21.89 Supplication not to be left alone without an heir
This is one of those supplications with which the noble prophets of God called upon their Lord, and with which the wonderful Book of our Lord acquaints us. This supplication, mentioned in Surah al-Anbiya (The Prophets), was addressed to the Almighty by the prophet Zakariyya (peace be upon him).
He devoted his life to the call to monotheism and preached the truth with due diligence. For many long years he waited for good offspring, but his wife was barren. And so much time passed, Zakariyya grew old and his wife reached an advanced age. It seemed there was nothing more to wait for.
But Zakariyya (peace be upon him) knew that the Lord can do all things and that He is able to show any miracle if He wills. He himself had witnessed the miracles He showed, especially after he took on the care of the young righteous girl Maryam, the future mother of the prophet Isa (peace be upon him).
And so the prophet of God, whose faith was firm and whose hope in the mercy of the Lord had not faded with the passing years, turned to the Almighty with a sincere supplication, convinced that the Lord already knew what was in his heart, but determined to clothe his innermost wishes in beautiful words.
“My Lord!” This is how Zakariyya (peace be upon him) began his supplication. O You who are the Lord of all creations, including myself and my wife! O You who can do all things and give without measure to whom You will. O You who day and night send Your creations an inexhaustible stream of favours, great and small, manifest and hidden. O You who answer the one who calls upon You in fear and hope!
“Do not leave me childless.” Do not let me, Lord, die alone, leaving no good descendant behind me. Do not let me die without leaving on earth a part of myself. Grant me a righteous offspring who will inherit my knowledge and whose life will be a worthy continuation of mine. Grant me a descendant who will continue my work and turn to You with good supplications for me, who will serve You as I served You and whose heart will be filled with faith.
“Though You are the Best of Successors,” Zakariyya (peace be upon him) acknowledged. You are without beginning and eternal. You have always been, and You will always be. You existed before Your creations appeared, and You continue to exist after they die, for they are all mortal, while You are immortal. You will never die or disappear.
This was beautiful praise, meant to serve as a means of drawing near to the Lord and to help obtain an answer to the supplication. And Allah the Almighty granted Zakariyya a wonderful descendant, the prophet Yahya (peace be upon him): a descendant of whom he could rightly be proud and who was destined to be a worthy successor to his pious father. And this was yet another confirmation of the boundless power of the Almighty, and that He can show any miracle and that nothing is difficult or impossible for Him.
But from the story of Zakariyya we know that he did not stop at supplication. This noble prophet did much more in the hope of earning the pleasure of the Lord and of gaining righteous offspring. He himself belonged, like all the prophets of God, to the number of His chosen ones, and thus to the best of people, possessing the most beautiful moral qualities and doing the noblest deeds. And he worshipped the Lord with the greatest diligence, being an example of piety and fear of God. No one could call into question the firmness of his faith and his submission to the Lord.
This is an important lesson for each of us. Supplication is a beautiful way of attaining what we desire. But besides turning to the Lord in supplication, we should work on ourselves, cultivating in our hearts love for Him, fear of God and trust in Him, and accustoming ourselves to place our hopes in Him and to feel reverent fear before Him.
It is also important to note that although the supplications mentioned in the Quran differ in content and were addressed to the Lord by different people in different ages, what unites them is that they are permeated with courtesy and sincerity. And we today should not forget this when we raise our hands, wishing to turn to the Lord in supplication, especially when we wish to ask Him for something truly important to us.
And, most importantly, this supplication reminds all childless couples that they should not lose hope in the mercy of Allah, as this noble prophet of God did not lose it. How many of us have enough faith and patience to call upon Him again and again, without losing hope, for many years?..