Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

89. “And (remember) Zachariah, when he called unto his Lord: ‘O my Lord! Leave me not alone (without a child); and You are the best of inheritors’.”

90. “So We responded to him (his prayer) and bestowed upon him Yahya (John), and We set his wife right (of her barrenness) for him; verily they used to vie one with the other, hastening to good deeds, and called upon Us in yearning and awe; and were humbled before Us.”

In these two verses the Holy Qur’an states a part of the biography of the personality of other two great prophets of Allah, Zachariah akarriya and Yahya (John).

At first, it says:

“And (remember) Zachariah, when he called unto his Lord: ‘O my Lord! Leave me not alone (without a child); and You are the best of inheritors’.”

There came many years to the age of Zachariah, and the snow of senescence covered his head, but he had no child yet. On the other hand he had a barren wife.

He (as) longed for a child who could pursue his divine programs. Then he heartily turned to the Lord and asked for a righteous and fruitful child.

Allah accepted this sincere invocation which was full of love to the Truth, and granted him what he desired, as He says:

“So We responded to him (his prayer) and bestowed upon him Yahya (John)…”

Then the verse implies that: in order that he (as) reaches this aim of his, Allah set the barrenness of wife right for him.

It says:

“…and We set his wife right (of her barrenness) for him;…”

Next to that, the Holy Qur’an points to three outstanding qualities of this family, when it says:

“…verily they used to vie one with the other, hastening to good deeds, and called upon Us in yearning and awe; and were humbled before Us.”

They were always humble and that humility was mixed with respect, politeness, and awe, accompanied with the sense of responsibility.

The mentioning of these three qualities may be a hint to the fact that they did not become neglectful and proud at the time of reaching bounties. These are the epithets of the incapacious person and those people whose faith is weak when they gain some affluence.

However, Imam Sadiq (as), concerning the meaning of the Qur’anic words: /raqaban/ and /rahaban/ said that /raqbat/ (yearning) is that in which you set the palms of the hands towards the sky, and /rahbat/ (awe) is that in which you set the back of the hands toward the sky.¹

Therefore, the speediness in doing good and benevolent deeds and prayer, accompanied with hope and awe, can be effective in the acceptance of supplication.