Ramadan 2022 – Juz 16

ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُۥ زَكَرِيَّآ

إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ نِدَآءً خَفِيًّۭا

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ ٱلْعَظْمُ مِنِّى وَٱشْتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأْسُ شَيْبًۭا وَلَمْ أَكُنۢ بِدُعَآئِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّۭا

وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًۭا فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّۭا

يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَٱجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّۭا

يَـٰزَكَرِيَّآ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَـٰمٍ ٱسْمُهُۥ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّۭا

قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى غُلَـٰمٌۭ وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًۭا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ ٱلْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّۭا

قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَىَّ هَيِّنٌۭ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْـًۭٔا

˹This is˺ a reminder of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he cried out to his Lord privately, saying:

“My Lord! Surely my bones have become brittle, and grey hair has spread across my head, but I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord! I am concerned about ˹the faith of˺ my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So grant me, by Your grace, an heir,

who will inherit ˹prophethood˺ from me and the family of Jacob, and make him, O  Lord, pleasing ˹to You˺!”

˹The angels announced,˺ “O Zachariah! Indeed, We give you the good news of ˹the birth of˺ a son, whose name will be John—a name We have not given to anyone before.”

He wondered, “My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?”

An angel replied, “So will it be! Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing!’”

— Qur’an 19:2-9

Zachariah prays for a child, even though he knows the seeming impossibility of it. He is in old age and his wife is passed child-bearing age. He knows his prayer feels “impossible” but with more certainty he knows that Allah will never let him down.

He prays for good and righteousness, praying only for what would be pleasing to Allah. He prays for an heir to pass on his legacy and to spread goodness after he has passed. Not out of selfishness or self-interest, but only to serve Allah.

We see here the power and etiquette of Dua. A conversation between God and one of His servants. Open hearted and honest, seeking only good.

As a result of the sincere prayer an angel tells Zacahriyah the good news and the ease with which Allah can provide.

Similarly in our own lives, we should never lose hope and stop praying when something “seems impossible”. It is often the case that things may seem to be at an end, but God will open avenues which we could not have imagined.

The world is vast, and opportunities are endless, it’s only our perspective that is limited, while God’s power is unending.

هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱدْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ ۗ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٦٥

“He is the Ever-Living. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. So call upon Him with sincere devotion, ˹saying,˺ “All praise is for Allah—Lord of all worlds.”” —  Quran 40:65

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًۭا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ ٦٨

“He is the One Who gives life and causes death. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, “Be!” And it is!” — Quran 40:68