Yaḥyā | |
|---|---|
| يَحْيَىٰ John the Baptist | |
 Baby Yahya being held by two angels, late 16th century illustration from Ottoman manuscript | |
| Born | Yahya ibn Zakariyya c. 5B.C.E. |
| Died | c. 30C.E. (agedc. 34–35) Machaerus,Herodian Tetrarchy, Roman Empire |
| Cause of death | Beheaded atMachaerus |
| Predecessor | Zakariya |
| Successor | Isa |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | |
Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā (Arabic:يَحْيَىٰ ٱبْن زَكَرِيَّا,lit. 'John, son ofZechariah'), identified Biblically asJohn the Baptist, is considered inIslam aprophet ofGod who was sent to guide theChildren of Israel. He was the maternal cousin ofIsa (Jesus)[3] and believed byMuslims to have been a witness to the word of God, heralding the coming of Isa Al-Masih (literally Jesus the Messiah).[4][5]
Yahya is mentioned five times in theQur'an.[6] Yahya is also honoured highly inSufism as well asIslamicmysticism, primarily because of the Qur'an's description of Yāhya’s chastity and kindness.[7] Sufis have frequently applied commentaries on the passages on Yāhya in the Qur'an, primarily concerning the God-given gift of wisdom which he acquired in youth as well as his parallels with Isa. Although several phrases used to describe Yahya and Isa are virtually identical in the Qur'an, the manner in which they are expressed is different.[8]
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The Qur'an frequently mentions Zakariya's continuous praying for the birth of a son. Zakariya's wife was barren and therefore the birth of a child seemed impossible.[9] As a gift from God, Zakariya was given a son by the name of Yāhya, a name specially chosen for this child alone. In accordance with Zakariya's prayer, God made Yahya and Isa, who according totafsir (exegesis) was born six months later,[10] to renew the message of God, which had beencorrupted and distorted by theIsraelites.
Yahya and Isa were maternal cousins, although it is contested whether Isha', Yahya's mother, was Maryam's aunt or sister.[11]
The Qur'an says that Yāhya was the first to receive this name (Quran19:7-10) but since the name Yoḥanan occurs many times before Yāhya,[12] this verse refers either to Islamic scholar consensus that "Yaḥyā" is not the same name as "Yoḥanan"[13] or to theBiblical account of the miraculous naming of John, which accounted that he was almost named "Zacharias" (Greek: Ζαχαρίας)[14] after his father, as no one in the lineage of his fatherZacharias (Zechariah) had been named "John" ("Yohanan" or "Yoannes") before him.[15] The Qur'an says:
˹The angels announced,˺ "O Zachariah! Indeed, We give you the good news of ˹the birth of˺ a son, whose name will be Yāhya—a name We have not given to anyone before."
He wondered, "My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?"
An angel replied, "So will it be! Your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing!'"
Zachariah said, "My Lord! Grant me a sign." He responded, "Your sign is that you will not ˹be able to˺ speak to people for three nights, despite being healthy."
So he came out to his people from the sanctuary, signalling to them to glorify ˹Allah˺ morning and evening.
˹It was later said,˺ "O Yāhya! Hold firmly to the Scriptures." And We granted him wisdom while ˹he was still˺ a child,
as well as purity and compassion from Us. And he was God-fearing,
and kind to his parents. He was neither arrogant nor disobedient.
Yahya was exhorted to hold fast to the scripture and was given wisdom by God while still a child.[16] He was pure and devout, and walked well in the presence of God. He was dutiful towards his parents and he was not arrogant or rebellious. Yahya's reading and understanding of the scriptures, when only a child, surpassed even that of the greatest scholars of the time.[9] Islamic tafsir narrates that Isa sent Yahya out with twelve disciples,[17] who preached the message before Jesus called his own disciples.[10] The Qur'an says:
˹It was later said,˺ "O John! Hold firmly to the Scriptures [Torah]." And We granted him wisdom while ˹he was still˺ a child,
Yahya was a classical prophet,[18] who was exalted high by God for his bold denouncing of all things sinful. Furthermore, the Qur'an speaks of Yahya’s gentle piety and love, as well as his humble attitude towards life.
According to Islamic tradition, Yahya used to go to theAl Haram Ash-Sharif (Temple Mount) to deliver his sermons.[6]
During the prophethood of Yahya, a conflict occurred between him andHerod Antipas, who wanted to divorce his wife and marry hisniece. Yahya informed that the marriage would be abominablyincestuous, and did not approve. After hearing this, Herod Antipas had Yahya imprisoned, thendecapitated.[6] Yahya's head is believed to be inside theUmayyad Mosque inDamascus.[19][20][21]
In Islam, Yahya greetedMuhammad on the night of theAl-Isra wal-Mi'raj, along with Isa, in the second heaven.[22] Yahya's story was also told to theAbyssinian king during the Muslimmigration to Abyssinia.[23] According to theQur'an, Yahya was one on whom God sent peace on the day that he was born and the day that he died.[24]Shias compare Yahya withMuhammad's grandsonAl-Husayn.[25]
