26 Preface فَكُلي وَاشرَبي وَقَرّي عَينًا ۖ فَإِمّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ البَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقولي إِنّي نَذَرتُ لِلرَّحمٰنِ صَومًا فَلَن أُكَلِّمَ اليَومَ إِنسِيًّاYusuf Ali“So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye.1 And if thou dost see any man, say, ?I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being?”2Cool thine eye. An idiom for “comfort thyself and be glad”. The literal meaning should not, however, be lost sight of. She was to cool her eyes (perhaps full of tears) with the fresh water of the rivulet and take comfort that a remarkable babe had been born to her. She was also to look around, and if any one came near, was to decline all conversation. It was quite true: she was under a vow, and could not talk to any one.She was to decline all conversation with man or woman, on the plea of a vow to God. The “fast” here does not mean abstinence from eating or drinking. It means abstinence from speaking to any human-being. (Eds.)