QASAS-UN-NABIYEEN VOLUME 4. STORY OF ZAKARIA, PEACE BE UPON HIM, CHAPTER ONE

قصة سيدنا زكريا عليه السلام

CHAPTER 1

دُعاء زكريا لولدٍ صالحٍ

Zakaria’s supplication to be blessed with a pious child

VOCABULARY

Dutiful, devoted	برٌ	It became manifest	تجلى
His age had advanced	تقدمت به السن	Devout, pieous	تقى
Old age dawned upon him	لَج به الشيبَ	It became weak	وَهَنَ
falsified	أبطَلَ	Greyness of hair	شيب
forestalled	بَكرَ	experiences	تجارِب
He was distinguished for	خَصَ	Talent, extraordinary qualities	نُبُوغ
gentleness	لين الكنف	Sympathetic, loving	حنان
Strengthened his heart	رَبَطَ على قلبه	humility	خفض الجناح
He realized it, its reality dawned upon him	تَحَققَ له	He suspends	يُعَطِلُ

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

And another color of Allah’s favors upon His servants, and of the signs of His power that surrounds everything, manifested in the supplication that Zakaria, peace be upon him, made for offspring that would be pleasant, dutiful and devout. He, peace be upon him, wished to have a son who will be the inheritor of the house of Yaqoob, peace be upon him, and who would also established the mission of calling people towards Allah, SWT. He made this supplication when his age had advanced, his bones had become weak, and old age had shown itself in the greying of hair. He had no hope that his wife would be able to bear a child. However, Allah SWT, responded to his supplication, proved the speculation of people and prior experiences wrong.  He SWT gave Zakaria, peace be upon him, a rightly guided son whose talent and wisdom were apparent even when he was a child. He was outstanding in discernment, knowledge and education during his childhood and was specially gentle, reformed and pious. He was devoted to his parents and possessed gentleness of heart and humility of nature.

Allah SWT fortified Zakaria’s heart and showed him signs that would provide evidence for His comprehensive power. These signs would show that He SWT does what He wills. He showed him His control over His creation and in their body parts. He allows to move what He wants and suspends what He wills. The reality dawned upon Zakaria, peace be upon him, that the entire universe is in Allah SWT’s hands. He SWT is the one who brings out the living from the dead, and the dead from the living. He SWT gives whom he wants without limits.