The Messengers of God
the story of the prophet dzakaria

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PROPHET ZAKARIA A.S.

The name Zechariah is mentioned in the Book and also the Quran 8 times. According to history, he was appointed as a prophet precisely in 2 BC, precisely at the time he was ninety years old and was assigned to improve the Children of Israel in Palestine.

Prophet Zechariah had a son named Yahya who later also became a prophet. Throughout his life, the Prophet Zechariah longed for a child who would later become his heir.

Zechariah had a sibling named Imran with a woman named Elisabeth. Another account says that his wife named Al-Yashbi’ where he is still a descendant of Aaron Nabi Zakariya, if examined more deeply, so it can be said that he still has a lineage with Prophet Sulaiman.

ZACHARIAH WAS SENT AS A PROPHET

Appointed prophet at the age of ninety, he prayed day and night without ceasing and begged God for a child who would be able to continue his preaching especially to the Children of Israel. The prophet Zechariah was very worried about the condition of his people after his death if he did not have children to continue his duties as a Prophet.

The prophet Zechariah was very worried that the Children of Israel would return to their ways of life full of might and filth, especially if the people are likely to change the law of Moses by increasing or reducing the content of the Torah according to their will.

THE STORY OF THE PROPHET ZAKARIA A.S. AND MARYAM BINT IMRAN



The name Maryam is often mentioned in various Zechariah stories. He was the only son of Imran, a cleric and religious leader in the Bani Israel. On the other hand, Mary's mother was the sister-in-law of the Prophet Zachariah.

Narrated, the mother of Maryam is a barren woman so that since marrying Imran she has never felt happiness because she can turn a child. He felt a deep sadness and loneliness because of the problem.

He hopes to be given offspring because he considers nahwa with the birth of a child, then the condition of his family will also be more harmonious. In addition, he also needs children as a figure who can dismiss suffering and bring joy in family life.

Once he saw a bird feeding its young, the vile look made him very sad and envious of the day. Other than when she was shown to a pregnant mother, the incident also made her more sad and continued to make her want to be immediately blessed with a child.

Time continues to change, on the other hand his age is also getting older, but the desire to have offspring is not also granted. Various ways he has tried and thousands of advice he has done, but still never fruitful.

After all the efforts and powers of a being have been made, finally Imran's wife realizes that all power and effort comes from God's will, where she is the only place where all beings should hope. So he resolved to round his hopes to Allah prostrating day and night with solemnity and humility.

The prophet Zechariah promised Allah that if his request was granted, he would send his son to serve as a servant, guard, and devote the services of his son to the holy house of Jerusalem. Because of his sincerity, he equally occasionally plans not to benefit from his son based on his self-interest or the interests of his family.

As a form of his submission to Allah, his efforts and efforts are not in vain. Allah has accepted his request and granted his prayer according to what He has made clear in His destiny, that a great prophet will be sent down from the descendants of Imran.

Shortly thereafter, the signs of pregnancy felt by Imran's wife are the increasing appearance of the growing stomach which indicates the emergence of a fetus in it.

Seeing the gift, Imran's wife felt very happy because the desire that he so desired would come true, coupled with the condition of his household that would be increasingly haromis thanks to the presence of his baby. He also began to prepare as best as possible what will be given to the upcoming baby while waiting for the labor process to come.

But before the happy day came, Imran's wife was again given a trial by God. Imran, the husband who is loved and dear to him, and the person who had accompanied him pray and hope, suddenly taken his life by Izra’il so that he left his wife who was in an old pregnant condition.

Sadness befell Imran's wife due to the loss of a beloved husband mixed with the pain and fatigue he felt due to the birth process of the baby he was waiting for. Before long, finally the coveted baby can be born safely. But a little disappointment from the face of the mother because it does not match the expectations of the sex of the baby she was born with.

The disappointment arises due to the birth of a baby with a female gender, even though at that time the mother was expecting the baby she was born was a boy. In addition, he also had a vow for the son he was waiting for, who was promised to be given to Jerusalem.

In a disappointed tone the mother complained to God saying, “Oh my Lord, I have given birth to a daughter, while I vowed to give up a more worthy son to be a servant and caretaker of Jerusalem. Then God made Zechariah, his brother-in-law and uncle Mary the guardian who would keep her.

Therefore, Maryam was handed over to the administrator of Jerusalem. Seeing that condition, the monks then fought over Maryam to be nurtured and supervised. Seeing the increasingly boisterous conditions due to the seizure of custody, then there was a process of voting that finally fell to Zechariah as promised by God to his mother.

PROPHET ZAKARIA A.S. BABYSITTING MARYAM

After it was decided that Maryam would be taken care of by Zachariah, the task awaited. Zakaria was assigned to keep Mary safe, so she needed to be protected and kept away from the crowds who were currently coming to Jerusalem to see Maryam. Maryam was given a residence located on the upper floor of Jerusalem so it was very difficult to reach.

In addition, he also tried to eliminate the longing for his offspring that God never gave him by considering Mary as his own daughter. Every time Zachariah visited, saw the situation, and took care of all the daily needs of Maryam. Never in the least did Zachariah neglect and abandon his duty in the care of Maryam.

The love and affection of the Prophet Zachariah towards Maryam as the son of his wife's brother who was abandoned by his father increased to respect and reverence when Zakaria realized that Mary was not an ordinary girl as a general girl, unless she is God's chosen woman who is given a mandate and a noble position in the future.

The event that caused Zachariah to change his view of Mary was when one day Zachariah came to visit Maryam, but he found that Mary was reciting and prostrating to God. Seeing this, he was shocked and shocked. Coupled with the condition of the fruits lying in front of Maryam but Maryam was not also tempted to eat it.

At that moment he began to ask in his heart about the origin of the fruits that had been lying before Mary. While the season is in winter, it is not summer that can produce such fruits. In addition, no one came to visit Maryam and brought the fruits except Zachariah.

Then Zachariah asked Maryam, “O Maryam, where did you get this sustenance, when no one visited you nor did you ever leave your mihrab? In addition these fruits are fruits that can only appear in summer”.

At a glance Maryam replied, “This is God's gift to me without me trying or asking. So why do you feel astonished? Is not Allah the All-giving?”. As a result of these events, Zechariah recognized the faith and miracles of Maryam which would later give birth to the great prophet, Prophet Jesus AS.

In the Qur'an, the story of Mary's birth up to the period of her upbringing by Zakaria is described and described in the Quran of Ali Imran's letter verses 35 to 37 and 42 to 44.

THE PROPHET ZAKARIA CRAVED A CHILD

One day a widow who had been the wife of Imron came to Zechariah. The widow intended to give her baby daughter named Maryam to the Prophet Zakariya to be nurtured and raised according to her vow.

But the incident raises the issue, which is related to who is the person who has the right to take care of Maryam. To break the impasse, a vote was held. The process of drawing is done by throwing a pen into a vessel that has been filled with water in it. Whoever has a pen that floats, that person has the right to take care of Mary.

After each priest threw his pen into the vessel, the result was known and it could be determined who had the right to take care of Mary. It turns out that the pen of the Prophet Zakariya is floating so that he is entitled to be the foster father of Maryam, in addition all the needs of Maryam are also borne by the Prophet Zakariya.

But then the love of the Prophet Zakariya to Maryam turned into a sense of amazement because of a certain reality. One day the Prophet Zechariah visited Maryam and was amazed by the appearance of fruits that could only be grown in summer near the Mihrab Maryam, when it was winter. But Maryam made it clear that all fruits are from God.

Hearing the answer, the Prophet Zakariya was amazed and amazed. Remembering that he never gave birth to a child, then at that time he was blessed with God and begged for the child. At that time also descended the word of Allah SWT through the angel Gabriel that the Prophet Zakariah will soon be blessed with a son named Yahya, with a sign that he could not speak for 3 days and 3 nights.

ZACHARIAH PRAYED TO GOD FOR DESCENDANTS

One night Zachariah honored Allah and offered a prayer, “Yes my Lord, give me a son who will inherit me and a part of the Ya’qub family, who will forward my leadership and guidance to Bani Isra’il”.

Zachariah feared that he would have no children who could continue his task of improving the state of the Children of Israel so as to cause damage to the aqidah and faith of the people.

At a glance, Allah Accords with the marked descent of the word of God, “O Zechariah, we tell you the good news, you will get a boy named Yahya who is pious and justifies the books of God, you will have a good news, become a leader, refrain from the lusts and temptations of the devil, and one day become a Prophet.”

Then the Prophet Zechariah said: “Yes Allah, how can I have children while my wife is barren and I am elderly.” Allah says: “So it is easy for Me. Have I not created you, while at that time you did not exist at all.”

Finally Zechariah had full confidence in God's promise. Soon his wife conceived and gave birth to a son and was later named Yahya. As Allah promised, Yahya would also become a prophet like his father, Zechariah.

BIRTH OF PROPHET YAHYA A.S.

When viewed from the lineage and genealogy, it can be said that the Prophet Yahya A.S.who also had a father, Prophet Zakaria A.S.is from the Children of Israel. But it is unfortunate because at that time the Children of Israel were known as uncivilized people and liked to act because of the shallowness of their faith.

The prophet Zechariah was worried that if one day he died, but no offspring could continue his struggle in repairing the akhlaq of the Children of Israel so that they would be more courageous to do deviant acts, one of them changed the content of the Torah scripture and misused religious law.

Concern for worry continues to disturb the mind of the Prophet Zakaria, plus the heartache of no offspring given his age at that time has stepped on 90 years.

Occasionally he was comforted by the presence of Maryam who had been considered as his own biological child, but the sadness re-emerged and the desire to obtain offspring remained firmly buried in his heart.

But the determination of the Prophet Zechariah remained strong and firm, coupled with the event of the miracle of food dishes in the mihrab Maryam. He was convinced that nothing was impossible for God to remember the event that showed God's power to Mary through the dishes that were presented before Mary. But his faith paid off when Yahya was born on earth.