Al-Kalbi said: Its meaning is: He is sufficient for His creation, the Guide of His servants; His Hand is above their hands; He is All-Knowing of His creatures and true to His promise. (1)

The word “mention” is in the nominative by virtue of an implied expression; that is: “This which We recite to you is an account of your Lord’s mercy.” [Its word order is inverted.] (2) Its meaning is: an account of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zechariah.

“When he called upon his Lord in a private supplication. (3) He said, ‘My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has flared with gray; and never have I been disappointed in calling upon You, my Lord. (4) Indeed, I fear my relatives after me, and my wife is barren; so grant me from Yourself an heir, (5) who will inherit from me and inherit from the family of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, pleasing to You.’ (6)”

“When he called” means that he supplicated to “his Lord” in his prayer chamber, “in a private supplication”: he prayed secretly, away from his people, in the middle of the night. “He said, ‘My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened’”: that is, they had become frail and thin from old age. Qatadah said: “He complained of the loss of his molars.” “And my head has flared”: that is, the hair of his head had turned white, “with gray.” “And never have I been disappointed in calling upon You, my Lord”: that is, “You have accustomed me to receiving an answer in the past, and You have never disappointed me.”

It was also said that its meaning is: When You called me to faith, I believed, and I was not wretched through abandoning faith. (3) “Indeed, I fear my relatives”: the relatives meant are paternal cousins. Mujahid said: “The agnatic relatives.” Abu Salih said: “The collateral heirs.” Al-Kalbi said: “The heirs.” (4) “After me”: that is, after my death.

Ibn Kathir recited “after me” with the final y pronounced with an a-vowel, whereas the others recited it without a vowel.

“And my wife is barren”: she does not bear children. “So grant me from Yourself”: that is, give me from Your presence, “an heir”: a son. “Who will inherit from me and inherit from the family of Jacob”: Abu Amr and al-Kisa’i recited both verbs in the jussive, with their final th sound unvowelled, as the response to the supplication. The others recited them in the indicative, as a circumstantial clause and an adjectival description; that is, “an heir who inherits.”

They differed concerning this inheritance. Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is: “He will inherit my wealth and inherit prophethood and the priesthood from the family of Jacob.”