21. THE STORY OF ZAKARIYYA AND YAHYA(PBUT)
Allah says in His Noble Book, Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ain Sad. (These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah, Alone, knows their meanings). (This is) a mention of the Mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariyya. When he called out to his Lord (Allah) a call in secret, saying, “My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head, and I have never been unblessed in my invocation to You, O, my Lord! And Verily! I fear the mawali after me, since my wife is barren. So give me from Yourself an heir, who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya‘qoob. And make him, my Lord, one with whom You are Well-pleased!” (Allah said), “O Zakariyya! Verily, We give you the glad tidings of a son, his name will be Yahya. We have given that name to none before (him).” He said, “My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached extreme old age?” He said, “So (it will be). Your Lord says: It is easy for Me. Certainly I have created you before, when you had been nothing!” He (Zakariyya) said, “My Lord! Appoint for me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you shall not speak unto mankind for three nights, though having no bodily defect.” Then he came out to his people from Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room, etc.), he revealed to them that they should glorify Allah’s Praises in the morning and in the afternoon. (It was said to his son), “O, Yahya! Hold fast to the Scripture (the Tawrah).” And We gave him wisdom while still a child. And (We gave him) Hanan from Us, and (made him) pure from sins (i.e. Yahya) and he was righteous, and dutiful toward his parents, and he was neither arrogant nor disobedient (to Allah or to his parents). And Salamun (peace) be on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up to life (again)! (Soorah Maryam 19:1-15)
And He, Most High, says, So her Lord (Allah) accepted her with goodful acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariyya. Every time he entered Al-Mihrab to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said, “O Maryam! From where have you got this?” She said, “This is from Allah.” Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.” At that time Zakariyya invoked his Lord, saying, “O my Lord! Grant me from You a good offspring. You are indeed the Hearer of (all) invocations.” Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab, (saying), “Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya, confirming (believing in) the Word from Allah (i.e. the creation of ‘Eesa, the Word from Allah [“Be!” – and he was!]), noble, hasoor, a Prophet, from among the righteous.” He said, “O, my Lord! How can I have a son when I am very old, and my wife is barren?” Allah said, “Thus Allah does what He wills.” He said, “O, my Lord! Make a sign for me.” Allah said, “Your sign is that you shall not speak to mankind for three days except with signals. And remember your Lord much (by praising Him again and again), and glorify (Him) in the afternoon and in the morning.” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:37-41)
What is meant by these Verses is that Allah, Most High, commanded His Messenger (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) to relate to the people the story of Zakariyya (Peace be upon him) and the events that transpired when Allah, Most High, granted him a son in his old age, when his wife was barren, due to her advanced age, so that no one should give up hope or despair of His Bounty and His Mercy. He, Most High, says, (This is) a mention of the Mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariyya. When he called out to his Lord (Allah) a call in secret. (Soorah Maryam 19:2,3) Qatadah said in his explanation of these Verses, “Verily, Allah knows the pure heart and hears the secret call.” Some of the Salaf said that he stood up for a part of the night and called to his Lord in secret, so that those present in the house should not hear him, saying, “O, my Lord!” His Lord answered, “I am here, I am here, I am here.” He said, “My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble…” (Soorah Maryam 19:4) That is, they have grown weak and declined in vigor, due to old age. “…and grey hair has spread on my head.” (Soorah Maryam 19:4) That is, as fire spreads over kindling, i.e. white hair has overcome the black hair, as Ibn Duraid said in his poetic verses:
“Do you not see my head, how its color resembles,
The sprouting of morning under the tail of night,
And the white has spread through the black,
Like the spreading of fire through hot coals,
And the youthful branch has become dry and withered,
Having formerly been flexible and moist?
He said that weakness has overcome him, both internally and externally and that was what Zakariyya (Peace be upon him) said: “Indeed my bones have grown feeble and grey hair has spread on my head.” (Soorah Maryam 19:4) And he said, “…and I have never been unblessed in my invocation to You, O my Lord!” (Soorah Maryam 19:4) That is, you have accustomed me to naught in supplications to You, except that You have answered them. What caused him to make this request was that after he became the guardian of Maryam, daughter of Mathan, he found that whenever he entered her room, she had fruits which were not in season and these were among the blessings of Allah’s Awliya’ and he realized that the Provider of something outside its season is Able to provide him with a son, even though he has become old. At that time Zakariyya invoked his Lord, saying, “O my Lord! Grant me from You, a good offspring. You are indeed the Hearer of (all) invocations.” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:38)
And He, Most High, says, “And Verily! I fear the mawali after me, since my wife is barren.” (Soorah Maryam 19:5) It is said that what is meant by mawali is relatives; it was as if he feared that whoever managed the affairs of the Children of Isra’eel after his death might do so in accordance with ideas that were not consistent with Allah’s Law and obedience to Him. So he asked Allah to produce a son for him from his loins, who would be pious and pure and would seek to please his Lord, which is why he said, “Grant me from Yourself…” (Soorah Maryam 19:5) That is by Your Power and Your Strength. “…an heir, who shall inherit me” (Soorah Maryam 19:5,6) means in Prophethood and judgment among the Children of Isra’eel. “…and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya‘qoob. And make him, my Lord, one with whom You are Well-pleased!” (Soorah Maryam 19:6) That is, just as his fathers and forefathers from the descendants of Ya‘qoob (Peace be upon him) were Prophets, make him like them in the Honor that You bestowed upon them by granting them Prophethood and Revelation. This does not refer to the inheritance of wealth, as some of the Shiites have claimed.
And Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Zakariyya was a carpenter.”
And He, Most High, says, (Allah said,) “O Zakariya! Verily, We give you the glad tidings of a son, His name will be Yahya. We have given that name to none before (him).” (Soorah Maryam 19:7) This is explained by His Words: Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab (saying), “Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya, confirming (believing in) the Word from Allah (i.e. the creation of ‘Eesa, the Word from Allah [“Be!” – and he was!]), noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a Prophet, from among the righteous.” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:39). Zakariyya (Peace be upon him) was surprised to hear these glad tidings, to hear that a son could be conceived in such circumstances, which is why he said, “My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached extreme old age?” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:40) That is, how can an old man father a son? It was said that his age at that time was seventy-seven years, but it seems more likely – and Allah knows better – that he was older than that. “…when my wife is barren” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:40) means at the time of her old age, she has become barren and cannot bear a child – and Allah knows better – as Al-Khaleel (Peace be upon him) said, “Do you give me glad tidings (of a son) when old age has overtaken me? Of what then is your news?” (Soorah Al-Hijr 15:54) and Sarah said, She said (in astonishment), “Woe unto me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman, and here is my husband, an old man? Verily! This is a strange thing!” They said, “Do you wonder at the Decree of Allah? The Mercy of Allah and His Blessings be on you, O family (of Ibraheem). Surely, He (Allah) is Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.” (Soorah Hood 11:72,73). And in the same way was Zakariyya (Peace be upon him) answered. Said the angel to whom Revelation was given, by the Command of his Lord, “So (it will be). Your Lord says, “It is easy for Me.” (Soorah Maryam 19:9) That is, a simple matter, posing no difficulty for Him. “Certainly I have created you before, when you had been nothing!” (Soorah Maryam 19:9) That is, His Ability to do all things brought you into being after you had previously not existed, so can He not then produce a son from you, even though you are an old man?
And He, Most High, says, So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya, and cured his wife (to bear a child) 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. (Soorah Al-Anbiya’ 21:90) And the meaning of curing his wife is that she had not had menses and how she had them once more.
And He, Most High, says, He said, “O, my Lord! Make a sign for me.” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:41) That is, make a sign that alerts me that the child will come. Allah said, “Your sign is that you shall not speak unto mankind for three nights, though having no bodily defect.” (Soorah Maryam 19:10) Allah tells him that his sign is that he will be afflicted by silence, which will leave him unable to speak for three days and that he will only be able to communicate by signs, but that in spite of this, he would be in good health. And He commanded him to mention Allah frequently at this time in his heart and to remember Him much at night and in the morning. When he was given these glad tidings, he went out happily to his people from his mihrab. He revealed to them that they should glorify Allah’s Praises in the morning and in the afternoon. (Soorah Maryam 19:11) Revealing here means silently communicating with them, either by writing, as Mujahid and As-Suddi said, or by signs, as Mujahid also said, and Wahb and Qatadah concurred with this. Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, Wahb, As-Suddi and Qatadah said that his tongue was stilled, without him being afflicted by any illness. Ibn Zaid said, “He used to recite and glorify Allah, but he could not speak to anyone.”
And Allah, Most High, says, (It was said to his son), “O, Yahya! Hold fast to the Scripture (the Tawrah).” And We gave him wisdom while yet a child. (Soorah Maryam 19:12) Allah, Most High, informs us about the birth of the son, in accordance with the Divine Tidings given to, Zakariyya (Peace be upon him) and He tells us that He taught him the Scripture and wisdom while he was still a child. ‘Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak said, “Ma’mar said, “The children said to Yahya, son of Zakariyya, “Come with us and we will play.” But he replied, “We were not created for play.” This is the explanation of His Words: And We gave him wisdom while yet a child. (Soorah Maryam 19:12) As for His Saying: And (We gave him) Hanan from Us. (Soorah Maryam 19:13) Ibn Jareer At-Tabari narrated on the authority of ‘Amr Ibn Deenar, who in turn narrated on the authority of ‘Ikrimah, who narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “I do not know what Hanan is.” It was also narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak that And (We gave him) Hanan from Us means: as a Mercy from Us; through it We showed Mercy to Zakariyya (Peace be upon him) and blessed him with a son. It was reported on the authority of ‘Ikrimah that Hanan means: Love. It is possible that this was an attribute to make Yahya (Peace be upon him) beloved by the people, in particular, by his parents, who loved him, for he was dutiful and solicitous toward them. As for the purity, it means purity of the heart and freedom from defects and vices. As for the righteousness, it means showing obedience to Allah, by fulfilling His Commands and avoiding the things that He has prohibited. Then He mentioned his dutifulness toward his parents, his obedience to their commands and prohibitions and his avoidance of showing disrespect to them in word and deed. And He, Most High, says, And dutiful toward his parents, and he was neither an arrogant nor disobedient (to Allah or to his parents). (Soorah Maryam 19:14) Then He says, And Salamun (peace) be on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up to life (again)! (Soorah Maryam 19:15) These three times are the most difficult for mankind, because in each case, he transfers from one state to another. He loses the first, after he becomes familiar with it and comes to know it and he goes onto another state in which he knows not what is before him, which is why he cries out when he emerges from the womb and leaves it softness and its embrace and comes into this world, where he will endure its anxieties and its sorrows. Likewise, when he departs from this life and goes onto Al-Barzakh, which is between the life of this world and the permanent abode of the Hereafter. After living in houses and palaces, he takes up residence among the dead, in the graves. There he waits for the blow of the Trumpet, which will herald the arrival of the Day of Resurrection and Gathering. On that Day, a group will be in Paradise and another will be in the blazing Fire. One of the poets put it well when he said:
When your mother gave birth to you, you were crying and screaming,
And the people around you were laughing and happy,
So take care of yourself, so that when, on the day of your death, they weep,
You will be laughing, happy.
And since these three stages are the most difficult for mankind, Allah sent peace upon Yahya (Peace be upon him) in all three of them, saying, And Salamun (peace) be on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up to life (again)! (Soorah Maryam 19:15) Sa‘eed Ibn Abi ‘Aroobah reported on the authority of Qatadah that Al-Hasan said, “Yahya and ‘Eesa met and ‘Eesa said to Yahya, “Ask forgiveness for me, for you are better than I.” Yahya said, “Ask forgiveness for me, for you are better than I.” ‘Eesa answered, “You are better than I, because I invoked peace on myself, but Allah sent peace on you.”
And He says in another Verse, “…noble, hasoor, a Prophet, from among the righteous.” (Soorah Aal ‘Imran 3:39) What is meant by hasoor is that he avoids sexual relations with women. Other explanations have been given for this, but it is similar to His Words: “Grant me from You a good offspring.” (Soorah Aal‘Imran 3:38)
And Imam Ahmad has narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There is none among the sons of Adam who has not committed a sin or intended to do so except Yahya, son of Zakariyya; and it is not right that anyone should say that I am better than Yoonus, son of Matta.”
And Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Al-Harith Al-Ash‘ari that the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily, Allah commanded Yahya, son of Zakariyya, to act upon five things and to order the Children of Isra’eel to act upon them. But Yahya was slow in carrying out these commandments. ‘Eesa said to Yahya, “You were ordered to implement five commandments and to order the Children of Isra’eel to implement them. So either order it, or I will order it.” Yahya said, “My brother! I fear that if you do it before me, I will be punished or the earth will be shaken under my feet.” So Yahya called the Children of Isra’eel to Bait Al-Maqdis, until they filled the Mosque. He sat on the balcony, thanked Allah and praised him and then said, “Allah ordered me to implement five commandments and He commanded me to order you to adhere to them. The first is that you worship Allah alone and not associate anyone with Him. The example of this command ment is the example of a man who bought a servant from his money with paper or gold. The servant started to work for the master, but was paying the profits to another person. Who among you would like his servant to do that? Allah created you and sustains you. Therefore, worship Him alone and do not associate anything with Him. I also command you to pray, for Allah directs His Face toward His servant’s face, as long as the servant does not turn away. So when you pray, do not turn your heads to and fro. I also command you to fast. The example of it is the example of a man in a group of men and he has some musk wrapped in a piece of cloth, and consequently, all of the group smells the scent of the wrapped musk. Verily, the odour of the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allah than the scent of musk. I also command you to give charity. The example of this is the example of a man who was captured by the enemy. They tied his hands to his neck and brought him forth to cut off his head. He said to them, “Can I pay a ransom for myself?” He kept ransoming himself with small and large amounts until he liberated himself. I also command you to always remember Allah. The example of this deed is that of a man who the enemy is tirelessly pursuing. He takes refuge in a fortified fort. When the slave remembers Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, he will be resorting to the best refuge from Shaitan.” The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “And I order you to fulfill five commandments that Allah has ordered me to fulfill. Hold fast to the Jama‘ah (Community of the Faithful), listen to and obey (your leaders) and perform hijrah (migration) and jihad for the sake of Allah. Whoever abandons the Jama‘ah, even the distance of a hand span, will have removed the tie of Islam from his neck, unless he returns. Whoever uses the slogans of Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) he will be among those kneeling in Jahannam (Hellfire). He said, “O, Messenger of Allah! Even if he prays and fasts?’ He said, “Even if he prays, fasts and claims to be Muslim. So call the Muslims with the names with which Allah has called them: the Muslims, the believing slaves of Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.”
By Ibn Katheer
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