بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
While engaging in a bit of Qur’anic reflection some time ago, I was struck by the unique tenderness of a story that melts my heart and deepens my affection for Allah (swt) every time I think about it. This story finds us at the beginning of Surah Maryam- it’s the tale of Prophet Zakariya (as) and the miraculous birth of Yahya (as). When I was younger, I would often rush past this part of Surah Maryam without much reflection, but I recently found myself awash in awe when I realized how profoundly full of love, tenderness, and patience the dialogue between Prophet Zakariya (as) and God is.
In the fourth verse of Surah Maryam, Zakariya (as) begins with a humbly expressed dua to God, in which he asks God to grant him a child despite his old age. The first line Zakariya utters in his dua is immediately disarming in its humility: he speaks of the brittleness of his bones and the whiteness of his hair- an impassioned expression of vulnerability that brings to mind one of the most beautiful lines in Dua Kumayl. Many of the duas of our Prophets and Imams (as) contain similar admissions of physical weakness and vulnerability, and these lines are always strikingly visceral in nature. In the warrior-centric cultures of antiquity, nothing was likely seen as a greater measure of a man’s value than his physical strength. For a man in such an environment to defy this standard and humble himself- while openly highlighting his physical weaknesses- is a deeply compelling, powerful gesture.
Immediately after acknowledging his physical limitations, Zakariya concludes his dua by uttering a line that I find both heart-wrenchingly beautiful and clever: “I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You” (19:4; this statement beautifully parallels a similar line uttered by Prophet Ibrahim (as) in verse 47). One can tell by the sincerity of Zakariya’s tone that this isn’t a calculated utterance, but it happens to be a brilliantly constructed statement, as if inspired by God Himself. Just as Barkh, during the time of Prophet Musa (as), suggested that it would be unbecoming of God’s greatness not to grant the Israelites water, Zakariya points out that God has always satisfied him in every dua- as if hinting that it would only make sense for God to continue meeting that high standard. A simpler reading of this statement might be that it simply speaks to the magnitude of Zakariya’s high opinion of God. When complimenting someone, praising them for a single action once is a commonplace gesture, but praising them for consistently embodying a quality (in this case, God’s responsiveness) reveals a much deeper level of intimacy, where the one doing the praising signifies that they have noticed and appreciated every instance of a virtue. The line also speaks to the depth of Zakariya’s trust in God. For Zakariya to make a seemingly impossible dua- while acknowledging God’s generosity in the very same breath- indicates that his trust in God’s generosity is literally boundless, as if he places more confidence in God’s will than in the limitations of the material world (or does he? 🤨 we’ll examine this part next.)
After Zakariya concludes his heartfelt dua, the angels respond in the affirmative, and give him the good news: his dua will be answered with the birth of a blessed son named Yahya (19:7). Now comes the part that secretly made me laugh the first time I tried to picture it: in this moment, any ordinary person in Zakariya’s shoes would’ve likely fallen to the floor in gratitude, performed two rakaat of shukr, and wept tears of joy at having their biggest dua answered, then ended the conversation there- for if God is literally confirming that your dua will be granted, what more is there to say? Instead, Zakariya’s immediate response is beautifully human: he perplexedly asks God how such a thing could happen (19:8), considering his wife’s barrenness and his old age (note: as Allamah Tabatabai points out in al Mizan, Zakariya’s words should not be read as an indication of doubt, but might better be understood as an expression of astonishment, or a desire for clarification). If you really want to fall in love with God, pause for a moment and imagine this scenario playing out amongst ordinary human beings: imagine that a beggar comes to your door, pleading for something as if his life depends on it. Imagine that you immediately respond by assuring that you’ll grant him that thing- but instead of thanking you, he poses a counter-argument about why it doesn’t seem logically plausible for you to grant his request. Many mortal beings would likely become frustrated and rethink their generosity, but here we witness God’s kindness in all its unsheathed glory- instead of scolding Zakariya, God validates his concern and responds to it graciously, assuring him that his dua will indeed be granted, as it is easy for God to grant it (19:9).
God concludes His response by gently reminding Zakariya of his smallness- pointing out that Zakariya was nothing before God created him- yet even this reminder reads like an objective statement of fact; it contains no evident hint of anger or displeasure. It’s also a beautiful instance of human logic being met with Divine logic- Zakariya’s question hints at the evident limitations posed by the laws of nature, and God responds by reminding him that the laws of nature don’t apply to His will. Given the gentleness of God’s response to Zakariya, my subjective human impression is that it almost seems as if the openly expressed surprise of Zakariya is more beloved to God than the conventional gratitude of a normal human being. I don’t have the knowledge or authority to make a definitive assertion about why this might be the case, but I can’t help but think back to the story of Barkh and Musa (as), and the way the sincerity and informality of Barkh’s manner of speaking to God was beloved to Him in a way that astonished even the lofty consciousness of Musa. In addition to their unwavering obedience of God’s laws, a common thread between both men is how intimately and vulnerably they spoke to God- without pretension, without formality or inhibition; with an almost childlike innocence that reflected the true reality of what they were genuinely thinking and feeling. This manner of rawness bespeaks absolute trust and honesty with the Beloved; it is only after the cultivation of true intimacy that a lover can let his or her guard down so absolutely.
God’s lenient reply is then followed by even more boldness on the part of Zakariya- instead of ending the conversation by thanking God for both the blessing and the reassurance, Zakariya goes one step further and asks God for a sign (19:10). And beautifully, God once again affirms his request, immediately disclosing what the sign will be. This is the part of their dialogue that I find especially mesmerizing, because Zakariya’s repetitive asking evokes such a departure from the way we are typically conditioned to approach God. We are often raised to speak to God with the utmost fear and formality, and to make requests of Him sparingly, as if we subconsciously believe that we are doing Him a disservice or are inconveniencing Him by asking Him to grant us what we want. What Zakariya understood was something many of us hesitate to accept: it is in the nature of the Most Generous Giver to love giving; His grace is eternally seeking a recipient, even more than the recipient is seeking His grace.
Though the dialogue between God and Zakariya is clearly not one of equals- as the Necessary Being elegantly reminds the contingent being of his contingency in the previous verse- it is certainly and undeniably encased in mutual tenderness and love. God responds to Zakariya’s dua lovingly, responds to his incredulity lovingly, and responds to his request for a sign lovingly, making it abundantly clear how much it pleases Him to please the ones He loves. This is the very reality that was highlighted by Lady Maryam (as) in 3:37, which was the initial catalyst that inspired Zakariya to make his dua. God’s sweetness to Zakariya is at once intoxicating and awe-inspiring- how could even the most wayward sinner not retain hope in such a kind and patient Creator?
Of course, the story doesn’t end there. What Zakariya does immediately after this conversation is highly significant, because it reveals to us one of the many reasons God loves him so deeply. After being guaranteed the fulfillment of his deepest wish, Zakariya’s first act is to go to his people and encourage them to glorify God morning and night (19:11). Zakariya could have simply kept his appreciation of God to himself; he could have privately engaged in adhkar and tasbih to thank God, and left it at that. Instead, he did what every true lover does- he encouraged widespread praise and worship of his Beloved, wanting to share the blessing of his Beloved’s love with everyone around him. In this moment, I am reminded of Nizami’s Majnun and the openness of his love for Layla- instead of loving Layla from the quiet privacy of his room, Majnun made the entire world a temple of his love for her, wanting every heart to awaken to the beauty of Layla. Not unlike Majnun, Zakariya’s intoxicated heart isn’t satisfied with confining God’s beauty within its own chambers- the grateful lover immediately rushes to draw other hearts toward Him, too.
This final act of Zakariya also signifies a beautiful contrast between the beginning and ending of this story- when Zakariya first makes his request, verse 3 of Surah Maryam notes that he calls out to God in secret. Zakariya’s preference for secrecy in the beginning reminds me of the beautiful prophetic etiquette expressed by Prophet Yaqub (as) in verse 86 of Surah Yusuf; God’s most intimate lovers reserve the expression of their anguishes and needs to Him in private. But at the end of the story, when God fulfills Zakariya’s need, Zakariya makes his gratitude a public affair- this echoes another beautiful prophetic etiquette found in verse 11 of Surah Duha, in which God encourages Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to proclaim His blessings.
If you’re reading this, may Allah (swt) grant all of your hajaat in the most beautiful of ways. If this writing was of any benefit, please pray for the maghfirah and elevation of the young marhumeen of our community, especially Khurram Ali, Murtaza Rizvi, and Rubab Raza, may Allah (swt) grant their loved ones sabr. Please also pray for the freedom of Br. Ali Danial Hemani, and the miraculous recovery of Sr. Tasneem Amin and Sr. Nehmat Farhat.
& please remember this sinful lover in your duas 🙂 ❤
x r
Lilac Muse 