Zakariya (AS)
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
In the last session, the stories of Prophets Dawud and Sulayman (alaihimussalam) were narrated. Tonight, inshaAllah, we’ll be briefly studying the stories of Prophets Zakariya and Yahya (alaihimussalam).
Prophet Zakariya (AS) was a member of the blessed family of Imran, which among others included himself, Yahya (AS), and ‘Isa ibn Maryam (AS). They were all descendents from the family of Dawud (AS). We learn from Allah’s own words, in the Qur’an, that they were all righteous, and worshipped Allah with true submission.
Maryam was born in the family of Imran. Under a vow that her mother had made, Maryam was dedicated to the service of Allah (SWT). When Maryam was still a child, many people argued for the honor of taking care of her, but the responsibility was given to Zakariya, an elderly and childless man, who immediately noticed that the young girl was special.
Zakariya would visit her to ensure that all her needs were met, and was impressed by her devotion to Allah. He was amazed by the provisions he would find in her room. It is said that she would have the fruits of winter in the summer and the fruits of summer in the winter. When Zakariya asked her how she obtained the fruits she replied that Allah was the One who had blessed her with the sustenance. The Qur’an mentions her as saying:
هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَاب
“It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:37)
When Zakariya observed Maryam’s total submission to Allah and her unwavering faith in Him as the Provider, it opened his eyes to a new concept. No matter how overwhelming or how insignificant our needs may feel to us, Allah is always there to listen and to respond. This is a very important idea to contemplate. Allah will give to His righteous slaves without limit.
Zakariya made supplication for something that according to human standards was not possible, for he and his wife were very old and the time for them to conceive a child had passed. The bounties of Allah are not constrained by worldly limitations. Zakariya learned this important lesson from Maryam. We have in Surat Maryam:
ذِكْرُ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُ زَكَرِيَّا (2) إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا (3) قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُنْ بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا (4)
“This is a reminder of your Lord’s mercy to His slave Zakariya; when he called out his Lord in secret, saying: ‘My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head, and my Lord, I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You.’” (Maryam, 19:2-4)
Zakariya (AS) asked for a son to inherit from him. He was not thinking in terms of wealth. He desired a son to continue the Prophethood and to spread the knowledge that he had acquired over his life time. Allah responded immediately, and said:
فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَى مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (39)
“The angels called to him as he stood praying in the chamber: “Allah gives you good news of Yahya, who will confirm a Word from Allah. He will be noble and chaste, a prophet and one of the righteous.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:39)
In this verse from Qur’an the “Word from Allah” has a specific meaning. It means: ‘Isa, because he was created by a word from Allah – “Be” (and he was). Zakariya’s son, Yahya, was to be amongst those who believed in and followed the Message of ‘Isa (AS).
When Zakariya received this amazing news, he responded by asking how this could possibly happen, considering his old age and the barrenness of his wife. The Qur’an says:
كَذَلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ (40)
“Thus Allah does what He wills.” (Qur’an 3:40).
Zakariya asked for a sign, wondering how he would know that this miracle was really happening to him, and to his wife. Allah replied that the sign would be that he would lose the power of speech and not be able to communicate, except with signals. Zakariya was instructed to spend time remembering and glorifying Allah, and he emerged from his praying place unable to speak.
The Qur’an tells us that Prophet Zakariya and his wife performed good deeds, called on Allah with fear and with hope, and were humble, so Allah rewarded them, in their old age, with a son. Allah says: “So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya, and cured his wife’s barrenness for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.” (al-Anbiya’, 21:90)
Yahya, son of Zakariya was no ordinary child. He was granted wisdom while still a child and was instructed by Allah to hold fast to the Torah. He was sympathetic and able to display compassion and mercy towards mankind. Allah created Yahya, righteous, and pure from sins.
The sincere supplication of an old man and his barren wife was accepted by Allah, and a valuable lesson was taught to all of mankind, which is that the bounties of Allah are limitless.
Yahya (AS)
Yahya (AS) is the Prophet known by Christians as “John the Baptist.” However, neither the Qur’an nor the authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (S) speak of Yahya as either baptizing or being baptized. Yahya’s mission was to remind the Children of Israel that they had entered into a covenant with Allah. He spoke the same words as all of the Prophets of Allah – worship One Allah with full submission.
In their old age, when all hope of having a child was gone, Allah provided Prophet Zakariya and his wife with a miracle child – a son, the first child in the world named Yahya. Allah, Himself, chose this name.
We know from the Qur’an that Prophet Yahya was given wisdom as a child, and Islamic sources speak of him as being a quiet, gentle child, who loved learning. He grew into a devout and noble man. It is said that he lived a simple life in the wilderness or desert, spending his time praying and remembering Allah. He was filled with compassion and mercy for those around him and all of mankind. The scholars of Islam have said that Yahya wept out of fear and love for Allah, and that his tears left marks on his cheeks.
Yahya and ‘Isa
Yahya was given strength and fortitude by Allah and was strong enough to control his worldly desires. He worked tirelessly, calling the people back to the laws of the Torah and endorsing the mission of his cousin, ‘Isa ibn Maryam, the Messenger of Allah. Part of Yahya’s mission was to believe in and support the message of ‘Isa (AS). Yahya refers to his cousin ‘Isa as the “Spirit of Allah” and does so to place emphasis on the miraculous creation of Prophet ‘Isa.
There are authentic traditions that tell us stories relating to Prophets Yahya and ‘Isa meeting and discussing their mission to guide the Children of Israel back to the straight path. Yahya gathered the Children of Israel together and urged them to follow the commandments of Allah, to worship none but Him; to pray; to fast; to give charity and to spend time remembering Allah.
Allah bestowed a special blessing upon Prophet Yahya by saying:
وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا (15)
“And peace be on him, the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up to life again!”(Maryam, 19:15)
The Qur’an and the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad (S) do not reveal the details of Yahya’s death. We do know, however, that he was persecuted because of his strong insistence on following the law of Allah as revealed in the Torah, and that this eventually led to his death. His life was one of struggle and striving, but he held tightly to the religion of Allah (to worship One Allah Alone) and died for his beliefs. Islam holds the entire family of Imran in very high regard. The Qur’an tells us:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى آَدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآَلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآَلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ (33)
“Allah chose Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim’s family, and the family of Imran, over all other people.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:33). Their devotion to Allah and their way of dealing with each other serves as a reminder to us. The members of this blessed family served Allah with true devotion, and put His laws above all others.
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Resources and References:
Imam Ibn Kathir – Stories of the Prophets
Mufti Menk – Lessons from the Stories of the Prophets in the Qur’an (https://muslimahlifestyle.com/lessons-stories-prophets-quraan-mufti-menk-creation-of-aadam-as/)
Anwar Al-Awlaki – The Lives of the Prophets (https://www.kalamullah.com/anwar-alawlaki.html)
Aisha Stacey – The Religion of Islam (islamreligion.com)
