Prophets Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā: Maryam’s Birth and a Name No One Carried
Section 13 of 17 · Lives of the Prophets
My Bones Have Grown Feeble
These were the ayat from Sūrat Āl ʿImrān. Let us read the ayat which talk about the same story from Sūrat Maryam.
ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُۥ زَكَرِيَّآ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ نِدَآءً خَفِيًّا قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ ٱلْعَظْمُ مِنِّى وَٱشْتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُنۢ بِدُعَآئِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا
“This is a narration of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zakariyyā, When he called his Lord in a low voice. He said, “My Lord, I am in a state that bones in my body have turned feeble, and the head has flared up grey with old age, and I never remained, My Lord, unanswered in my prayer to You.” (19:2–4)
Allah (swt) says about Zakariyyā: he said: my Lord, indeed my bones have grown feeble — he is very old — and grey hair has spread on my head, and I have never been unblessed in my invocation to You. He said: O Allah, You always respond to my duʿāʾ.
وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَٱجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا
“I fear (my) kinsmen after me, and my wife is barren, so bless me with an heir, from Your own side, who inherits me and inherits the house of Ya‘qūb. And make him, My Lord, a favourite one.”” (19:5–6)
Zakariyyā said: wa innī khiftu al-mawāliya min warāʾī — I verily fear my relatives after me. Zakariyyā, being the nabī, was the one responsible for the religious affairs of Banū Isrāʾīl; and when he became old, he was worried that there is no one qualified to take over after him. So he wanted to have a child who would be strong and capable, to lead Banū Isrāʾīl and to teach them and to bring them back to the straight path.
So he said: fa-hab lī min ladunka waliyyā — so give me from Yourself an heir: yarithunī wa yarithu min āli Yaʿqūb, wa-jʿalhu rabbi raḍiyyā — who shall inherit me and inherit from the family of Yaʿqūb.
What inheritance are we talking about here? What is the inheritance? It is prophethood; it is not wealth. Because the anbiyāʾ — the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says: inna maʿāshira al-anbiyāʾi lā nūrath — we, the prophets, do not leave behind any inheritance; mā taraknāhu ṣadaqah — whatever we leave behind is a ṣadaqah, charity. Here Zakariyyā wants to pass on to his son prophethood.