In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Surah Maryam, the nineteenth Surah of the Qur'an is one of my favorite Surahs. It is named Surah Maryam but surprisingly though, it starts with the story of Zakariyya alayhissalaam. Why?
The birth of Isa alayhissalaam was indeed miraculous, so miraculous that the Christians came to the conclusion that he must be the son of God – if not, how do you account for Maryam (alayhassalaam) giving birth to him without a father?
Surah Maryam, addressing primarily the Christians, begins by dismissing this concept. Imagine a very old man, weakened by age, with flaming white hair. He has a wife who is barren and old and he does not have any progeny. He was very worried indeed, and in this state he asked Allah Azza wa Jalla for help.
He asks in a way which is so beautiful and exemplary that Allah Azza wa Jall described it in detail in more than one place in the Qur'an.
Following are some of the things we can learn and benefit from this special du'a:
كٓهيعٓصٓ ﴿١﴾ ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُۥ زَكَرِيَّآ ﴿٢﴾ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ نِدَآءً خَفِيًّا ﴿٣[Qur'an, Maryam 19:1-3]
Kaf, Ha, Ya, 'Ayn, Sad. (1) [This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zechariah (2) When he called to his Lord a private supplication [nidaa`an khafiyya]. . (3)
Nidaa` — This means calling out with desperation and neediness. This is the way we call our loved ones in intensely emotional situations. For instance, when a mother is saying goodbye to her only child who is going abroad, she requests him or her to be safe, and keep her up to date with his health and well being. Another example is when, after a heated fight, your beloved spouse is about to leave you, and you cry out in desperation, “Please don’t go!” That sort of feeling is captured in the word Nidaa’, and that’s what we need to bring in our prayers.
Khafiyya – Zakariyya alayhissalaam has absolute certainty in the fact that Allah is All-Hearing. His calling him privately is in fact an acknowledgment of this fact. This certainty of Zakariyya that his Lord can hear him wherever he may be is again proved when the angels later come to him with the good news that Allah had answered his supplication. Instead of replying to the angels who are right in front of him, he replies directly to Allah.
Also, calling on Allah in seclusion ensures we don’t fall into showing-off or riya'.
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ ٱلْعَظْمُ مِنِّى وَٱشْتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُنۢ بِدُعَآئِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا ﴿٤﴾ وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًۭا فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا ﴿٥[Qur'an, Maryam 19:4-5]
He said, "My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy. (4) And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir (5)
Human body becomes weak with the aging of bones, because it is the bones which keep the body firm and upright. When bones lose their strength, the whole body turns weak.
Notice how Zakariyya alayhissalaam starts his dua. He is not asking for what he wants straight out. Rather he is expressing his problems in detail, confiding in Allah Azza wa Jalla, telling Him about his fears and worries.
The verse also tells us that it is better to beseech Allah in supplication in undertone. Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas has narrated that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam once said.
Surely the best way to make supplication to Allah is in undertone and the best sustenance is that which is sufficient for one's needs (i.e.neither more nor less than required).[Qurtubi]
Rabbi – My Lord, a loving and intimate way of addressing Allah Azza wa Jalla, highlighting the bond between Rabb and 'abd (slave).
وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًۭا فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا ﴿٥﴾ يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَٱجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا ﴿٦[Qur'an, Maryam 19:5-6]
And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir (5) Who will inherit me and inherit from the family of Ya'qub (Jacob). And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You]." (6)
Explaining the reason behind the du'a: he wants to make sure Allah’s deen is protected after he passes away.
"from the family of Ya'qub alayhissalaam." – Notice how careful he is with his words – not all the children of Ya'qub are worth inheriting from. Some of them were pretty corrupt at one point (Surah Yusuf).
The religious scholars are all agreed that here the inheritance does not mean wealth, because in the first place, it has not been established that Zakariyya had much wealth. Hence, the question as to who would inherit the same, does not arise. Secondly, it is inconsistent with the exalted position of a prophet to concern himself with such matters. And thirdly, a saying of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam, which has been unanimously accepted by all religious scholars, says:
"Indeed the knowledgeable scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, because the prophets do not leave any material wealth. Their legacy is knowledge. One who has acquired knowledge has received great fortune."
It is narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari through Aisha radhiAllahu anha said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said:
"No one inherits our (i.e. prophets') wealth, because whatever wealth we leave behind is Sadaqah (Charity). "
In the verse itself (19:6) confirms the view that here the material inheritance is not implied, because the son, Yahya alayhissalaam, could not have inherited the material wealth of the family of Ya'qub, which could only be inherited by their near relations and not by Yahya. It is against the law of inheritance for distant relations to receive any part of inheritance in the presence of close relatives.
Result of the Du'a
This is where the Christian theory gets defeated. Allah Azza wa Jall gives a child to an extremely old man and a barren woman. If Isa’s alayhissalaam birth is a miracle because he didn’t have a father, Yahya, the son of Zakariyya, is a double-miracle – both his mother and his father were incapable of producing a child. And yet Allah answered this seemingly impossible du'a. In fact, what Allah said was:
قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَىَّ هَيِّنٌ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْـًٔا ﴿٩[Qur'an, Maryam 19:9]
...'It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.'
So why not stop worrying about our own relatively petty problems, and ask Allah for help just like Zakariyya alayhissalaam?
May Allah remove our worries and grant us righteous families and offspring.
رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَٱجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.
Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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