46وَيُكَلِّمُ النّاسَ فِي المَهدِ وَكَهلًا وَمِنَ الصّالِحينَMuhammad AsadAnd he shall speak unto men in his cradle,1 and as a grown man, and shall be of the righteous."A metaphorical allusion to the prophetic wisdom which was to inspire Jesus from a very early age. As regards the expression min al-muqarrabin ("of those who are drawn near", i.e., unto God), see 56:11, where the most excellent among the inmates of paradise are thus described.