Hazrat Zakariya (peace be upon him) was an illustrious Prophet of the Israelites.

He was one of the descendants of Prophet Suleiman (peace be upon him). The name of
his wife was al-Yashbi' who belonged to the family of Prophet Harun (peace be upon
him). The Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) was the patron of Mary (peace be
upon him), the mother of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him). He was the trustee of
Hekal. He worked as a carpenter and earned his livelihood.

HIS LIFE

The Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) kept the torch of Mosaic Law burning. He
used to pray devotionally and preach zealously. His wife and he were the symbols
of piety and righteousness. Most of his kinsmen lacked in spirit of true faith. As
they were seduced, they were inclined to doing evil deeds. They were going out of
the right path.

The Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) was much anxious about this state of
affairs. He had no offspring and there was no suitable person to hold the office
of priesthood of Hekal after his death. He was desirous of having a son to become
his good successor. He wanted to have a son to maintain the warmth of religious
activities.

One night he stood in prayer in his sanctuary and prayed to Allah to bless him
with a good son. He was conscious that he was in an advanced age and his wife was
barren and unable to raise any issue. He had full faith in Allah who possesses
power to do whatever He wills. He came to know through his prophetic insight that
Allah would grant his request. He would be blessed with a good son to act as his
heir who could guide the people aright.

God in His infinite mercy removed the defect of his wife's barrenness so that she
might become mother. She gave birth to Prophet Yahya (peace be upon him) who was
destined to be honorable, chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous. The
Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) felt satisfied as his son grew up and became
a symbol of piety. He was graced with wisdom, obedience and asceticism.

The Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) continued preaching the religion of Allah
even in old age. The Israelites were indulged in mischief making and wickedness.
They had not only ignored the teachings of their Prophet but tortured him also.
The Holy Qur'an makes mention of the cruel acts of the Israelites in the following
Verses:

"Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah and slay the Prophets
wrongfully and slay those of mankind who enjoin equity, promise him a painful
doom." (Surah 3: Verse 21)

The Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) did not die a natural death. One day the
Israelites decided to put him to death. He hid himself in the cavern of the tree.
The Jews began to saw that part of the tree. The Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon
him) did not even utter a faint cry. His body was cut into two pieces.