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Ayah
Word by Word
إِذۡ
When
نَادَىٰ
he called
رَبَّهُۥ
(to) his Lord
نِدَآءً
a call
خَفِيّٗا
secret
إِذۡ
When
نَادَىٰ
he called
رَبَّهُۥ
(to) his Lord
نِدَآءً
a call
خَفِيّٗا
secret
Translation
Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret,
Tafsir
when (idh is semantically connected to rahma, 'mercy') he called out to his Lord a call, entailing a supplication, in secret, in the middle of the night, because this [time of the night] invites a faster [to one's supplication].
Tafsir of Surah Maryam
The Story of Zakariyya and His Supplication for a Son
Allah says:
كهيعص
Kaf Ha Ya `Ain Sad.
The discussion about the separate letters has already preceded at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah.
Concerning Allah's statement,
ذِكۡرُ رَحۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ عَبۡدَهُ زَكَرِيَّا
A reminder of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyya.
This means that this is a reminder of Allah's mercy upon His servant Zakariyya.
Yahya bin Ya`mar recited it, (
ذَكَّرَ رَحۡمَةِ رَبكَ عَبۡدَه زكريا
)
He has reminded of your Lord's mercy to His servant Zakariyya.
The word Zakariyya in the Ayah has been recited with elongation and also shortened. Both recitations are well-known. He was a great Prophet from the Prophets of the Children of Israel. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded (that the Prophet said about Zakariyya) that He was a carpenter who used to eat from what he earned with his own hand through carpentry.
Concerning Allah's statement,
إِذۡ نَادَى رَبَّهُ نِدَاء خَفِيًّا
When he called his Lord (with) a call in secret.
He only made his supplication secretly because it is more beloved to Allah.
This is similar to what Qatadah said concerning this Ayah,
إِذۡ نَادَى رَبَّهُ نِدَاء خَفِيًّا
(When he called out his Lord (with) a call in secret),
Verily, Allah knows the pious heart and he hears the hidden voice.
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الۡعَظۡمُ مِنِّي
He said:My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble...
meaning, I have become weak and feeble in strength.
وَاشۡتَعَلَ الرَّأۡسُ شَيۡبًا
and gray hair has Ashta`al on my head,
means the gray hair has burned into the black hair. The intent is to inform of weakness and old age, and its external and internal traces.
Concerning Allah's statement,
وَلَمۡ أَكُن بِدُعَايِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا
and I have never been unblessed in my invocation to You, O my Lord!
This means, I have not experienced from You except that You would respond to my supplication and that You would never refuse me in whatever I ask of You.
Concerning His statement
وَإِنِّي خِفۡتُ الۡمَوَالِيَ مِن وَرَايِي
And verily, I fear Mawali after me,
Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi, all said,
In saying the word Mawali, he (Zakariyya) meant his succeeding relatives.
وَكَانَتِ امۡرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا
فَهَبۡ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا
يَرِثُنِي
and my wife is barren. So give me from Yourself an heir. Who shall inherit me,
The reason for his fear was that he was afraid that the generation that would succeed him would be a wicked generation. Thus, he asked Allah for a son who would be a Prophet after him, who would guide them with his Prophethood and that which was revealed to him.
In response to this I would like to point out that;
he was not afraid of them inheriting his wealth. For a Prophet is too great in status, and too lofty in esteem to become remorseful over his wealth in this fashion. A Prophet would not disdain to leave his wealth to his successive relatives, and thus ask to have a son who would receive his inheritance instead of them. This is one angle of argument.
The second argument is that Allah did not mention that he (Zakariyya) was wealthy. On the contrary, he was a carpenter who ate from the earnings of his own hand. This type of person usually does not have a mass of wealth. Amassing wealth is not something normal for Prophets, for verily, they are the most abstentious in matters of this worldly life.
The third argument is that it is confirmed in the Two Sahihs, in more than one narration, that the Messenger of Allah said,
لَاا نُورَثُ مَا تَرَكۡنَا فَهُوَ صَدَقَة
We (the Prophets) do not leave behind inheritance (of wealth). Whatever we leave behind, then it is charity.
In a narration recorded by At-Tirmidhi with an authentic chain of narrations, he said,
نَحۡنُ مَعۡشَرَ الاَۡنۡبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَث
We, Prophets do not leave behind inheritance (of wealth).
Therefore, the meaning in these Hadiths restricts the meaning of Zakariyya's statement,
فَهَبۡ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا
(So give me from yourself an heir. Who shall inherit me,
inheritance of Prophethood.
For this reason Allah said,
وَيَرِثُ مِنۡ الِ يَعۡقُوبَ
and inherit (also) the posterity of Yaqub.
This is similar to Allah's statement,
وَوَرِثَ سُلَيۡمَـنُ دَاوُودَ
And Suleiman inherited from Dawud. (27:16)
This means that he inherited Prophethood from him. If this had meant wealth, he would not have been singled with it among his other brothers. There also would have been no important benefit in mentioning it if it was referring to wealth. It is already well-known and established in all of the previous laws and divinely revealed creeds, that the son inherits the wealth of his father. Therefore, if this was not referring to a specific type of inheritance, then Allah would not have mentioned it.
All of this is supported and affirmed by what is in the authentic Hadith:
نَحۡنُ مَعَاشِرَ الاَۡنۡبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَثُ مَا تَرَكۡنَا فَهُوَ صَدَقَة
We Prophets do not leave behind any inheritance (of wealth). Whatever we leave behind, then it is charity.
Mujahid said concerning his statement,
يَرِثُنِي
وَيَرِثُ مِنۡ الِ يَعۡقُوبَ
(Who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Yaqub).
His inheritance was knowledge, and Zakariyya was one of the descendants of Yaqub.
Hushaym said, that Ismail bin Abi Khalid informed us that Abu Salih commented about the Ayah:
يَرِثُنِي
وَيَرِثُ مِنۡ الِ يَعۡقُوبَ
(who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Yaqub),
He would be a Prophet like his forefathers were Prophets.
Allah's statement,
وَاجۡعَلۡهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا
and make him, my Lord, one with whom You are well-pleased!
means Make him pleasing to You (Allah) and your creation. Love him and make him beloved to your creatures, in both his religion and his character.
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