Prophet Zakariya عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام and the Answered Dua

Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) was a kind old man who looked after the young girl Maryam. Whenever he visited her in her prayer room, he found fresh fruit there. “Where is this from?” he asked. Maryam said, “It is from Allah. Allah gives to whoever He wills.”

Zakariya (pbuh) and his wife were very old and had no children. Seeing Allah’s gifts to Maryam made him think, “If Allah can do this, He can give me a child too.” So he made a quiet dua to Allah in the night.

One day, while Zakariya (pbuh) was praying, the angels called out to him with good news. Allah would give him a son named Yahya, a name no one had been given before! Zakariya (pbuh) was amazed and full of joy.

Allah gave him a sign: for three days he would not be able to speak to people, except by signs. During those days Zakariya (pbuh) kept praising Allah morning and evening. Soon baby Yahya was born, and he grew up to be a wise and gentle prophet.