Will you give information about Hz. Zakariyya’s not talking for three days?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

Hz. Zakariyya (Zacharias) was 92 or 99 or 120 years old and his wife was 98 years old.  Whenever he went to Hz. Maryam's (Mary’s) room in the mosque, he would see summer fruits in winter and winter fruits in summer. He would ask,

"O Maryam!  Where does it come from?" She would answer, "It comes from Allah."

When Hz. Zakariyya saw that Hz. Maryam was granted summer fruits in winter and winter fruits in summer, he thought,  

"He who grants this to Maryam can enable my wife to give birth to a child." Then, he prayed to his Lord and asked Him to give him a child.

This issue is narrated as follows in the Quran:

"And (remember) Zakariyya, when he cried to his Lord: "O my Lord! Leave me not without offspring, though thou art the best of inheritors.

So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya:

We cured his wife´s (Barrenness) for him.


and humble themselves before Us" (al-Anbiya, 21/89-90)

"(This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zakariyya:

Behold! He cried to his Lord in secret:

Praying: ‘O my Lord! Infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee! Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself,- (One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!’" (Maryam, 19/2-6)

Hz. Zakariyya prayed to his Lord as follows:

“O Lord! Grant me from You pure offspring. You are the hearer of prayers.”

When he was in mihrab performing a prayer, the angels addressed him as follows:

"Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya, witnessing the truth of a word from Allah, and noble, chaste, and a prophet, of the goodly company of the righteous.”

"Allah said,

‘O Zakariyya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before.’ Zakariyya said,

‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?’ Allah said,

‘Doth Allah accomplish what He willeth.’ Zakariyya said,

‘O my Lord! Give me a Sign.’ ‘Thy Sign,’ was the answer, ’shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights, although thou art not dumb.’


So Zakariyya came out to his people from him chamber:

He told them by signs to celebrate Allah´s praises in the morning and in the evening." (Maryam, 19/7-11) (Aal-i Imran, 3/38-41)

(M. Asım Köksal, Peygamberler Tarihi)

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