Zechariah – Zakariyyâ
Bible
The evangelist Luke tells the story of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth who were growing old but had no children. An angel appears to Zechariah as he is serving in the Temple and tells him:
Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John (Lk 1:13).
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel who stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen! Since you have not believed my words… you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened. (Lk 1:18-21)
The child is born, and on the eighth day, the day of circumcision and naming,
the neighbours and relations of Elizabeth wanted to call the child Zechariah, after his father. Elizabeth insists that the child be named John. The neighbours are not convinced, and so they consult Zechariah.
The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John’. And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God (Lk 1:63).
Then Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke in prophecy, starting:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel (Lk 1:68).
This prayer of praise is called the Benedictus and forms part of the prayer that priests and religious recite every morning.
Qur’an
Zakariyyâ is mentioned among the righteous, together with John, Jesus and Elijah, in the list of those whom God has guided (Q 6:85).
Sura 19 (surat Maryam) starts with the prayer of Zechariah:
This is an account of your Lord’s grace towards His servant Zakariyyâ, when he called to his Lord secretly, saying, “Lord, my bones have weakened and my hair is ashen grey, but never, Lord, have I prayed to You in vain: I fear [what] my kinsmen will do when I am gone, for my wife is barren, so grant me a successor – a gift from You – to be my heir and the heir of the family of Jacob. Lord, make him well-pleasing [to you]” (Q 19:1-6).
According to Luke’s Gospel, both Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, belong to the priestly class. The Qur’an, since in Islam there is no priesthood, presents Zakariyyâ as a “servant of God”. On the inheritance, Yusuf Ali writes: “It is doubtful whether Zakarîya had any worldly property. But he had charcter and virtue, as a man of God, and this he wanted to transmit to his heir as his most precious possession.”
The angel assures him that his prayer has been heard:
Zakariyyâ, We bring you good news of a son whose name will be John (yaḥyâ) – e have chosen this name for no one before him. He said, “Lord, how can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I am old and frail?” He said, “this is what your Lord has said: ‘It is easy for Me: I created you, though you were nothing before.’” He said, “Give me a sign, Lord.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not speak to anyone for three full [days and] nights.” He went out of the sanctuary to his people and signalled to them to praise God morning and evening.
(Q 19:7-11; see also Q 3:37-41)
Zechariah signalled to the people in the Temple, because he did not have the power of speech. How he regained his speech, by writing that the name of the son was John, is not mentioned in the Qur’an.
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