Stories of the Prophets... stories of the Prophets, peace be upon them.
The story of Zechariah and John, peace be upon them.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions.
To proceed:
Prophets and messengers were sent in succession to the Children of Israel;
no prophet passed away except that another prophet succeeded him,
and that was out of Allah’s mercy toward them.
Yet, despite that, they transgressed and grew arrogant,
disobeying the commands of their Lord’s messengers.
When a long time elapsed over them, their hearts grew hard,
wickedness and depravity intensified among them,
corruption and abominations spread throughout their society,
and wicked, tyrannical kings took dominion over them,
causing corruption across the land,
committing destructive sins and heinous crimes,
showing no reverence for their prophets,
nor for the righteous and pious among them.
In Jerusalem, there lived a righteous man
named Zechariah,
from the lineage of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham,
peace be upon them all.
He used to tend sheep in his youth,
and when he grew older, he became a carpenter.
He was never defiled by the wickedness that plagued his people;
rather, he was keen to adhere to whatever reached him of the sacred law of the prophets
before him,
sincere in his work and in the worship of his Lord.
So Allah Almighty sent him as a messenger to the Children of Israel.
Zechariah, peace be upon him, stood to call his people to the religion of Allah
and to worship Him alone, with no partner,
warning them of His punishment if they persisted in disobeying His command.
Zechariah, peace be upon him, suffered harm from the Children of Israel and their rulers,
and great terrors and heavy trials befell him one after another.
Yet he showed beautiful patience,
until his bones grew feeble and weak,
and gray hair spread across his head.
He carried deep concern for the Children of Israel after his time,
as the moment of his departure from this worldly life drew near,
while his kinsmen were wicked and corrupt.
They inevitably needed a restraining force to deter them from their deviance,
for if they were left without a messenger,
they would erase the divine law, spread corruption,
and alter the landmarks of the Scripture.
These thoughts continued to occupy Zechariah’s mind, morning and evening.
One day, he entered his place of worship, where he used to pray,
and found Mary, peace be upon her, secluded in her sanctuary,
devoutly obedient before her Lord.
He saw with her something he had never seen before:
he found summer fruits in her possession
during the winter season.
So he asked her, "O Mary, from where do you have this food?"
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
Thereupon, through his unwavering faith, Zechariah, peace be upon him, recognized the omnipotence of Allah,
and that nothing He wills can ever incapacitate Him.
So he turned to Allah with a present mind,
a humble heart, and a truthful tongue,
and said:
"My Lord, grant me from Yourself an heir
who will inherit prophethood from me
and be a reformer after me."
Zechariah, peace be upon him, called upon his Lord
despite all obstacles and the apparent impossibility of the circumstances:
for he was an elderly man, advanced in years,
and his wife was old and barren.
Yet the prophets' trust in Allah and their faith in His power
know no bounds.
In his supplication, Zechariah displayed the highest etiquette before his Creator:
he pleaded with Him, Exalted is He, through the frailty of his body,
his advanced age,
and the habit of having his prayers answered by Him in the past.
Allah answered the supplication of His prophet Zechariah, peace be upon him:
the angels came to him while he was standing in prayer in his sanctuary,
giving him good tidings of a boy named John (Yahya),
a name no one had borne before him.
Allah Himself undertook naming him with this name;
it is not known that Allah directly named anyone other than John, peace be upon him.
They also gave him good tidings that this boy
would confirm the Word of Allah,
be an honorable leader among his people,
chaste, abstaining from unlawful desires,
and a prophet from among the righteous prophets of Allah.
Allah Almighty said:
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
"He said, 'O Mary, from where does this come to you?'"
“And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.” (3:37)
"'Indeed, Allah provides for whomever He wills without measure.'"
At that point, Zechariah called upon his Lord,
saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring;
indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."
Then the angels called out to him,
“And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous.” (3:39)
"Indeed, Allah gives you good tidings of John,"
“And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous.” (3:39)
"and a prophet from among the righteous."
When Zechariah, peace be upon him, heard the glad tidings,
joy overwhelmed him,
yet he asked his Lord again, seeking reassurance,
saying, "My Lord, how can I have a boy when my wife is barren,
and I have reached extreme old age?"
Far be it from him to be unmindful of Allah's power
or despair of His mercy and the answering of his prayer.
So the angels replied to him:
Is not Allah—Who created you before when you were nothing—
fully capable of granting you a child?
Indeed, that is easy for Allah.
Thereupon, Zechariah, peace be upon him, asked his Lord for a sign
by which he would know that his wife had conceived this boy of whom he had been given glad tidings.
Allah answered his request,
and made the sign of pregnancy that his tongue would be tied,
so that he would not speak to the people for three consecutive days and nights except through gestures,
without any illness or muteness.
Allah Almighty cured the wife of Zechariah, peace be upon him,
by enabling her to bear children after she had been barren.
When she conceived John,
Zechariah, peace be upon him, came out to his people from the sanctuary,
and his tongue was tied, unable to speak,
so he began to communicate with the people by gesturing with his hand,
directing them to glorify Allah morning and evening.
Whenever he engaged in the remembrance of Allah Almighty,
whenever he engaged in the remembrance of Allah Almighty,
his tongue would be loosed by the will of Allah,
Who causes whomever He wills to speak by His omnipotence.
Allah Almighty said:
"[This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zechariah,"
“When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,” (19:3)
"He said, 'My Lord, indeed my bones have grown feeble,'"
"'and gray hair has spread on my head,'"
“Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.” (19:4)
“Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor” (19:5)
"'and my wife has been barren,'"
"'and my wife has been barren,'"
“Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor” (19:5)
“Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee).” (19:6)
"'and make him, my Lord, one with whom You are pleased.'"
"'O Zechariah,'"
"'indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name is John;'"
"'indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name is John;'"
“(It was said unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; we have given the same name to none before (him).” (19:7)
"He said, 'My Lord, how can I have a boy'"
"'when my wife is barren?'"
“He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?” (19:8)
"He said, 'Thus [it will be];'"
"'your Lord says: It is easy for Me,'"
“He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught.” (19:9)
“He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught.” (19:9)
"'and you were nothing.'"
"He said, 'My Lord, make for me a sign.'"
“He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights.” (19:10)
“Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night.” (19:11)
“Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night.” (19:11)
John, peace be upon him, was born,
grew up in the household of prophethood,
and was raised by his father, the Prophet Zechariah, peace be upon him.
Allah Almighty commanded him to hold firmly to the Scripture:
to learn the Torah with diligence and earnestness,
to comprehend its meanings correctly,
and to practice the rulings and manners it contained,
for the blessing and power of knowledge lie in its implementation.
John, peace be upon him, complied with the command of Allah Almighty;
he devoted himself to the Torah, learning it and acting upon its rulings
while still a young boy of seven years.
Thus, he was granted deep understanding and devotion to worship.
It is mentioned that other boys once said to John, "Come play with us!"
He replied, "Were we created for play? Come, let us pray!"
Among the qualities that Allah Almighty bestowed upon His prophet John, peace be upon him,
was the quality of compassion,
as He placed mercy in his heart with which he showed tenderness to others.
He also granted him purity of soul,
which kept him far from committing what Allah had forbidden
and made him foremost in doing good.
He was obedient to Allah in all that He commanded him,
abstaining from all that He forbade him,
and He made him exceedingly dutiful and kind toward his parents.
Furthermore, he was neither arrogant, haughty, nor conceited,
nor was he disobedient or defiant toward the command of his Lord.
Then Allah decreed peace and security for him in three situations:
the day he was born, the day he died, and the day he will be raised alive.
Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah said:
"A creature experiences the greatest loneliness in three situations:
the day he is born and finds himself coming out of where he had been;
the day he dies and sees beings he had never seen before;
and the day he is resurrected and finds himself in a momentous gathering."
So Allah honored John in these situations,
bestowing peace specifically upon him in these three states.
Allah Almighty said:
"'O John, hold the Scripture with resolve,' and We gave him judgment while still a boy,"
"and We gave him judgment while still a boy,"
“And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout,” (19:13)
"and he was pious,"
“And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious.” (19:14)
“Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!” (19:15)
It is narrated that John and Jesus, peace be upon them,
met one day,
and Jesus said to John,
"Ask forgiveness for me, O John;
you are better than me."
John replied,
"Rather, you ask forgiveness for me, O Jesus;
for you are better than me."
Jesus said,
"Rather, you are better than me:
I invoked peace upon myself,
whereas Allah invoked peace upon you."
As for the affair of Zechariah, peace be upon him,
when he persistently admonished his people
and forbade them from the unlawful desires they craved,
they grew exasperated with him
and resolved to kill him.
When he sensed that,
he fled from them toward the woods.
He passed by a tree,
and it called out to him by Allah's command, saying:
"Come to me, O prophet of Allah!"
So it split open for him,
he entered inside it,
So the tree closed over him,
but Satan caught the edge of his garment.
The Children of Israel saw his garment,
so they placed a saw against the tree
and sawed through it until they cut him in two,
while he was inside it.
Then, leadership passed after him
to his son Yahya (peace be upon him),
who began calling his people to Allah and admonishing them.
He used to judge among the people,
clarify for them the deeper truths of the religion,
show them the path of righteousness,
and warn them against the path of error.
He would call people to repent from sins
and supplicate Allah on their behalf.
There was not a single person who hated Yahya
or wished harm upon him;
he was beloved for his tenderness, purity,
piety, knowledge, and virtue.
Whenever Yahya (peace be upon him)
stood before the people to call them to Allah,
he moved them so deeply that he brought them to tears through the sincerity of his words.
One day, Yahya (peace be upon him) gathered
the Children of Israel in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem),
until the mosque became full
and they were seated on the balconies.
He said, "Indeed, Allah has commanded me with five teachings,
that I should act upon them:
The first is that you worship Allah and associate nothing with Him.
For the parable of the one who associates partners with Allah
is like a man who bought a slave using his own wealth of gold or silver,
and said to him, 'This is my house and this is my work,
so work and remit the earnings to me.'
But he worked and remitted the earnings to someone other than his master.
Which of you would be pleased to have his slave
behave like that?
And Allah commands you to perform prayer;
so when you pray, do not look around,
for Allah directs His Face toward the face of His servant during prayer as long as he does not look around.
And He commands you to fast;
for the parable of that is like a man among a group who carries a pouch containing musk,
all of whom are delighted by its fragrance,
and the breath of a fasting person is sweeter to Allah than the scent of musk.
And He commands you to give charity;
for the parable of that is like a man captured by the enemy,
who bound his hand to his neck
and brought him forward to strike his neck,
so he said,
'I will ransom myself from you with little or much,'
and so he ransomed himself from them.
And He commands you to remember Allah;
for the parable of that is like a man pursued swiftly by the enemy in his tracks,
until he reached an impenetrable fortress and protected himself from them;
likewise, a servant cannot protect himself from Satan except through the remembrance of Allah."
The king during the time of Yahya (peace be upon him) wished to marry his own niece,
as her beauty captivated him,
and she too coveted him and his royalty,
encouraged by her mother in this pursuit.
Yet they knew that this was forbidden in their religion,
so the king wanted to obtain permission from Yahya (peace be upon him).
They went to seek his legal ruling, trying to entice him with wealth so he would make an exception for the king,
but Yahya (peace be upon him) forbade him from doing so
and warned the king against marrying his unmarriageable kin (mahram).
The king became enraged with him.
His niece was a wicked, immoral woman,
and she still coveted him and his royalty.
One night, she came to the king
and began singing and dancing before him.
When he attained what he desired from her,
she demanded the blood of Yahya.
He granted her request
and dispatched his soldiers to him.
They found Yahya (peace be upon him) standing in prayer in his sanctuary,
and they murdered him,
bringing his head to her on a platter.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father),
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"There is not one among the children of Adam who has not sinned
or intended to commit a sin,
except Yahya, the son of Zakariyya."
And 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Every son of Adam will come on the Day of Resurrection with some sin,
except Yahya, the son of Zakariyya."
Noble brothers,
the name of the Prophet of Allah Zakariyya (peace be upon him) is mentioned in the Qur'an seven times,
and the name of Yahya (peace be upon him) is mentioned in the Qur'an five times.
Among the most important lessons and morals derived from their stories:
First, the story of Zakariyya (peace be upon him) establishes a universal principle:
namely, that Allah Almighty does whatever He wills,
unbound by secondary causes, effects, or normal habits,
for He is the absolute Doer of whatever He intends,
and His power, Glorified is He, is incapacitated by nothing.
Second:
The One who provided Maryam with out-of-season fruit
is the One who provided Zakariyya (peace be upon him) with an unexpected child in old age.
This illustrates the power of Allah, Glorified is He,
Who says to a thing, "Be," and it is;
so let the servant place full trust in Allah and never despair of His mercy.
Third:
The encouragement to constantly remember, glorify, and praise Allah,
for through the remembrance of Allah, hearts find peace, souls find tranquility, and misdeeds and sins are washed away;
and this was the counsel of Allah Almighty to Zakariyya (peace be upon him).
Fourth:
Discerning people turn to their Creator, Mighty and Majestic,
asking Him to grant them righteous offspring and upright children
who dedicate their worship sincerely to Allah,
sacrifice their wealth and lives to elevate the word of truth,
and promote virtues while eliminating vices.
Fifth:
Whenever supplication springs from a sound heart and a truthful tongue,
it is most hopeful of acceptance and worthy of an answer.
Sixth:
Supplicating quietly is among the observed etiquettes of prayer,
for Allah praised Zakariyya (peace be upon him) with His words:
"When he called out to his Lord in secret."
The early Muslims used to strive earnestly in supplication
without any voice being heard from them;
their prayers were nothing but a whisper between them and their Lord.
Seventh:
Among the means of having supplications answered
is what Allah Almighty mentioned in the story of Zakariyya (peace be upon him):
"And Zakariyya, when he cried out to his Lord, 'My Lord,
do not leave me alone and childless,
“And Zachariah, when he cried unto his Lord: My Lord! Leave me not childless, though Thou art the Best of inheritors.” (21:89)
though You are the best of inheritors.'
So We answered him, granted him Yahya,
and cured his wife for him.
“Then We heard his prayer, and bestowed upon him John, and adjusted his wife (to bear a child) for him. Lo! they used to vie one with the other in good deeds, and they cried unto Us in longing and in fear, and were submissive unto Us.” (21:90)
They used to call upon Us with hope and fear,
and they were humbly submissive to Us."
Eighth:
Al-Qurtubi said:
The supplication of Zakariyya (peace be upon him),
"My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring,"
indicates the lawfulness of seeking offspring,
which is the Sunnah of the messengers and the truthful.
Al-Bukhari titled a chapter on this:
"Chapter on Seeking Children."
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Abu Talhah,
when his infant son passed away:
"Did you spend the night together as husband and wife?"
He replied, "Yes."
He said, "May Allah bless you both in your past night."
And so his wife became pregnant.
There are numerous narrations carrying this meaning,
urging and recommending the pursuit of children
due to the benefit one hopes to receive from them in this life and after death.
Ninth: The believer must take matters with seriousness and responsibility,
which is an essential trait of Allah's faithful servants;
this is derived from the words of Allah Almighty:
"O Yahya, hold firmly to the Scripture."
Tenth: Showing mercy to people,
purifying the soul by directing it toward virtues and good deeds,
curbing its impulses away from lusts and destructive sins,
being mindful of Allah, showing filial piety toward parents,
and shunning acts of disobedience
are noble qualities that a believing servant should adorn himself with,
be utmost keen to uphold,
strive diligently to attain,
and make an active practice in daily life.
To be continued, if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best; all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and Companions.
You were listening to Stories of the Prophets.
May Allah bless him, his family, and Companions.