Topic: John (Yahya(as))

19:6, 7; 21: 90, 91.

Commentary:

Deeply touched by the little girl’s reply, Zachariah was moved there and then to pray to God to be blessed with a pious child like Mary. The prayer was probably repeated over a length of period as it is mentioned in varying words in different parts of the Quran (3:39; 19:5-7; 21:90). This finds further support in the fact that whereas the first prayer was offered when Mary was yet a child, the birth of a son to Zachariah actually took place when Mary had grown up to womanhood, Jesus and John (Yahya) being nearly of the same age. Or what is equally probable, the prayer of Zachariah was accepted at the very beginning and God gave him the promise of a child at the very first prayer offered; but, after the manner of pious men, he still continued to pray for the bestowal of the promised gift.

19:13.

19:8; 21:91.

3:46; 4:172.

Important Words:

یحیٰ (Yahya or John) is the name of the Prophet who appeared before Jesus to serve as his harbinger in fulfilment of the Biblical prophecy (Mal. 3: 1 and 4: 5). The Hebrew form is یوحنا which in that language means, God has been gracious (Enc. Brit.). The name Yahya was given by God Himself and was meant to point to a distinctive characteristic of his (19:8). In Arabic, the word is derived from the root حیاة (life) and means, he lives or he shall live. The implication in the name was that he would not die in childhood but would live to the age of manhood or that he would lead a righteous life. The fact that Yahya did not die a natural death but was killed (Matt. 14:10) shows yet another implication in the name, i.e. that he would die the death of a martyr and would thus live forever in the sight of God. Says the Quran, Think not of those who have been slain in the cause of Allah as dead. Nay, they are living in the presence of their Lord and are granted gifts from Him (3:170). Yahya is probably the only known Israelite Prophet who was actually killed, as hinted in the Quranic verse, We have not made anyone before him of that name (19:8; cf. Luke 1: 61).

حصور (chaste) is derived from حصر i.e. he was or became unable to express his mind by reason of shame, etc. حصرعنه means, he became impeded and was unable to do it. حصر عن المرأة means, he abstained or kept away from sexual intercourse with the woman, whether intentionally or through impotence. حصرالسر means, he concealed the secret and refrained from divulging it. حصرہ means, he prevented or restrained him. حصور therefore, means, one who has no sexual intercourse with women, though able to have it, abstaining from them from a motive of chastity and for the sake of shunning worldly pleasures; or one who is prevented from having it by impotence; or one who does not desire them; one very careful and cautious, who abstains or refrains from a thing through fear, etc.; concealer of a secret or secrets; one who abstains from evil passions and frivolous games and sport (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The description of Yahya (John) given in the verse, i.e. سید (noble or great), and حصور (chaste or refrainer from evil passions), and نبی(Prophet) and من الصالحین (righteous), agrees with that given in Luke (1: 13-17, 76). In Luke we have, "he (John or Yahya) shall be great in the sight of God…he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink…he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost...and he shall be called the prophet of the Most High." The Quran also describes Yahya as one who shall testify to the truth of a word from Allah (3:40). And John came in exact fulfilment of Malachi’s prophecy: "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord come" (Mal. 4:5). The Quranic expression حصور in the sense of "concealer of a secret" also points to the above description, for Yahya (John) was the bearer of the hidden news of the coming of Jesus.

3:40; 21:91.

19:66.

Important Words:

سمیا (of that name) is derived from سمی. They say سما و سمی الرجل زیداً i.e. he named the man Zaid. سما means, it became high. سموت الیه ببصری means, I raised my eye towards him. سمی means, competitor or contender for superiority, in eminence or glory or excellence; a like or an equal; a namesake of another. ھو سمیک means, he is thy namesake or he is thy equal or like (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The two words غلام and یحیٰی used in this verse are very significant. The word غلام signifies three periods of one’s life i.e. childhood, youth and middle age. Applied to Yahya or John it embodied a prophecy that he shall not die in childhood but shall grow up to be a young man before the eyes of his father and shall live up to middle age and so it actually came to pass. Yahya lived up to middle age and then was killed by the order of Herod to satisfy the wish of a dancing girl. The word یحییٰ literally meaning, "he lives" or "he shall live," also implied a great prophecy, viz. that he will die the death of a martyr and thus will become immortalized. Of the martyrs the Quran says: Say not of those who are killed in the cause of Allah that they are dead; nay they are living; only you perceive not (2:155). Again it says: Think not of those who have been slain in the cause of Allah as dead. Nay, they are living in the presence of their Lord and are granted gifts from Him(3:170). Thus those who are killed in the way of God get everlasting life and so did Yahya or John. His ministry terminated in his imprisonment in the fortress of Machaerus, where he was executed by the order of Herod Antipas (Matt. 14:10 & 11). See also 3:40.

The words, We have not made anyone before him of that name, do not mean that there had lived before him no man whose name was John. From the Bible it appears that there had been several persons before him who were called John. (II Kings 25:23; I Chronicles 3:15; Ezra 8:12). Nor does the verse mean that John was peerless and was unequalled in every respect. He himself confesses that "there cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose" (Mark 1:7). The verse only signifies that in some respects Yahya had no equal, i.e. he enjoyed a partial superiority in some respects over other Israelite Prophets. Abraham, Moses and Jesus were Prophets of much higher spiritual status than John, the Baptist, who had come only to prepare the way for Jesus (Mark 1:3). Yahya was peerless only in this respect that he was the first Prophet to come as a precursor and harbinger to another Prophet—Jesus. And he was peerless in this respect also that he was the first Prophet who came with the power and spirit of another Prophet—Elias.

Commentary:

The words, hold fast the Book, show that till the time of Yahya the Torah had not been abrogated nor was it about to be abrogated in the very near future. By the word "Book" is here meant the Torah because neither Muslims nor Jews nor Christians believe that Yahya was given a Book containing a new Law. Jesus had received baptism from Yahya (John) and it is inconceivable that the two Prophets—John and Jesus—who lived at the same time, one (John) should have acted upon the Law of Torah and the other (Jesus) who was John’s disciple and had been baptised by him should have been given a new Book and a new Law. Indeed both John and Jesus followed the Law of Moses and none of them brought any new Book.

Important Words:

حناناً (tenderness of heart) is derived from حنwhich means, he was or became affected with a yearning or an intense emotion of grief or of joy. حن الیه قلبی means, my heart yearned towards him. حناناً means, mercy, compassion or pity; tenderness of heart. A Muslim would pray حنانک یارب i.e. I beg Thy mercy, o Lord (Aqrab & Lane).

زکاة (purity) is infinitive-noun from زکی which means, it increased or augmented; it throve by the blessing of God. زکی الغلام means, the boy grew and throve; he was or became good or righteous and pure from sin; he enjoyed or led a pleasant, plentiful or an easy life. The difference between زکاة (purity) and تقوی (piety) is that whereas the former word means internal purity, the latter generally signifies protection against external evils (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat).

6:152; 19:33; 29:9; 31:15; 46:16.

Important Words:

براً (dutiful) is derived from بر (barra). والدہ means, he treated or behaved towards his father with filial piety, duty or obedience. برخالقهmeans, he obeyed his Creator. برفی یمینه means, he was true in his oath. برعمله means, his work was good or well-performed. بر اللّٰه حجته means, God accepted his pilgrimage. بر (barrun) of which the plural is ابرار and بررة therefore means, pious, obedient, dutiful, kind, good or affectionate. البر (burr) and البار both signify abounding in بر (birr), البر having greater intensification than البار and is one of the attributes of God meaning, the Merciful; the Compassionate God (Aqrab & Lane).

19:34.

Commentary:

During the first few centuries of its life Islam made very rapid progress. Large numbers of people from every religion—especially from Christianity, entered its fold. They brought with them some very erroneous beliefs about Jesus Christ. As they had not imbibed fully the true spirit of Islamic teachings, their false ideas and beliefs subsequently found their way into Muslim religious literature with the result that they came to form part of the beliefs of Muslims. All these beliefs had been invented to invest Jesus with an extraordinary personality—a personality much above human level. It is these foolish beliefs about Jesus that the Quran seeks to demolish in the present Surah. By instituting a comparison between Yahya, who was a Prophet of an ordinary spiritual stature, and Jesus, it means to suggest that there was nothing in Jesus which distinguished him from other Divine Messengers. We give below some of the spiritual qualities and characteristics of both these Prophets as given in the Quran to establish the above fact.

About Jesus it is said that:

1. He was a Prophet of God (3:50).

2. He was of the righteous (3:47).

3. God taught him the Book and the wisdom (3:49).

4. He talked to people as a child i.e. in rather early age (3:47).

5. He was granted nearness to God (3:46).

6. He was kind and dutiful to his mother (19:33).

7. He was kind of heart and compassionate (5:119).

8. He was not haughty and unblessed (19:33).

9. He was blessed by God and was strengthened with the Spirit of Holiness (2:254; 19:32).

10. Divine peace enveloped him (19:34).

11. His name Messiah was given to him by God (3:46).

About Yahya it is said that:

1. He was a Prophet (3:40).

2. He was noble, chaste and a Prophet from among the righteous (3:40).

3. God gave him the Book and granted him wisdom (19:13).

4. God gave him wisdom while yet a child (19:13).

5. God was well pleased with him (19:7).

6. He was kind and dutiful to his parents (19:15).

7. He was kind-hearted, pure and pious (19:14).

8. He was not haughty and rebellious (19:15).

9. God was pleased with him and he was unequalled in some respects (19:7-8).

10. Divine peace enveloped him (19:16).

11. His name Yahya was given to him by God (19:8).

By instituting this comparison we should not be understood to mean that Jesus and John were of absolutely equal spiritual standing and there was nothing to distinguish one from the other. Jesus did indeed possess a higher spiritual status than John. What the Quran wants to make clear is the fact that there was nothing in Jesus which should raise him to the pedestal of Divinity. He was no doubt a great Prophet of God and was immune from sin but so were all other Divine Messengers, John being one of them. About him Jesus says: "For I say unto you, among those that are born of woman there is not a greater prophet than John, the Baptist" (Luke 7:28).

The verse should not be understood to signify that Prophet Yahya was not murdered but died a natural death, a view mistakenly held in certain quarters, because it runs counter to an established fact of history. The words "peace was on him" used in the verse seem to have given rise to this manifestly wrong view but they lend no support to it. The word "peace" has not been used in a physical but a spiritual sense. In fact the verse refers to three periods or states of man’s life. The first state begins with his birth and ends with his death. The second state which is called برزخ (Barzakh), literally meaning 'the period of earning merit or demerit is over', commences with death and continues till doom. The third state has been called "The Day of Resurrection" in the Quran. It is the day of the complete manifestation of God’s glory. It is these three states or periods of man’s existence to which the present verse refers and in all of which, it says, Yahya will enjoy spiritual peace.

32:17.

Commentary:

The verse shows that from a spiritual point of view Zachariah’s family was an ideal one.