Prophet Zakariya [peace be upon him] is the father of Yahya [peace be upon him]. Both were prophets sent by Allah. Allah says about them: “And Zakariya, Yahya, ‘Isa and Ilyas, every one of the righteous.” 1
Zakariya means the one who remembers God much. The name Yahya, which means the one who awakens, was given by Allah, and was not given to anyone before that. Zakariya [peace be upon him] is the husband of Mary’s aunt according to a tradition. According to another tradition, he is the husband of Mary’s sister.
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Supplication of Zakariya (as)
So Yahya and Jesus [peace be upon them], the son of Maryam, are cousins. Zacharias [peace be upon him] got his son after a supplication, while he and his wife had reached old age. Allah says about this: “And to Zakariya when he called out to his Lord: “My Lord, do not leave me alone, though You are the best of the heirs.” Then We answered him and We gave him Jahya; We made his wife fertile again. They rivaled in good deeds and invoked Us in longing and awe, and they humbled themselves to Us.”
Allah gave his name: Yahya
And also: “K[aaf] H[aa] Y[aa] ‘[Ayn] S[aad]. The mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariya. When he cried to his Lord in secret, he said: “My Lord, my bones have grown weak within me, and my head is gray with age. In calling upon You, my Lord, I have never been unhappy. But I am afraid of the relatives who come after me, for my wife is barren. Grant me then from thee a near relative, who shall inherit from me, and who shall inherit from the family of Jacob, and make him, O my Lord, acceptable.” O Zakariya, We announce to you a boy whose name is Yahya, a name We have not given to anyone before.” He said, “How can I have another boy when my wife is barren and I have reached a great old age?”
He said, “That’s right. Your Lord has said: “It is easy for Me. For I also created you before, when you were nothing.’” He said, “My Lord, give me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that for three nights, though you are well and good, you will not speak to the people.” Then he went from the sanctuary to his people and instructed them to praise morning and evening. “O John, hold tight to the book.” And We gave him the power of judgment/wisdom as a child and compassion from Us and purity. He was God-fearing and dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant. And peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies and the day he is raised to life again.” 3
Maryam was also born
And also: When the wife of ‘Imraan [the father of Maryam] said: ‘My Lord, I consecrate to You by vow what is in my womb; take it from me. You are the hearing, the knowing.” When she had given birth to her, she said, “My Lord, I have given birth to a girl.” — Allah knew best what she gave birth to; the male is not like the female — “I have called her Maryam, and I pray Thee to protect her and her progeny from the accursed Satan.” Then her Lord kindly accepted her and caused her to grow up well and He entrusted the care of her to Zakariya. Whenever Zakariya entered the shrine with her, he found provisions with her. He said, “Maryam, where did you get this?” She said, “It comes from God. Allah gives sustenance to whom He wills without reckoning.”
There Zakariya invoked his Lord; he said: “My Lord, grant me from You a good offspring. You are the hearer of prayer.” Then the angels called out to him as he steadfastly prayed the prayer in the sanctuary: “Allah announces to you John, confirmer of a word from God, guide, ascetic and prophet; one of the righteous.” He said, “My Lord, how can I have another boy when I am old and my wife is barren?” He said, “That’s right. Allah does what He wills.” He said, “My Lord, give me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three days except by gestures. And remember your Lord much and praise in the evening and early in the morning.”4
She was under the care of Zakariya (as)
In this verse a miracle is also mentioned, namely that Maryam got food from Allah. She also had fruit and vegetables in the summer that are normally only available in the winter, and vice versa. She was always secluded and hardly came out. The Prophet Zakariya, who was appointed to take care of her, wondered how she did this. Her answer reminded him that nothing was impossible for Allah, and that, despite his age, he could also ask for offspring. Both prophets have called Banu Israil back to the initial message of the prophet Moses [peace be upon him].
It is narrated about Yahya [peace be upon him] that from his adolescence he ate nothing but the leaves of the trees and drank nothing but the water of the river, because that was the purest and most permissible. Yahya [peace be upon him], like Joseph [peace be upon him], was invited to commit fornication, but he refused. The woman who invited him later wanted to marry the king of their time. However, they were related, and according to the laws of Moses [peace be upon him] they were not allowed to marry each other. They asked Yahya [peace be upon him] to make an exception, but he refused. Thereupon the king sent his army towards Yahya [peace be upon him], to kill him. They eventually beheaded him and exhibited the head to the king. After this, the king and the woman wanted to get married, but they both died on the same night as punishment from Allah.
Both Yahya and Zakariya are killed
Also the father of Yahya [peace be upon him], Zakariya [peace be upon him], was killed by Banu Israil. The angel Gabriel came to the prophet Zakariya [peace be upon him] while he was remembering Allah, while they wanted to kill him. He indicated that he could destroy them all if he continued to remember Allah while they were committing the atrocities. Zakariya [peace be upon him], despite his people’s ungratefulness and violence, did not want them to be destroyed, and stopped remember of Allah. After this he, like his son, was killed in the path of Allah. He was sawn in two by his people.
1 Surat al-An’am, verse 85
2 Surat al-Anbiya, verses 89-90
3 Surah Maryam, verses 1-15
4 Surat Ali Imran, verses 35-41
