In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
And remember Zachariah when he cried out to his Lord: “My Lord! Do not leave me alone, although You are the best of inheritors.”
So We responded to him and gave him John, having cured his wife for him. These (three) would vie with one another in doing good works, and would call on Us in yearning and awe. They were always humble before Us.
And remember her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit and caused her, together with her son, to become a sign to all mankind.
Surely, your community is but one community, and I am your only Lord. So, worship Me alone.
(The Prophets: 21: 89-92)
Along with its brief accounts of different prophets, the Surah gives this quick reference to Zachariah and John, highlighting how God responded to Zachariah and answered his prayers: “And remember Zachariah when he cried out to his Lord: ‘My Lord! Do not leave me alone, although You are the best of inheritors.’ So We responded to him and gave him John, having cured his wife for him.”
The story of John’s birth has been given in detail in Surahs 19 and 3, Maryam and the House of Imran. Here it is given very briefly to fit with the rest of the Surah. It begins with Zachariah’s prayer, “My Lord, do not leave me alone,” without a successor to take care of the temple. Zachariah was in charge of the temple where the Israelites offered their worship, before the birth of Jesus. However, Zachariah does not forget that the ultimate custodian of faith and property is God Himself: “You are the best of inheritors.” He only needs a successor who will attend well to the faith and to his family. People are the medium of fulfilling God’s will on earth.
The answer to this prayer was fast and direct at the same time. “So We responded to him and gave him John, having cured his wife for him.” She was barren, unable to bear children. The Surah overlooks all details to give us the ultimate result of God’s response to Zachariah’s prayer. “These would vie with one another in doing good works.” Hence, God made an immediate response to that prayer. They “would call on Us in yearning and awe.” They yearned to earn God’s pleasure and were in awe of incurring His displeasure. Their hearts were alive, always hopeful. “They were always humble before Us,” showing no arrogance.
It was such good characteristics of Zachariah and his wife that deserved that God should bless them with a goodly son, John. Thus, the whole family was a blessed one, fully deserving of God’s grace and blessings.
Finally, Mary is mentioned with her son: “And remember her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit and caused her, together with her son, to become a sign to all mankind.”
We note that Mary is not mentioned here by name, because the main reference here in the chain of prophets is to her son, while she is second to him in this account. Reference is made to her main quality that is related to her son. Thus she is the one “who guarded her chastity,” keeping herself pure of all sexual contact. Normally, this expression of guarding one’s chastity is used to refer to marriage, because it protects against sin. Here it refers to its primary meaning, which is purity of all contact, whether legitimate or not. Thus, Mary is held innocent of all accusations leveled by the Jews against her and against Joseph the carpenter, who was with her in the service of the temple. The current Gospels claim that he married her but did not consummate the marriage and she remained a virgin.
So, Mary guarded her chastity, and God breathed into her of His spirit. The breathing is left general here, unlike Surah 66 where its location is mentioned. We have discussed this in our commentary on Surah 19, Maryam. In order to stick to the general atmosphere generated by the text of this Surah, we prefer not to add any details, confining ourselves to what is mentioned here.
“We caused her, together with her son, to become a sign to all mankind.” Indeed she was a unique sign, without any similar example, neither in the past nor in the future, a single case in the history of mankind. Such a special case is worthy of contemplation by all generations, recognizing God’s power, unrestricted by anything whatsoever. It is the power that designs natural laws and sets them in operation, but does not become subservient to them. It remains free of all restrictions.
At the end of this fast moving round, referring to different messengers, types of tests, and forms of God’s grace and mercy, the Surah gives a final comment: “Surely, your community is but one community, and I am your only Lord. So, worship Me alone.”
This is the community of prophets: a single community, having the same faith, following the same course, and turning to God alone. Thus we have a single community on earth, and a single Lord in heaven. He has no partners. No one may be worshipped other than Him. This whole community follows the same line, acknowledging a single will in heaven and on earth. Thus, this whole round dovetails with the central theme of the Surah, emphasizing the right faith based on the concept of God’s oneness, which is confirmed by all universal laws.
Next week we begin discussion of the final passage of this Surah.
