فَكُلِى وَٱشْرَبِى وَقَرِّى عَيْنًا ۖ فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ ٱلْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِىٓ إِنِّى نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ ٱلْيَوْمَ إِنسِيًّا 26
Translations
So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, 'Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.'"
Transliteration
Fakuli washrabee wa qarri ayna fa-imma tarayinna mina al-bashari ahadan faqolee innee nadhartu lil-rahmani sawman falan ukalima al-yawma insiyya
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands Maryam (Mary) to eat, drink, and find comfort in her newborn son Isa (Jesus), assuring her of his miraculous nature and her vindication. She is instructed to observe a vow of silence from speaking to anyone, and to tell anyone who sees her that she has taken a vow of fasting (sawm) to the Most Merciful, meaning complete abstinence from speech on that day. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this silence serves multiple purposes: it allows the infant Jesus to speak and vindicate his mother's honor, it protects her from the accusations of her people, and it demonstrates her trust in Allah's plan.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Maryam's miraculous pregnancy and the birth of Isa, which forms the central theme of Surah Maryam. The context follows her labor pains and her despair, after which the angel Gabriel reassures her. This command comes as divine consolation after her trials, providing her with both physical sustenance and spiritual guidance on how to handle the inevitable confrontation with her people regarding her pregnancy.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this ayah, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain numerous hadiths about the miraculous birth of Isa and the honor given to Maryam. Additionally, hadiths concerning vows (nadhr) and fasting are related to the sawm mentioned here, such as those in Sunan Ibn Majah regarding the fulfillment of vows to Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that during times of difficulty and judgment from others, turning to Allah with trust and accepting His guidance brings both spiritual peace and practical solutions. The emphasis on silence and fasting reminds us that sometimes restraint, devotion, and reliance on Allah's miraculous intervention are more powerful than defending ourselves with words.