9 Preface قالَ كَذٰلِكَ قالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَقَد خَلَقتُكَ مِن قَبلُ وَلَم تَكُ شَيئًاYusuf AliHe said: “So (it will be):1 Thy Lord saith, ?That is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!?”2Who is the “He” in this clause? As I have construed it, following the majority of Commentators, it means the angel who brought the message from God. Cf. 19:21 below. But some Commentators construe it to refer to Zakariya. In that case the meaning will be: Zakariya. after a little reflection said (in his wonder) “So!”, i.e. “Can it really be so? Can I really have a son in my old age?” The speech following, “Thy Lord saith,” etc., will then be taht of the angel-messenger.Every man was nothing just before he was created, i.e., his personality was called into being by God. Even if there are material processes in forming the body, in accordance with the laws of nature, the real creative force is in God. But here there is a subtler meaning. John was the harbinger of Jesus, preparing the way for him: and this sentence also prepares us for the more wonderful birth of Jesus himself: see verse 21 below. Everything is possible with God.