As a result of the prayer of Prophet Zechariah, Allah blessed him with a son named Yahya. Allah Himself selected this name and informed Zechariah that no one before him had been given this name. In the Gospels he is called John the Baptist because he baptized people.
Allah says:
“يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَى لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا”
Surah Maryam, Verse 7
Meaning: O Zechariah, We give you good news of a son whose name will be Yahya. We have given this name to no one before him.
Yahya had an inborn longing for Allah and worshipped Him with complete sincerity of heart and soul. Allah blessed him with wisdom and knowledge during his childhood. He was the forerunner of Jesus Christ and announced the coming of an apostle, preparing the people to receive him with open hearts and minds.
Allah also says:
“فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَى مُصَدِّقًا بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ”
Surah Aal Imran, Verse 39
Meaning: The angels called to him while he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah gives you good news of Yahya, who will confirm the truth of a Word from Allah, who will be noble, chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous.
Allah commanded Yahya to follow the Law of Moses and guide the people according to it. Even in childhood he was unique. When other children invited him to play, he would reply, “Allah has not created me for play.”
Allah says:
“يَا يَحْيَى خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا وَحَنَانًا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَزَكَاةً وَكَانَ تَقِيًّا وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُن جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّا وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا”
Surah Maryam, Verses 12 to 15
Meaning: O Yahya, hold firmly to the Book. We gave him wisdom while still a youth, along with compassion from Us and purity. He was devout and dutiful to his parents, and he was not arrogant or disobedient. Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised to life again.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that Allah commanded Yahya to act upon five teachings and to convey them to the Israelites.
It took Yahya some time to begin preaching these teachings. Jesus Christ said to him, “If you permit me, my brother, I will preach them to the people of Israel since you are delaying.”
Yahya replied, “My brother, if I allow you, I fear that Allah’s anger will come upon me. Therefore I must proceed myself.”
He gathered the Israelites in the Holy Temple and addressed them:
“O people, listen to me. The Lord has commanded me to act upon five matters and to instruct you to act upon them as well.”
The First Command
You must not worship anyone except Allah, nor associate any partner with Him. A person who does so is like a slave purchased by his master who then hands his earnings to someone else. Would anyone accept such a servant
Allah created you and provides for you, so you must serve Him alone and not associate partners with Him.
The Second Command
Worship Allah with complete sincerity and full attention. When you pray without distraction and with full presence of heart, Allah turns toward you with His mercy and kindness.
The Third Command
Fast for the sake of Allah, for the fasting person is like someone who carries musk. When he sits among his companions, they enjoy the fragrance of the musk just as people benefit from the spiritual fragrance of the fasting person.
The Fourth Command
Give charity from your lawful earnings. A charitable person is like someone captured by his enemies who, when being led to execution, pleads, “Take my wealth and spare my life.” When they accept, he gives everything to save himself. Charity is a person’s way of saving his soul.
The Fifth Command
Remember Allah frequently, day and night. A person who remembers Allah is like a man fleeing from an enemy who enters a strong fortress to protect himself. For the believer, the remembrance of Allah is the fortress that protects against Satan. One who remembers Allah is remembered by Allah, and one who forgets Allah is left to himself.
Most of Yahya’s life was spent in solitude, in deserts and forests. The word of Allah came to him in the wilderness. He preached near the River Jordan and gave glad tidings of the coming of Jesus Christ.
It is written in the Gospel of Luke:
“The word of God came unto John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Gospel of Luke, Chapter 3, Verses 2 to 3
Yahya’s heart was extremely tender. Tears had carved marks on his cheeks. Once Zechariah found him weeping in a forest and said, “My son, we worry for you, and you sit here in tears.”
Yahya replied, “Father, you once told me that between heaven and hell is a valley that cannot be crossed unless it is moistened with the tears shed in remembrance of Allah. Without weeping for one’s sins, a person cannot enter Paradise.”
The king of Damascus, Hodad Ben Hadar, divorced his wife and later wished to remarry her. He asked Yahya about the ruling. Yahya said, “No, you cannot. She is forbidden for you.”
This angered the queen more than the king. She turned against Yahya and eventually persuaded the king to order his execution.
While Yahya was worshipping Allah in the Temple of Hebron, he was martyred. His head was presented to the queen, and even in that state the head declared, “No, you are forbidden to the king.”
In divine punishment, she was seized by Allah and the earth swallowed her.
According to a legend, Yahya’s blood continued to bubble from the ground until the conquest of Damascus by Nebuchadnezzar, during which seventy thousand people were killed.
Allah warns:
“إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ”
Surah Aal Imran, Verse 21
Meaning: Those who deny the signs of Allah and unjustly kill the prophets, and kill those who call people to justice, give them the news of a severe and painful punishment.