What Was Zachariah's Prayer When He Grew Old, and What Did He Offer Before Asking?
ما هو دعاء زكريا عندما بلغ من الكبر عتيًا؟
He prayed to his Lord to grant him a child, and before that the Quran says, "when he cried out to his Lord privately." Before his prayer he set out his poverty and his need for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, mentioning what shows that weakness, his brittle bones and his old age, and his trust in Allah, and he mentioned his need for a child and the child's mother's need for him.
(Then and there Zachariah prayed to his Lord, saying, "My Lord! Grant me, by Your grace, righteous offspring. You are certainly the Hearer of ˹all˺ prayers.") (Al-Imran 3:38)
(˹This is˺ a reminder of your Lord's mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he cried out to his Lord privately, saying, "My Lord! Surely my bones have become brittle, and grey hair has spread across my head, but I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord! And I am concerned about ˹the faith of˺ my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So grant me, by Your grace, an heir, who will inherit ˹prophethood˺ from me and the family of Jacob, and make him, O Lord, pleasing ˹to You˺!") (Maryam 19:2-6)
(And ˹remember˺ when Zachariah cried out to his Lord, "My Lord! Do not leave me childless, though You are the Best of Successors.") (Al-Anbiya 21:89)
دعا ربه أن يرزقه الولد، وقد قال قبل ذلك: "إذ نادى ربه نداءً خفيًا"، وقدّم بين يدي دعائه إظهار فقره وحاجته إلى الله عز وجل، فذكر ما يدل على ذلك الضعف، وهو رقة العظم وكبر السن وثقته بالله، وذكر حاجته للولد وحاجة أمه إليه.
(هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ) آل عمران 3: 38
(ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُ زَكَرِيَّا ﴿٢﴾ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا ﴿٣﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُن بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا ﴿٤﴾ وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِن وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا ﴿٥﴾ يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ وَاجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا) مريم 19: 2-6
(وَزَكَرِيَّا إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ) الأنبياء 21: 89
1. A Prayer Called Out Privately | دعاءٌ نُودي به سرًا
Surah Maryam specifies that Zachariah's call to his Lord was made "a private call" (19:3), not a public announcement. Ibn Kathir reports two explanations: that he prayed secretly so as not to be thought foolish for asking for a child at his age, and that a hidden prayer is more beloved to Allah. Either way it is a model of sincere supplication, made quietly between the servant and Allah rather than for others to witness.
تحدد سورة مريم أن نداء زكريا لربه كان "نداءً خفيًا" (مريم 19: 3)، لا إعلانًا علنيًا. وينقل ابن كثير قولين: أنه أخفى دعاءه لئلا يُنسب في طلب الولد إلى الرعونة لكبره، وأنه أخفاه لأن ذلك أحب إلى الله، وهو في الحالين نموذجٌ للدعاء الصادق، الذي يُقدَّم بهدوءٍ بين العبد وربه لا ليشهده الآخرون.
إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا (مريم 19: 3)2. Presenting Weakness Before Making the Request | عرض الضعف قبل تقديم الطلب
Before asking for anything, Zachariah first described his own frailty in specific physical terms, brittle bones and hair that had turned entirely grey, and affirmed that he had never been disappointed in his prayers to Allah before. This sequence, humility and trust stated first, request made second, is part of the good etiquette of supplication. Which ways of asking for help are allowed is explained in the permitted and forbidden ways of seeking help.
قبل أن يطلب أي شيء، وصف زكريا أولًا ضعفه بتفاصيل جسدية محددة، وهن العظم واشتعال الرأس شيبًا بالكامل، وأكد أنه لم يخب قط في دعائه لله من قبل. وهذا الترتيب، التواضع والثقة أولًا، ثم الطلب، يُقدَّم أدبًا من آداب الدعاء.
3. Fear for What Comes After Him | الخوف على ما بعده
Zachariah names a specific worry, his relatives after him, alongside his wife's barrenness, as the reason he needed an heir. Ibn Kathir reads this inheritance as the inheritance of prophethood, not wealth: Zachariah was not known to have wealth, prophets were the most detached from this world, and the Prophet ﷺ said, "We are not inherited from; what we leave is charity." His reasons are explored further in why Zachariah wanted a son so badly.
يسمي زكريا مخاوف محددة، "الموالي" من بعده، إلى جانب عقم زوجته، سببًا لحاجته إلى وليّ. ويحمل ابن كثير هذا "الإرث" على ميراث النبوة لا المال، إذ لم يُذكر أن زكريا كان ذا مال، والأنبياء أزهد الناس في الدنيا، وقد قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "لا نورث، ما تركنا صدقة".
4. One Prayer, Recorded in Three Surahs | دعاءٌ واحد سجلته ثلاث سور
The same request appears in Surah Ali 'Imran 3:38, Surah Maryam 19:2-6, and Surah Al-Anbiya 21:89, each surah adding its own emphasis, from the plainest request in Al-Imran to the fullest account of his physical state in Maryam. This kind of repetition across separate surahs marks the story as one the Quran returns to for its lessons. How Zachariah came to be Mary's guardian, told just before this prayer in Surah Ali 'Imran (3:37), is covered in who Prophet Zachariah was.
يظهر الطلب نفسه في سورة آل عمران 3: 38، وسورة مريم 19: 2-6، وسورة الأنبياء 21: 89، وتضيف كل سورةٍ تأكيدها الخاص، من أبسط صيغةٍ في آل عمران إلى أكمل وصفٍ لحاله الجسدي في مريم. وهذا التكرار عبر سورٍ منفصلة يُعلّم أن القصة من التي يعود إليها القرآن لدروسها.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What did Zachariah ask Allah for?
A righteous child, since his wife was barren and he feared for what would come after him.
What did Zachariah offer before making his request?
He described his own weakness, brittle bones and grey hair, and affirmed that Allah had never disappointed his prayers before.
In how many surahs is this prayer recorded?
Three: Al-Imran, Maryam, and Al-Anbiya.