Description

LINEAGE

Prophet Zakariya (AS) was one of the prophets from Bani Israel. As we already know, Allah sent many prophets to this nation, and he was among them. He was one of Prophet Sulaiman’s (AS) descendants.

LIFE

He earned his livelihood as a carpenter. Furthermore, he was a very righteous person. He was in charge of a temple, and there, he prayed to Allah and worshiped Him as a true believer.

Prophet Zakariya (AS) was a very humble man and constantly remained thankful to Allah. He lived a life of simplicity and was not at all extravagant in his lifestyle. Most of the people around them lacked qualities such as being obedient worshipers of Allah. However, Zakariya (AS) followed the law of Musa (AS), and he would live in the way Allah has commanded human beings too. He would spend long hours praying and preaching.

Zakariya (AS) was married to a woman, who was also the aunt of Maryam. The wife of Zakariya (AS) was barren, unable to bear children, and got very old. Prophet Zakariya (AS) was praying to Allah to have a child who could guide the Bani Israel after he died. Allah bestowed them with a son called Yahya (AS) due to the continuous and honest prayer of Zakariya (AS).

Prophet Zakariya (AS) was one of Allah’s beloved prophets. His story contains many lessons for us, and the way he took care of Maryam is also touching. Despite not making much headway with his people as he preached to them, he diligently kept at it, since that is what Allah asked him to do and sent him down for.

When Prophet Zakariya (AS) was 100 years old, he would go and visit Maryam regularly and she would give him fruits. When Prophet Zakariya (AS) saw that she had some fresh out-of-season fruits, he did not just jump to conclusions, he asked her where she got them from. After hearing about the fruits, Prophet Zakariya (AS) became grateful for Allah’s gifts and blessings.

It was not a natural death for the Prophet Zakariya (AS). The Israelites eventually made the decision to execute him. In the tree’s shade, he hid. The Jews started cutting that section of the tree. The Prophet Zakariya (AS) did not even utter a faint cry. His body had been split in half.