Transliteration:( Fastajabnaa lahoo wa wahabnaa lahoo Yahyaa Wa aslahnaa lahoo zawjah; innahum kaanoo yusaari'oona fil khairaati wa yad'oonanaa raghabanw wa rahabaa; wa kaanoo lanaa khaashi'een )
"Then We responded to his call and We bestowed him Yahya and cured his wife [138] for him. Indeed, they used to hurry in good deeds and used to call Us with hope and fear. And they humbled themselves before Us [139]."
Allah accepted the du'a of Hazrat Zakariyah (peace be upon him) and granted him a son, Hazrat Yahya (peace be upon him), even though his wife was barren and both were in old age.
Rather than reversing their age or youth, Allah made her capable of bearing a child in old age. This miracle occurred without contradicting the earlier divine declaration:
“So it is,” (Surah Maryam, 19:9)—meaning, the child will be born despite all outward impossibilities, because Allah’s command is above all natural limitations.
The verse further describes the righteous qualities of Hazrat Zakariyah and his family, offering a blueprint for how one's supplications can be accepted by Allah:
They did not delay in doing good deeds – They actively rushed to perform righteous actions, not waiting for convenience or ease.
They prayed to Allah with both hope and fear – Balancing hope in divine mercy with fear of divine displeasure, a sign of true servitude and sincerity.
They humbled themselves before Allah – In every action, they displayed humility, acknowledging their absolute dependence on Allah’s mercy and guidance.
From this we learn that if a person wishes for their du'as to be accepted, they must adopt these three prophetic traits:
eagerness for good, constant and balanced supplication, and deep humility before Allah.
The tafsir of Surah Anbiya verse 90 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Anbiya ayat 89 which provides the complete commentary from verse 89 through 90.
(21:90) So We accepted his prayer and bestowed upon him John, and We made his wife fit[86] (to bear a child). Verily they hastened in doing good works and called upon Us with longing and fear, and humbled themselves to Us.[87]
86. “Cured his wife”: We cured his wife of sterility. As “You are the best of the Inheritors”, I shall have no grief even if You do not give me any child. For further details, please see (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 37-41) and (Surah Maryam, Ayat 2-14) and the E.Ns thereof.
87. It will be worthwhile to reiterate the reasons why the stories of the Prophets have been cited in this Surah.
(1) The story of Prophet Zacharias has been cited to impress on the minds that all the Prophets were human beings and servants of Allah and had no tinge of Godhead in them. They had no power to bestow children upon others because they themselves had to pray to Allah for children for themselves.
(2) The story of Prophet Jonah has been cited to show that even a great Prophet like him did not go unnoticed when he committed an error in regard to Allah’s message. But when he repented, Allah, by His grace, delivered him alive from the belly of the fish.
(3) The mention of Prophet Job has been made to show that even Prophets were put to hard trials and afflictions and even they had to beg Allah to restore them to health, not to speak of curing others of diseases.
Along with these, the other important thing which is meant to be impressed is that all the Prophets believed in the doctrine of Tauhid. That is why they begged and prayed to One Allah alone to fulfill their needs and requirements. Though they met with trials, Allah helped them and granted their prayers in supernatural and miraculous ways.
[902]- i.e., worship.
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