3.38 Supplication for righteous offspring
This is the supplication of one of the noble prophets of Allah, Zakariyya (peace be upon him). It is mentioned in the Quran in Surah Aal Imran. Year after year, as he carried out his prophetic mission, Zakariyya gradually grew old, and he still had no children. His wife, who had been barren even in her youth, grew old along with him. And then, having taken on the care of young Maryam, the future mother of the prophet Isa (peace be upon them both), he saw that Allah the Almighty, in His mercy, was granting this gentle and God-fearing righteous girl summer fruit in winter and winter fruit in summer. And once again he was convinced of the omnipotence of the Creator.
His faith had never weakened and his worship of the Lord remained diligent. But on seeing this miracle his spirits rose. His faith grew stronger still, and hope awoke in him with new force. Allah the Almighty works many miracles, and now He had shown this one before his eyes, and beyond all doubt He was able to show another: to bless him, Zakariyya, with the offspring he longed for.
And Zakariyya (peace be upon him) at once called upon the Lord with a sincere supplication coming from the very heart, relying entirely on Him.
Yes, he had lived to see his hair turn grey and his bones had grown thin with age. Yes, his wife had grown old too. Yes, the Lord had not willed to bless them with offspring when they were young. Zakariyya (peace be upon him) did not deny this. But the mercy of Allah is boundless and His will is always carried out exactly, meeting no obstacles. For Him, the God, Lord and Creator of the universe, nothing is impossible. And if He wills to bless His prophet with a descendant, no circumstances can prevent it.
“My Lord!” he called out. “Grant me, by Your grace, righteous offspring!” “Grant”, because this would be a wonderful gift, a supernatural event, impossible by human standards. “By Your grace”, because all favours come from Him, the Almighty. And “righteous”, because such offspring is what every believer longs for, since it is what brings benefit in both worlds.
And Zakariyya (peace be upon him) ended his supplication with words that testify to the courtesy of the one who utters them: “You are certainly the Hearer of ˹all˺ prayers!” You hear when You are called upon, and I turn to You, the Almighty, because I know that You answer supplication, that You fulfil the hopes Your servants place in You and grant their most cherished desires.
And the Lord answered the supplication of Zakariyya (peace be upon him), granting him a truly righteous descendant: a son named Yahya, who was also destined to become one of the noble prophets of the Almighty.
This wonderful supplication teaches us, first of all, that we must never despair of the mercy of Allah. Yet this is exactly what happens to a great many people. They ask the Almighty for what really matters to them, especially for children, and when they do not receive an immediate answer to their supplication, after a few years they give up, lose hope and stop praying.
The story of Zakariyya (peace be upon him) is the best proof that the one who despairs of the mercy of Allah commits the greatest offence against himself, whereas the patient one who does not lose hope, on the contrary, ultimately gains a great good.
This supplication also teaches us to ask the Almighty specifically for righteous offspring. How often do childless families who dream of having a child simply ask the Lord to bless them with offspring, forgetting that sons and daughters do not always become a blessing for their parents and bring them happiness. It is not unusual for parents to suffer from the bad character, disgraceful behaviour and evil deeds of their children far more than couples to whom the Almighty granted no offspring at all suffer. That is why it is so important to ask Allah specifically for righteous descendants. And, of course, to ask for righteousness for the children with whom the Lord has already blessed us.
A child is a gift from the Almighty, entrusted to the care of those to whom it is given. It follows that we bear responsibility for our children and are obliged to create the conditions and do everything in our power for them to be sincere believers, God-fearing and of good character, and to become an adornment of our ummah. And when we ask Allah for righteousness for our children, we take a great and important step towards this goal.