The Good News by Luke 1

<< Introduction

Press PLAY to hear the English text

Preface*

1 Many people have undertaken to record an account of the events that took place among us, 2 just as it was delivered to us [by] the first eyewitnesses and ministers of the message.* 3 Therefore, since I myself have investigated everything carefully from the beginning, I thought that I too should write it out in an orderly manner for you, dear Beloved of Allah,* 4 so you can know that the matters you learned about have a sound basis.

Jibril Brings Good News to Zakariya

5 In the days of Herod,* king of the region of Judea,* there was a priest* named Zakariya who was from the division of Abiya.* His wife was from the lineage of Harun, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of Allah, complying with all his commandments and requirements in a blameless manner. 7 However, they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

8 One time, Zakariya was performing the rites of worship during his division's shift as a priest before Allah. 9 The lot fell to him, according to the custom that the priests followed, to go into the Temple of Allah and burn the incense.* 10 A multitude of the people were all praying outside at the time of the burning of the incense. 11 Then an angel of Allah appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.* 12 Zakariya was shaken when he saw him and was very frightened.

13 So the angel said to him, “Don't be afraid, Zakariya! Allah has heard your dua, and so your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him Yahya. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 He will be great in Allah's [sight]. He will not drink wine or anything intoxicating, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit* [from the time] he is in his mother's womb. 16 He will turn back many of the Children of Israel to the Lord* their Allah. 17 He will move in the presence of the Lord with the power of the Spirit of Allah who was in Ilyas, to turn back the hearts of fathers to their children, and disobedient people to wisdom and righteousness, and thus prepare for our Lord* a people who are ready.”*

18 Then Zakariya said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years!” 19 The angel answered him, “I am Jibril; I stand in the presence of Allah. He sent me to speak to you and convey to you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day on which this happens, because you did not believe what I said, which [nevertheless] will be fulfilled in its time.”

21 [Meanwhile] the people were waiting for Zakariya and were wondering at his delay inside the Temple of Allah. 22 When he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the Temple of Allah. He was addressing them with gestures and remained mute.

23 When the days of his ministry finished, he returned home. 24 Then his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she hid [her pregnancy] for five months. She said, 25 “My Lord has done this for me! In these days, he has blessed me and removed from me [my] shame among people.”

Jibril Brings Good News to the Virgin

26 In the sixth month,* Allah sent the angel Jibril to a town called Nazareth in the region of Galilee,* 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Yusuf, who was from the lineage of Dawud. The virgin's name was Maryam. 28 He came and said to her, “Peace, you whom [Allah] has blessed! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was shaken by what he said, and she began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 30 The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Maryam, because Allah is pleased with you. 31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Isa.* 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and Allah will give him the throne of his forefather Dawud.* 33 He will reign over the house of Yaqub* forever; there will never be an end to his reign!”

34 Then Maryam said to the angel, “How is this possible, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit* will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For this reason, the holy one* to be born will be called the Son of Allah.* 36 Furthermore, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son, [even though] she is advanced in years. She whom they were calling barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible for Allah.” 38 Then Maryam said, “I am a servant of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel departed from her.

Maryam Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time, Maryam set out and went quickly to the hills, to a town in Judea. 40 She entered the home of Zakariya and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Maryam's greeting, the baby jumped in her belly, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She exclaimed at the top of her voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the son whom you will give birth to. 43 This is a great honor for me, that the mother of my Master should visit me. 44 For when your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my belly jumped for joy. 45 How fortunate for you who believed that what Allah said to you would be fulfilled.”

Maryam's Nasheed

46 Then Maryam said, “With all my heart I praise my Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in Allah my Savior, 48 for he has looked on me — me, his lowly servant. So from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because the Almighty has done great things for me. His name is holy, 50 and his mercy [extends] in every generation to those who revere him. 51 With his arm* he has done great deeds. He has scattered those who are proud in their thoughts and hearts; 52 he has removed the rulers from their thrones and lifted up those who are humble. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. 54 He has helped the Children of Israel, his servants, in fulfillment of his covenant to show mercy 55 to Ibrahim and his descendants forever, just as he said to our forefathers.” 56 Maryam stayed with [Elizabeth] about three months and then returned to her home.

The Birth of Yahya Son of Zakariya

57 As for Elizabeth, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that Allah had showered her with his mercy, and they rejoiced with her. 59 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child. They wanted to name him Zakariya, after his father, 60 but his mother said, “No! We're naming him Yahya instead!” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 And they gestured to his father to find out what he wanted to name him. 63 So he requested a writing tablet and wrote on it, “His name is Yahya.” And everyone was surprised. 64 Immediately Zakariya's mouth was opened, and his tongue was released; he began to speak and praise Allah. 65 The neighbors were filled with fear, and people were talking about all these matters throughout the hills of Judea. 66 All who heard [of this] were wondering [about it] and saying, “What do you think this child is going to be?” For the hand of Allah* was with him.

Zakariya's Nasheed

67 Then his father Zakariya was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed is Allah, Lord of the Children of Israel, for he has come to our aid and [provided] our redemption. 69 He has raised up for us a mighty Savior from the house of his servant Dawud,* 70 just as he said through his righteous prophets long ago, 71 to save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us. 72 In this way he shows his mercy toward our forefathers and fulfills his sacred covenant.* 73 For he swore an oath to our forefather Ibrahim, 74 that he would rescue us from the hands of our enemies so that we can worship him without fear 75 and can live our whole life long in piety and righteousness in his presence.

76 And you, my child,* will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go ahead* in the presence of the Lord to prepare his ways. 77 You will teach his people that salvation [comes] through the forgiveness of their sins.* 78 Our Allah is merciful and compassionate; therefore, he will visit us with a sunrise from on high,* 79 to illuminate those who live in darkness and in deep gloom and guide our feet in the way of peace.”

80 The child kept growing and becoming strong in the Spirit, and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to the Children of Israel.

<< Introduction

Definitions

 *1:1 The section headings and footnotes are not part of the revealed text. They are included as an aid to the reader.

 *1:2 the first eyewitnesses and ministers of the message: a reference to the companions of Sayyidina Isa (الحواريون), whom he sent out to declare the good news of the Injil.

 *1:3 Beloved of Allah: a translation of the Greek word theophilos.

 *1:5 days of Herod: the time shortly before the death of King Herod the Great. He ruled the region of Judea as a client king for the Romans from 37 BC until he died in 4 BC.

 *1:5 Judea: a client kingdom of the Roman Empire, with its capital at Jerusalem. It was named after a smaller region once called Judah, later called Judea, which was inhabited by the descendants of Judah son of the prophet Yaqub. In AD 135, the Roman government made the territory of this kingdom into a province called Palestine.

 *1:5 priest: a man who mediates between Allah and people by making offerings and prayers to Allah on their behalf. Among the Children of Israel, the priests were descendants of the prophet Harun and conducted these services in the Temple of Allah in Jerusalem, according to what Allah commanded in the Taurat.

 *1:5 the division of Abiya: the priests who were descendants of the priest Abiya. He was a descendant of the prophet Harun, who was the first high priest among the Children of Israel. Priests from this division served in the Temple of Allah for two weeks out of every year.

 *1:9 the Temple of Allah: the building on the Temple Mount (الحرم الشريف al-Haram al-Sharif) in Jerusalem in which Allah said he would be present in a special way. The Temple was built by the prophet King Sulayman during the period from 966 BC to 959 BC. Believers everywhere faced the Temple of Allah when praying. No one was allowed to enter the Temple except for the priests on duty, who entered it to burn incense in honor of Allah or to put oil in the lamps or bread on the offering table. The Temple of Allah was surrounded by a walled courtyard where priests offered sacrifices on a large altar. This was surrounded by three more courtyards where people gathered to pray and to listen to teachers. For more information, see Temple complex and Temple interior.

 *1:11 altar of incense: a platform on which a person burns incense in honor of Allah. See the picture.

 *1:15 the Holy Spirit: the personal presence and power of Allah himself, through whom he guides and inspires the prophets and empowers them to live according to his commandments.

 *1:16 the Lord: The Arabic phrase المولى can also be translated as the Sovereign Lord.

 *1:17 Ilyas: the prophet Ilyas, who lived in the ninth century BC. The angel Jibril echoed the words of Allah spoken through the prophet Malachi (4:5-6): “I will send you the prophet Ilyas before the day of the Lord comes, that great and fearful day, and he will turn back the hearts of fathers to their children.”

 *1:26 the sixth month: the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.

 *1:26 Galilee: the region south of Lebanon and north of Samaria.

 *1:31 Isa: In the Hebrew language his name means salvation from Allah or savior sent from Allah.

 *1:32 throne of Dawud: the authority to rule that Allah had given to the prophet Dawud and had promised to give to his descendant the Messiah. Allah foretold in the Book of Psalms (89:29; 110:1; 132:11) and in the Writings of the Prophets (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5-6) that the coming Messiah would be a descendant of King Dawud and would save and rule Allah's people. In the Book of Psalms (89:27), Allah said of Dawud and the Messiah, “I will make him my first son, higher than the kings of the earth,” meaning خَلِيفَةُ اللهِ فِي الأَرْضِ khalīfatu llāhi fī l-'arḍ. It is also written in the Book of Psalms (2:7) that when Allah installed Dawud as king to rule his people, he said, “You are my son; today I have empowered you as a son to me.” See family in the glossary. The Hebrew word for “son” is used more broadly than the Arabic word ابن, which means a biological son, and in this verse it has the sense of خَلِيفَةُ اللهِ. So in this verse Jibril is saying the Messiah will receive the throne of King Dawud and like Dawud he will be called the Son of the Most High. This latter phrase has additional meanings, as seen in what follows.

 *1:33 the house of Yaqub: the descendants of Yaqub son of Ishaq son of Ibrahim. Yaqub is also called Israel, and so his descendants are also called the Children of Israel. However, in this verse the phrase house of Yaqub means all who worship Allah, as the prophet Yaqub did. In other words, Jibril is announcing that the Messiah, the Son of Maryam, will be King in place of his forefather Dawud and will rule forever over all believers.

 *1:35 the Holy Spirit: the personal presence and power of Allah himself. Jibril is saying that Allah by his power will cause a holy human embryo to form inside the womb of the Virgin Maryam. See Injil, John 1:14-18, where it says “the Word [of Allah] became human and lived among us.”

 *1:35 holy one: one who does no wrong and is without any sin of any kind. Jibril gives this as a second reason why Isa will be called Allah's Son, namely that he is holy and pleasing to Allah.

 *1:35 Son of Allah: Isa was born without a biological father by a miracle of Allah. Jibril gives this as a third reason why Isa will be called “Allah's Son.” At Luke 3:38 Adam is called Allah's son for the same reason. A fourth reason is given in Luke 10:22, namely that the Messiah is the mediator between Allah and man. A fifth reason is given in the Injil, John 1:14, namely that the Messiah is the Word of Allah who became man (by being born of the Virgin Maryam), but that reason is not in focus in this passage. See family in the glossary.

 *1:51 with his arm: This translates a phrase which is used in the original languages to mean Allah's power to rescue people. In English the word arm is not normally used in this way.

 *1:66 the hand of Allah: the active presence of Allah. Just as a human hand can select a pen and write with it, so Allah chose Yahya and was directing events in his life, beginning with the angel's announcement and John's miraculous conception.

 *1:69 from the house of his servant Dawud: a descendant of the prophet Dawud, whom Allah chose as king to guide and rule his people. The prophet Zakariya is speaking about the Messiah, not about his son Yahya, who was a descendant of the high priest Harun.

 *1:72 covenant: “an agreement between Allah and his people in which Allah makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return” (WordNet Dictionary). The reference is to Allah's covenant with Ibrahim. See Taurat, Genesis 17.

 *1:76 my child: The prophet Zakariya is now speaking to his son Yahya.

 *1:76 ahead: in other words, ahead of the coming Messiah.

 *1:77 sins: violations of Allah's commandments, whether in deed or thought or disposition. According to the Taurat of Musa (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18) and the Injil of Isa the Messiah (Luke 10:27), the most important commandment is to love Allah with all one's heart, soul, mind, and ability, and the second is to love others as one loves oneself. Any shortcoming in these relationships is a called a sin.

 *1:78 a sunrise from on high: This is a reference to the Messiah, meaning he will bring truth from Allah.