa عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ. Both these births are considered miraculous as the Prophet Yahya عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was born to Prophet Zakarriya عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ when he was too old and the Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was born to Hazrat Maryam عَلَيْهَا ٱلسَّلَامُ, without having been married. It also signifies the Authority and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ that He is the Ultimate Power.
The Surah also categorically rejects the misconception Hazrat Isa عَلَيْهَا ٱلسَّلَامُ is the son of God. By mentioning stories of different Prophets in this Surah, it is emphasized that the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ has brought the concept of the same way of life as was taught by the previous Prophets. It is further established that the followers of the previous Prophets had adopted corrupt practices; hence, they are now urged to follow the teachings of Islam, as conveyed to them by the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ
The main subject of Surah Maryam revolves around the stories of different Prophets. Purpose of narrating these stories is to explain the Authority of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ. In the first part of the Surah, the story of the birth of two Prophets, Hazrat Isa and Hazrat Yahya عَلَيْهِمَا ٱلسَّلَامُ is mentioned. Both these births are miraculous. Prophet Zakarriya عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ did not have a son until he was too old. On his specific prayer, he got Yahya, which in itself was a miracle, considering the age of Prophet Zakariyya عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. Similarly, Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was born to Hazrat Maryam without having been married.
The first 40 verses of this surah narrate this story in detail, which helped the migrants of Habshah to establish their position in front of the King of Habshah. The theme of these verses is to speak truth, strictly in accordance with the teachings of Islam, just like the migrants who categorically denied the misconception of Christians about Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَام being the son of God.
Verses 41 to 50 narrate the story of Prophet Ibrahim, where it is mentioned that he also left his place and had to migrate in the way of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, hence giving an encouragement to the migrants of Habshah.
In the next 15 verses, the story of other Prophets is mentioned. With a view to emphasize that Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ had brought the same way of Life, which the previous Prophets taught but their followers were distracted from it.
In verses 66 to 98, strong criticism has been made of the corrupt and evil acts of the disbelievers of Mecca. Simultaneously believers are assured of rewards and that they would come out successful despite all the efforts of the enemies of Islam.
Recition of any the Quranic verses and surahs brings huge benefits. However, some of the Surahs or specific verses are believed to bear specific virtues and benefits. In this context, it should always be kept in mind that each word in the Quran is the word of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَى, hence bears equal virtues and benefits. So, we should keep reciting the Quran, without hoping to get any specific benefits, while reciting a certain surah or verses. Rewards will come automatically, by the Will and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَى.
Recitation of Surah Maryam, like any other Surah, bears a lot of virtues and benefits, though not specifically associated with it. Some of the benefits are summarized below:
Recitation of the Quran with correct pronunciation is very important. Any slight deviation in the pronunciation of any of the words or letters of the Quran may entirely change the meanings. Arabic is a very versatile language; the meanings of a word change just by pronouncing it in a different way. All words and phrases have to be pronounced correctly to get the exact meanings of that word. While reciting the Quran, this even becomes more sensitive, as we are reciting the words of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ.
Correct reciting the Quranic verses might be more difficult for non-Arabic-speaking people. Reading the Quran with Tajweed is, therefore, of much importance. Listening to the recitation of an authentic Qari might be very helpful in understanding how to pronounce a particular phrase in the Quran. Sometimes, you may also like to just listen to the Quran instead of reading it. At Muslim and Quran, we have uploaded recitation of the Quran by famous and authentic reciters (Qaris). You can navigate and select the Qari; you may prefer to listen. You just need to download the Mobile Application of Muslim and Quran to listen to the Qaris of your preference.
The mobile application of Muslim and Quran is available for both, Android and iOS, available on Google Play and App Store, respectively. You can download the application by clicking the links given here:
Although reading the Quran is very easy on the website and mobile application of MuslimandQuran online, sometimes you may like to download and print a certain part of it for reading later on. You can also download any of the Surahs of the Quran, including Surah Maryam. Likewise, you can also read it online directly on our website and mobile application. You can also download it in PDF for reading offline or taking a print of the desired Surah. Surah Maryam can be downloaded in PDF by following these steps:
One of the most important benefits of reciting Surah Maryam is that our faith in Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ is enhanced much, as it narrates the Authority and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, which is evident from the miraculous birth of Prophet Isa and Yahya عَلَيْهِمَا ٱلسَّلَامُ.
It can be recited anytime during the day or night. No specific time is associated with its recitation.
No authentic Hadith about Surah Maryam is available in the renowned and authentic Hadith Books.
Yes, you can listen to it online on the Mobile Application of Muslims and the Quran.