(1–6) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Kāf Hā Yā Ayn Sād. This is an account of your Lord’s mercy toward His servant Zechariah, when he called upon his Lord in a secret prayer. He said, ‘My Lord, my bones have grown feeble and my head is aflame with grey hair, yet I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord. I fear those who will succeed me, and my wife is barren, so grant me from Yourself a successor who will inherit from me and from the House of Jacob; and make him, my Lord, well pleasing.’”
That is: We shall recount to you this “account of your Lord’s mercy toward His servant Zechariah” and explain it in detail, so that the condition of His prophet Zechariah, his righteous works, and his noble virtues may be known. In recounting it there is a lesson for those who take heed and an example for those who seek to follow. Moreover, detailing His mercy toward His devoted servants and the means by which they obtained it inspires love for Allah Most High, frequent remembrance of Him, and knowledge of Him and of the means that lead to Him.
Allah Most High chose and selected Zechariah—peace be upon him—for His message and distinguished him with His revelation. He fulfilled this duty as did his fellow messengers: he called people to his Lord, taught them what Allah had taught him, and gave them sincere counsel both during his lifetime and after his death, like his fellow messengers and those who followed them. When he perceived weakness in himself and feared that he would die while no one was available to take his place in calling people to their Lord and sincerely guiding them, he complained to his Lord of his outward and inward weakness. He called upon Him privately, for this was more perfect, superior, and complete in sincerity. He said: “My Lord, my bones have grown feeble.”
That is, they had become frail and weak. When the bones, which support the body, become weak, the rest of it becomes weak as well. “And my head is aflame with grey hair,” for grey hair is a sign of weakness and old age, the messenger and forerunner of death and its warning. He thus pleaded with Allah Most High by citing his weakness and helplessness. This is among the forms of supplication most beloved to Allah, for it signifies renouncing one’s own power and strength and placing one’s heart in reliance upon Allah’s power and strength.
“Yet I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord.” That is: My Lord, You have never turned me away disappointed or deprived me of an answer. Rather, You have always been gracious to me and responsive to my prayers. Your kindness has continually reached me, and Your goodness has always extended to me. He thus pleaded with Allah on the basis of His blessings upon him and His answers to his earlier prayers, asking the One who had shown him goodness before to complete His goodness thereafter.
“I fear those who will succeed me.” That is: I fear that those who assume authority over the Children of Israel after my death will fail to uphold Your religion properly or call Your servants to You. This apparently indicates that he saw none among them qualified to lead in religion. It also demonstrates Zechariah’s compassion and sincere concern—peace be upon him. His request for a child was not like that of others whose sole aim is some worldly benefit. Rather, his aim was the welfare of the religion and his fear that it would be lost, for he considered others unfit for that task. His household was renowned for its devotion to religion, was a wellspring of prophethood, and was expected to produce goodness. He therefore prayed that Allah would grant him a child who would uphold the religion ⦗490⦘ after him. He complained that his wife was barren—that is, entirely unable to bear children—and that he had reached such an advanced age that desire and the begetting of children were rare.
“So grant me from Yourself a successor.” The succession meant here is succession in religion, while the inheritance is that of prophethood, knowledge, and righteous action. Hence he said: “Who will inherit from me and from the House of Jacob; and make him, my Lord, well pleasing.”
That is, make him a righteous servant with whom You are pleased and whom You cause Your servants to love. In sum, he asked Allah for a righteous son who would remain after his death, succeed him, and be a prophet pleasing to Allah and His creation. This is the finest kind of child. It is part of Allah’s mercy toward His servant that He grant him a righteous child who combines noble character with praiseworthy qualities. His Lord therefore had mercy on him and answered his prayer, saying: