AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

 *Hazrat Zakariya and Hazrat Yahya, peace be upon them*[Zechariah and John]

_This is a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariya, when he called to his Lord a private call. He said, “My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has flared white with old age, and never have I been, in my supplication to You, my Lord, unblessed. And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir who will inherit from me and inherit from the family of Yaqub. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You].”_

_[He was told], “O Zakariya, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be Yahya. We have not assigned to any before name.” He said, “My Lord, how will I have a boy when my wife has been barren and I have reached the extreme old age?” [An angel] said, “Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.’” He said, “My Lord, appoint for me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, [though you will be] sound.”_[this]

_Then he came out to his people from the prayer chamber and signaled to them to exalt in the morning and afternoon._[Allah]

_[Allah said], “O Yahya, take the Scripture with determination.” And We gave him judgement while yet a boy, and affection from Us and purity, and he was fearing of Allah. And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant. And peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive._

And Zakariya was made the guardian of Maryam. Whenever Zakariya entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. Seeing this, one day he asked Maryam, _“O Maryam, from where is this to you?”_ She said, _“It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account.”_[coming]

At that, Zakariya called upon his Lord, saying, _“My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.”_ While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called to him, _“Zakariya, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of Yahya, confirming a Word from Allah [i.e., Isa], and [who will be] honorable, abstaining [from women], and a prophet from among the righteous.”_[Jesus]

He said, _“My Lord, how will I have a boy when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?”_ Allah said, _“Thus [it will be]; Allah does what He wills.”_ Zakariya said, _“My Lord, appoint for me a sign.”_ Allah said, _“Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt in the evening and the morning.”_[Him]

It is narrated from Hazrat Harith that the Prophet said: _Allah the Exalted commanded Hazrat Yahya to act upon five things and to tell the Children of Israel to act upon them as well. He delayed for a while, so Hazrat Isa said to him, “You were given five commands to act upon and to command the Children of Israel to act upon them. Either you convey these commands to them, or I will convey them.” He said, “My brother, I fear that if you convey them before me, Allah will punish me.”_

So he gathered the Children of Israel in Masjid al-Aqsa until the mosque was full. Then he took a place on high ground, and after praising and glorifying Allah, he said, _“Allah the Exalted has commanded me to act upon five things, and has also commanded me to order you to act upon them.”_

Several reasons are given for the martyrdom of Hazrat Yahya. The most well-known incident is that the king of Damascus at that time wanted to marry a woman whom it was not permissible for him to marry according to the law. When Hazrat forbade it, the woman became angry. When she realized that the king had become infatuated with her, she demanded that Hazrat Yahya be martyred. The king sent a man who martyred him, brought his head and his blood in a tray, and presented it before the queen. The queen was destroyed immediately.[Yahya]