Prophet Zakariyah, known as Zechariah, spent his later years in devoted service to his people, despite the burdens of old age.
Description of Zakariyah
By this stage of his life, Zakariyah was in his nineties, old and bent with age. Even so, his weakness did not stop him from visiting the temple every day to deliver his sermons. He was not a wealthy man, but he always made himself available to help those in need. His one great sorrow was that he had no children, since his wife was barren, and this troubled him deeply, as he feared there would be no one to carry on his work after he was gone. He understood that his people needed strong guidance, for if left without it, they would drift from Allah's teachings and begin altering the Holy Laws to suit themselves.
Zakariyah Talks to Mary
During one of his visits to the temple, Zakariyah went to check on Mary, who lived in a secluded room within its walls. He was startled to find fresh fruit there, out of season, even though no one but himself was permitted to enter her room. When he asked her about it, she told him it was provided by Allah, appearing fresh every morning, and asked why this surprised him, since Allah provides without limit for whomever He wills.
Her words struck something in Zakariyah's heart. If Allah could provide fruit out of season in this way, could he not also ask his Lord to bless him with a child in his old age? Even though his wife had long passed the age of childbearing, nothing was beyond the power of his Merciful Lord.
Zakariyah Asks for a Son, as Told in the Qur'an
Allah reveals this moment in the Qur'an: "Kaf, Ha, Ya, Ain, Sad. This is a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariyah, when he called out to his Lord, a call made in secret, saying, my Lord, indeed my bones have grown feeble, and gray hair has spread across my head, and I have never been unblessed in my prayer to You, my Lord. And verily, I fear for my relatives after me, since my wife is barren, so give me from Yourself an heir, one who shall inherit from me and inherit also from the family of Jacob, meaning the inheritance of prophethood and religious knowledge, not wealth, and make him, my Lord, one with whom You are well pleased.
Allah said, O Zakariyah, verily We give you glad tidings of a son. His name will be Yahya (John). We have given that name to no one before him. He said, my Lord, how can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have reached extreme old age? Allah said, so it will be. Your Lord says, it is easy for Me, for I created you before, when you had been nothing.
Zakariyah said, my Lord, appoint for me a sign. Allah said, your sign is that you shall not speak to mankind for three nights, even though you have no physical defect. Then he came out to his people from his prayer chamber and signaled to them to glorify Allah's praises morning and evening.
It was said to his son, O John, hold fast to the Scripture, the Torah. And We gave him wisdom while he was still a child, and made him compassionate toward people as a mercy from Us, and kept him pure from sin. He was righteous, dutiful toward his parents, and neither arrogant nor disobedient, either toward Allah or toward his parents. And peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he is raised again to life." (Ch 19:1–15)
Allah also recounts this in another chapter of the Qur'an: "At that time Zakariyah invoked his Lord, saying, my Lord, grant me from You a good offspring, You are indeed the All Hearer of prayer. Then the angels called out to him while he stood praying in his chamber, saying, Allah gives you glad tidings of John, confirming the Word from Allah, referring to the creation of Jesus, son of Mary, and he will be noble, abstaining from relations with women, a prophet from among the righteous. He said, my Lord, how can I have a son when I am so old, and my wife is barren? Allah said, thus Allah does what He wills. He said, my Lord, appoint a sign for me. Allah said, your sign is that you shall not speak to mankind for three days except by gestures, and remember your Lord often, glorifying Him in the evening and in the morning." (Ch 3:38–41)