Another example of the Incompleteness and Incoherence of the Qur'an
In the Qur'an we find bits and pieces of the story of Zakariya and John (the Baptist). One of those statements about John is the topic of this article.
In response to Zakariya's prayer for a son, we read in S. 3:39 of an angelic response:
And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah, lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous. Pickthall
And the angels called to him, standing in the Sanctuary at worship, 'Lo, God gives thee good tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word of God, a chief, and chaste, a Prophet, righteous.' Arberry
Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a Word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet from among the good ones. Shakir
Apart from the message that Zakariya will get a son, and what his name will be, the angels give some more information about John, the child that is to be born. He will be honorable and chaste. He will be a righteous person and even a prophet. And there is one specific task or duty mentioned — the purpose of his life, so to speak: "to confirm a word from Allah".
What is this "word from Allah" that John is supposed to confirm? And how did he do it?
The answer to the first question is found only six verses later, in the announcement to Mary that she (too) will give birth to a son:
(And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah). S. 3:45 Pickthall
When the angels said, 'Mary, God gives thee good tidings of a Word from Him whose name is Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; high honoured shall he be in this world and the next, near stationed to God.' S. 3:45 Arberry
The Word which John is supposed to confirm is Jesus. Al-Hilali & Khan make that explicit in their translation:
Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room), (saying): "Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), confirming (believing in) the Word from Allah [i.e. the creation of 'Iesa (Jesus), the Word from Allah ("Be!" - and he was!)], noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a Prophet, from among the righteous." S. 3:39 Al-Hilali & Khan
However, their parenthetical comments are only partly helpful. "Confirming" is not the same as believing. Believing can be silent and invisible to the outside world. Confirming is much stronger, it speaks of a public testimony. Confirming what and for whom?
After this angelic announcement of the birth of John, one expects to read how this prophetic word became true. Although the parallel formulations of S. 3:39 and 3:45 make it clear that this confirmation refers to Jesus, there are many questions that are left unanswered in this announcement. What exactly did John have to confirm in regard to Jesus? When and how did he do it? Who was the recipient of this confirmation?
Al-Hilali & Khan's comment is not helpful at all. Why and for whom was there a need of confirmation regarding "the creation of Jesus"? Was anyone doubting his existence? Did anyone doubt — during the life-time of John — that Jesus, as a human being, was created?
The Bible answers all these questions, but it is rather strange that the Qur'an makes "confirming a Word from Allah" an essential element in the announcement of the birth of John, and would then be totally silent about the matter when speaking about the life of John. Here are all passages in the Qur'an which speak about John:
Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer. And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah, lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous. S. 3:38-39 Pickthall
And Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias. Each one (of them) was of the righteous. ... Those are they unto whom We gave the Scripture and command and prophethood. But if these disbelieve therein, then indeed We shall entrust it to a people who will not be disbelievers therein. S. 6:85,89 Pickthall
(It was said unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; we have given the same name to none before (him). ... (And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child, And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout, And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious. Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive! 19:7,12-15 Pickthall
And Zachariah, when he cried unto his Lord: My Lord! Leave me not childless, though Thou art the Best of inheritors. Then We heard his prayer, and bestowed upon him John, and adjusted his wife (to bear a child) for him. Lo! they used to vie one with the other in good deeds, and they cried unto Us in longing and in fear, and were submissive unto Us. S. 21:89-90 Pickthall
The Qur'an is totally silent on the question whether John managed to discharge his duty, whether he was able to fulfill the purpose for which he was born, i.e. if and when and how he confirmed the person or mission or teaching of Jesus, and why Jesus even needed a confirmation from John. Based on the Qur'an, one would not even know whether the two ever met.
John is called a prophet (3:39) and it is stated that he was given the prophethood and the book (6:85,89). But what was his message? What did he preach? In the Qur'an, there is not even the slightest indication of what his message was. The summary of his life consists of statements that he was wise, compassionate, pure, devout, dutiful to his parents, not arrogant, eager to do good deeds, submissive to God. But what was his message as a prophet? What kind of book did he bring? (Biblical fact: John was a prophet, but he did not receive any book.)
In what way did John "confirm" Jesus? The answer is found in the Bible in these passages: Luke 1:1-25, 39-45, 57-80; 3:1-22; John 1:14-37.
The Quranic account is incomplete, and its cryptic statements cannot be understood without referring to outside information.
In fact, Al-Hilali & Khan got it completely wrong. It is not about the createdness of Jesus at all. John was sent "to prepare the way for the Lord" (Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:1-17). John pointed to the Lordship and Deity of Jesus (John 1:23,27), and to his death as a sacrifice for our sins (John 1:29-30). Both of these essential Biblical truths are denied by the author of the Qur'an. No wonder he did not want to go into more detail regarding the message of John.
The following articles discuss the meaning of John's message about Jesus: [1], [2], [3]
Was John a chief, master, or leader?
There is another problematic term in S. 3:39. Many English translations render it this way:
And the angels called to him, standing in the Sanctuary at worship, 'Lo, God gives thee good tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word of God, a chief (sayyidan), and chaste, a Prophet, righteous.' Arberry
And an angel cried out to him as he was standing praying in the chamber (and said) that 'God gives thee the glad tidings of John, to confirm the Word from God,- of a chief and a chaste one, and a prophet from amongst the righteous.' Palmer
The Angels called to him while he was standing to the contact-method in the temple enclosure: "God gives you good tidings of John, authenticating the word from God, and a master, and steadfast, and a prophet from the upright." Free Minds
And the angels called out to him when he was standing in the sanctuary worshipping, saying: 'Allah gives you glad tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word from Allah. He shall be a master and chaste, a Prophet and from the righteous.' Qaribullah
And the angels called out to him while he was standing, offering prayer at his place of worship, “Indeed Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), who will confirm a Word (or sign) from Allah, - a leader, always refraining from women, a Prophet from one of Our devoted ones.” Qadri
When he was standing during prayer in his place of worship, the angels called him saying, "God gives you the glad news of the birth of your son, John who will be a confirmation of (Jesus) the Word of God. He will become a chaste, noble leader and one of the righteous Prophets. M. Sarwar
As he stood praying in the Mahrab (a prayer place in the sanctuary) the angels called out to him saying: "Allah gives you good news of a son to be named John, he will confirm the word of Allah, he will be a great leader, chaste and a Prophet from among the righteous." Malik
Then the angels called him and he was offering prayer standing at his place of worship, no doubt Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya who shall confirm a word from Allah, a chief and chaste and prophet from amongst Our righteous. Kanz-ul-Eeman, English translation by Professor Shah Farid-ul-Haque
So the angels called him, and he is standing/keeping praying, in the prayer's niche: "That God announces good new to you with John confirming with a word from God and a master and restricting himself (chaste), and a prophet from the correct/righteous people." Literal Translation by Mohamed & Samira Ahmed
Using the adjective "chaste", the author of the Qur'an seems to echo that John the Baptist was not married and lived withdrawn from society in a desert region (Mark 1:1-8). Similarly, the term "righteous" apparently echos that John preached repentance and instructed people to live righteous lives (Luke 3:1-20).
However, the term sayyid (master, lord, chief, leader) is not appropriate for John. In patriarchal societies it is hardly possible that a young man, the only child born to aged parents, and himself unmarried and childless, could be a chief or leader among his people. John did not have a leadership position in his society. True, he challenged even the most powerful when he charged king Herod with indecent behavior and injustice (Luke 3:19), but he did so as "a voice calling in the desert" (Luke 3:4; Isaiah 40:3), not from an established position of power and leadership in society.
Thus, calling him a chief or master, is ignorant of how John really lived and preached. Perhaps this is the reason that other Muslim translators chose to render this term differently?
And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah, lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous. Pickthall
While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called unto him: "Allah doth give thee glad tidings of Yahya, witnessing the truth of a Word from Allah, and (be besides) noble, chaste, and a prophet,- of the (goodly) company of the righteous." Yusuf Ali
So the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, "Indeed, Allah gives you good tidings of John, confirming a word from Allah and [who will be] honorable, abstaining [from women], and a prophet from among the righteous." Saheeh International
Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room), (saying): "Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), confirming (believing in) the Word from Allah [i.e. the creation of 'Iesa (Jesus), the Word from Allah ("Be!" - and he was!)], noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a Prophet, from among the righteous." Al-Hilali & Khan
Thereupon, as he stood praying in the sanctuary, the angels called out unto him: "God sends thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] John, who shall confirm the truth of a word from God, and [shall be] outstanding among men, and utterly chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous." Muhammad Asad
Pickthall is still somewhat close to the translations quoted in the first part. Nevertheless, "lordly" (in appearance? in behavior? or what does he mean?) is already quite a difference to actually "being a lord". And the other translators turn the term into a moral quality which has no longer any connection with actual power.
However, one cannot say with certainty that the translation "honorable" is wrong for the simple reason that the word sayyid is one of many unclear words in the Qur'an. Nobody really knows what it means. It is another element of the incoherence of the Qur'an, its unclear language and use of strange words.
The word sayyid occurs one more time in the Qur'an, in S. 12:25, where even those translators which chose to render the term as "honorable" or "noble" in S. 3:39 are quite unanimous that it means lord and/or master:
So they both raced each other to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back: they both found her lord (sayyidaha) near the door. She said: "What is the (fitting) punishment for one who formed an evil design against thy wife, but prison or a grievous chastisement?" Yusuf Ali
And they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from behind, and they met her lord and master at the door. She said: What shall be his reward, who wisheth evil to thy folk, save prison or a painful doom? Pickthall
So they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both found her lord (i.e. her husband) at the door. She said: "What is the recompense (punishment) for him who intended an evil design against your wife, except that he be put in prison or a painful torment?" Al-Hilali & Khan
And they both rushed to the door; and she [grasped and] rent his tunic from behind - and [lo!] they met her lord at the door! Said she: "What ought to be the punishment of one who had evil designs on [the virtue of] thy wife - [what] but imprisonment or a [yet more] grievous chastisement?" Muhammad Asad
They raced to the door; and she tore his shirt from behind. They encountered her master by the door. She said, 'What is the recompense of him who purposes evil against thy folk, but that he should be imprisoned, or a painful chastisement?' Arberry
From the context, it is quite clear that the wife (after her unsuccessful attempt to seduce Joseph and commit adultery with him) is appealing to her sayyid not because he is honorable or noble — after all, she knows very well that she is trying to get him to do something unjust, and the author of the Qur'an is aware that he is going to punish Joseph although he is innocent —, but because he has the power to give a verdict and bring punishment on Joseph.
Therefore, S. 12:25 supports the interpretation of sayyid as having the meaning of lord and master (or chief, leader, etc.), and thus strengthens those translations which render it this way also in S. 3:39.
Some translations render sayyid as "husband" in S. 12:25, but that is certainly not a literal meaning (and, if it were, it would constitute another error regarding John the Baptist!), but most translators are apparently convinced it means "lord" or "master" (here), and the reason that they translate the same word differently in S. 3:39 seems to reflect an awareness that it does not fit the person of John.
Further problems with the Quranic account of John are discussed in these articles:
The Incoherence of the Qur'an
Answering Islam Home Page