Zakariya, known in English as Zechariah (peace be upon him), was a prophet of Allah (﷾). You may remember him from the guide to Maryam: he was the one who took care of her while she grew up in worship. This guide tells his own story: the prayer of an old man who never stopped asking. Maryam
It follows what the Qur'an says. Zakariya's son, Yahya (John), has his own guide. This is the story as Islam tells it. Yahya
At a glance
- He was a prophet of Allah (﷾), and the guardian of Maryam.
- He was very old, his hair white, and his wife could not have children.
- He prayed to his Lord in secret for an heir. The Qur'an calls his story a recital of Allah's (﷾) mercy.
- The angels brought him the good news of a son, Yahya, while he stood in prayer.
- As a sign, he could not speak to people for three days, except by signals. He used the time to praise Allah (﷾).
- Allah (﷾) granted him Yahya, and made his wife able to bear a child.
- Guardian
Zakariya cares for Maryam, and sees how Allah (﷾) provides for her. Qur’an 3:37
- His prayer
Old and worn, he prays quietly for an heir. Qur’an 19:3–6Qur’an 21:89
- Good news
The angels tell him of a son named Yahya. Qur’an 3:39Qur’an 19:7
- The sign
He asks for a sign: three days without speaking to anyone except by signals. Qur’an 3:41Qur’an 19:10
- Yahya
Allah (﷾) grants him Yahya, and makes his wife able to bear a child. Qur’an 21:90
The Qur'an gives no dates for Zakariya's life, so these are the stages of his story.
A prayer in secret
Zakariya was a very old man. His bones were weak, his hair was white, and his wife could not have children. The Qur'an begins his story in Surah Maryam, its nineteenth chapter, with these words:
a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zakariya.
It is told as a story of mercy. Zakariya did not shout his need. He called to his Lord in secret, where nobody else could hear. Qur’an 19:3
O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee!
Then he told his Lord what worried him. He feared what his relatives would do after he was gone, and his wife could not have a child. So he asked for an heir. He wanted a son who would represent him and the family of Yaqub (Jacob), and be one with whom Allah (﷾) was well pleased. Qur’an 19:5–6
He had seen how Allah (﷾) provided for Maryam, without measure. So he turned to his Lord with new hope, there in her place of prayer. That part of the story is told in the guide to Maryam. Qur’an 3:37–38Maryam
In another place, the Qur'an gives us the heart of his prayer: Qur’an 21:89
O my Lord! leave me not without offspring, though thou art the best of inheritors.
Look at how he prays. He starts with his weakness. He says what he needs. And he ends by remembering that everything belongs to Allah (﷾), the best of inheritors.
Good news, and a sign
The answer came while he was standing in prayer. The angels called to him with good news from Allah (﷾). In Surah Maryam, Allah's (﷾) words are: Qur’an 3:39
O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before.
The angels also told him what kind of son this would be. He would witness the truth of a Word from Allah (﷾), who is Isa (Jesus). He would be noble and chaste, a prophet, and one of the righteous. Qur’an 3:39Qur’an 3:45Jesus according to Islam
Zakariya was astonished, and asked how it could be:
O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?
Allah (﷾) answered that this is how He does what He wills, and He reminded him: Qur’an 3:40Qur’an 19:9
that is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!
Then Zakariya asked for a sign. His sign was this:
thou shalt speak to no man for three days but with signals. Then celebrate the praises of thy Lord again and again, and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning.
In Surah Maryam, the same sign is three nights, and Allah (﷾) adds: "although thou art not dumb". He was not ill, yet for three days and nights he would not speak to people. He was to praise his Lord instead. Qur’an 19:10
Zakariya came out of the chamber to his people. By signals, he told them to glorify Allah (﷾) in the morning and in the evening. Even his silence was worship. Qur’an 19:11
A prayer answered
Then Allah (﷾) kept His word:
So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya: We cured his wife's (Barrenness) for him.
An old man received a son, and his wife was made able to bear him. The Qur'an adds a word of praise for those in this part of the story:
These (three) were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us.
Allah (﷾) counts Zakariya among the righteous, with Yahya, Isa (Jesus) and Ilyas (Elijah) beside him. Qur’an 6:85Which prophets are named in the Qur'an?
Yahya grew up to be a prophet too. His story is in his own guide. Yahya
How the Bible tells it differently
The Gospel of Luke tells of Zacharias, the King James spelling of Zechariah, in its first chapter. Much is the same. There is an old man and a wife who could not have children. An angel brings good news of a son named John, and there is a time of silence. But some points are different. Muslims believe that Allah (﷾) revealed the Torah to Musa, and the Injil to Isa: the Gospel Jesus himself preached in his lifetime. The Injil is not the New Testament. The four New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were written by others, decades after Jesus was raised up. None of them names its author: the names were attached later. And the Torah we have today is not exactly as it was revealed. So where the Bible tells a story just as the Qur'an does, we believe it. Where it differs from the Qur'an or contradicts it, we do not. Where the Qur'an says nothing, we neither believe it nor deny it, as the Prophet (ﷺ) taught. Here are the main differences, with the verses. Luke 1:5–7 (KJV)Luke 1:13 (KJV)Qur’an 5:48Qur’an 5:46Which of the four Gospels did Jesus preach from?Who wrote the Gospels?Sahih al-Bukhari 4485How should a Muslim read the Bible?
The scene. In Luke, the angel appears while Zacharias is burning incense in the temple of the Lord, with the people praying outside. The angel says he is Gabriel. In the Qur'an, "the angels" called to him while he stood in prayer in the chamber. Luke 1:8–11 (KJV)Luke 1:19 (KJV)Qur’an 3:39
Why he could not speak. In Luke, Zacharias asks, "Whereby shall I know this?", and the angel answers that he will be unable to speak "because thou believest not my words". In the Qur'an, Zakariya asks for a sign, and the silence is that sign. It is three days of not speaking to people, though he is not mute. The Qur'an does not call it a punishment. Luke 1:18–20 (KJV)Qur’an 3:41Qur’an 19:10
How long. In Luke, he stays unable to speak until the things happen, and his mouth is opened when the child is named John. In the Qur'an, the sign lasts three days and nights. Luke 1:20 (KJV)Luke 1:59–64 (KJV)Qur’an 3:41Qur’an 19:10
What we can learn
Zakariya's story speaks to anyone who has waited a long time for an answer.
- Never stop asking. He was old and weak, and his wife could not have children. Yet he said to his Lord: "never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee". Qur’an 19:4
- Pray honestly and quietly. He called to his Lord in secret, and told Him his weakness and his need. Qur’an 19:3
- Let others' faith lift you. Seeing how Allah (﷾) provided for Maryam gave Zakariya new hope. Qur’an 3:37–38
- Nothing is too hard for Allah (﷾). "That is easy for Me", He said. The One who created Zakariya from nothing can give a son to an old man. Qur’an 19:9
- Make every moment worship. Even in his days of silence, Zakariya praised Allah (﷾), morning and evening. Qur’an 3:41Qur’an 19:11
- Pray for good that outlasts you. He asked for an heir with whom Allah (﷾) would be well pleased. Qur’an 19:6
Allah (﷾) answered an old man's secret prayer, and the Qur'an calls it mercy. He hears every prayer, spoken or silent: "for Thou art He that heareth prayer". Qur’an 3:38