What Did Allah Almighty Grant Prophet Zachariah?
ماذا رزق الله عز وجل زكريا؟
Allah blessed him with a child whose name no one had been given before. This blessing had three points: Allah's answer to his call is an honor to Prophet Zachariah; sending him a son gives him strength; and naming him with a name that none had been named like him before.
(So the angels called out to him while he stood praying in the sanctuary, "Allah gives you good news of the birth of John who will confirm the Word of Allah and will be a great leader, chaste, and a prophet among the righteous.") (Al-Imran 3:39)
("O Zachariah! Indeed, We give you the good news of a son, whose name will be John, a name We have not given to anyone before. He wondered, 'My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?' An angel replied, 'So will it be! Your Lord says, "It is easy for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing!"'") (Maryam 19:7-9) (Note: the original answer cited verse 9 alone; the quoted passage is verses 7 to 9, so the reference was corrected.)
(So We answered his prayer, granted him John, and made his wife fertile. Indeed, they used to race in doing good, and call upon Us with hope and fear, totally humbling themselves before Us.) (Al-Anbiya 21:90)
رزقه الله عز وجل بطفل لم يكن له سمي قبل ذلك. وقد تضمن هذا العطاء ثلاثة أمور: إجابة دعائه وهي كرامة للنبي زكريا، وإعطاؤه الولد وهي قوة له، وإفراده بتسمية لم يُسمَّ بها أحد قبله (يحيى).
(فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ) آل عمران 3: 39
(يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا. قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا ﴿٨﴾ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا) مريم 19: 7- 9 (ملاحظة: كانت الإحالة في الجواب الأصلي إلى الآية 9 وحدها، والمقتبس الآيات من 7 إلى 9، فصُحّحت.)
(فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ) الأنبياء 21: 90
1. The Prayer This Answered | الدعاء الذي أُجيب
This gift did not come out of nowhere. Zachariah had prayed specifically, "My Lord, do not leave me alone, while You are the best of inheritors" (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:89), fearing what would become of his people's faith without an heir. The fuller version of that private supplication, and why he feared for what came after him, is covered in what his prayer actually said. What this page addresses is what Allah gave in response, not the request itself.
لم يأتِ هذا العطاء من فراغ. فقد دعا زكريا تحديدًا: "رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ" (سورة الأنبياء 21: 89)، خوفًا على مصير إيمان قومه من بعده.
2. Why the Name Itself Was Part of the Gift | لماذا كان الاسم نفسه جزءًا من العطاء
The ayah states plainly that Allah gave him "a name We have not given to anyone before" (19:7). Ibn Kathir reports that Qatada, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd took this to mean that no one had borne the name Yahya before him, the view al-Tabari chose, while Mujahid read it as "no one like him." Either way, the name announced, before the boy even grew up, that something unprecedented was coming with him. The sign Zachariah then asked for is covered in the sign Zachariah was given.
تنص الآية صراحة: "لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا" (مريم 19: 7). ونقل ابن كثير عن قتادة وابن جريج وابن زيد أن معناه أنه لم يُسمَّ أحدٌ قبله بهذا الاسم، واختاره ابن جرير، وقال مجاهد: أي شبيهًا. وفي الحالين كان الاسم إشارةً إلى أمرٍ غير مسبوق قادمٍ مع هذا المولود.
3. What Kind of Person Yahya Grew Into | أي إنسانٍ صار يحيى
Surah Maryam continues past the announcement to describe the man this gift became: Allah gave him wisdom and judgment while still a boy, along with tenderness, purity, piety, and dutifulness to his parents, and He states Yahya was "not a disobedient tyrant" (Maryam 19:12-14). The passage closes with peace upon him on three specific days: the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he is raised alive (Maryam 19:15). What Allah granted Zachariah, in other words, was not only a son but a righteous prophet.
تتابع سورة مريم وصف الرجل الذي صار عليه هذا المولود: آتاه الله الحكم وهو صبي، مع الحنان والزكاة والتقوى وبر الوالدين، وتنص الآية أنه لم يكن "جبارًا عصيًا" (مريم 19: 12-14)، وتختم المقطع بالسلام عليه في ثلاثة أيام محددة: يوم وُلد، ويوم يموت، ويوم يُبعث حيًا (مريم 19: 15).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What did Allah grant Prophet Zachariah?
A son named Yahya (John), given as an honor, a source of strength, and bearing a name given to no one before him.
Why was the name Yahya significant?
Allah says He had given that name to no one before him (19:7); Mujahid, as Ibn Kathir reports, read it as meaning no one was like him.
What was Zachariah's condition when he prayed for a son?
He was extremely old and his wife was barren, which is why the angels' reply stressed that it was easy for Allah, who created him before from nothing.
What kind of man did Yahya become?
Wise from boyhood, tender, pure, pious, dutiful to his parents, and never disobedient, with Allah's peace upon him at his birth, death, and resurrection.