The Seed · Messengers
Mary and Zachariah
Mary was a pious woman whom God chose, and Zachariah was an old prophet who kept on praying to his Lord. The Quran tells their stories side by side, and we will follow them together on this page.
The angels said, “O Mary, GOD has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you from all the women.
[3:42]The Quran tells the stories of Mary and Zachariah together. You will notice that in two suras, one story leads straight into the other, in [3:35] to [3:47] and in [19:2] to [19:34].
Mary was a pious woman, and God chose her and purified her. Zachariah was an old man and a prophet, and he took care of Mary while she was growing up.
Both of them were given news that seemed impossible, and each of them was given a son who became a prophet. Through all of it, Mary and Zachariah turned to God alone.
A whole sura of the Quran carries Mary's name, and this is sura 19, which is called Mary. Let's go through the two stories together, in the order the Quran tells them, starting with who Mary was.
Who Mary Was
Mary was the mother of Jesus, and the Quran speaks about her with great honour.
The angels told her: “O Mary, GOD has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you from all the women.” [3:42]
God describes her faith for us: “She believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures; she was obedient.” [66:12] God also says of her: “his mother was a saint” [5:75].
God gives her as an example of those who believed, together with the wife of Pharaoh [66:11] [66:12]. Now that we know who Mary was, let's go back to the time before she was born, because that is where her story begins.
Mary's Mother Dedicates Her to God
Mary's story begins before she was born. Her mother, the wife of Amram, made a promise to God: “My Lord, I have dedicated (the baby) in my belly to You, totally, so accept from me.” [3:35]
She gave birth to a daughter, and she said: “I have named her Mary and I invoke Your protection for her and her descendants from the rejected devil.” [3:36]
God accepted the child: “Her Lord accepted her a gracious acceptance, and brought her up a gracious upbringing, under the guardianship of Zachariah.” [3:37]
Many people wanted to take care of her, so they drew lots to choose her guardian [3:44]. Zachariah was the one who became her guardian, and this is how the two stories come together.
God's Provisions in Mary's Sanctuary
So far, we have seen how Mary came into Zachariah's care. From here, let's look at what he found when he visited her. Mary had a sanctuary, and each time Zachariah came in, he found food with her [3:37]. He asked her where it came from.
Her answer is one of the most beautiful lines in the Quran: “It is from GOD. GOD provides for whomever He chooses, without limits.” [3:37]
It is clear to us that Mary knew where every good thing comes from. As we will see next, when Zachariah heard her answer, he turned to God right there and prayed for a child of his own.
Zachariah's Prayer for a Son
Now let's look at Zachariah himself. Zachariah was a prophet. God names him [6:85] among those He gave “the scripture, wisdom, and prophethood” [6:89].
He was old, and his wife could not have children. When he heard Mary's answer, he prayed right there: “My Lord, grant me such a good child; You are the Hearer of the prayers.” [3:38]
He prayed quietly: “He called his Lord, a secret call.” [19:3] He opened his heart to his Lord and said: “My Lord, the bones have turned brittle in my body, and my hair is aflame with gray. As I implore You, my Lord, I never despair.” [19:4]
God answered him: “O Zachariah, we give you good news; a boy whose name shall be John (Yahya).” [19:7] Please notice that the “we” in this verse is God speaking.
Zachariah wondered how this could happen when he was so old [19:8]. The answer came: “It is easy for Me to do. I created you before that, and you were nothing.” [19:9]
He asked for a sign, and his sign was that he would not speak to people for three nights [19:10]. He came out and gave his family a message by signs: “Meditate (on GOD) day and night.” [19:11]
God tells us what made this family special: “they used to hasten to work righteousness, and implored us in situations of joy, as well as fear. To us, they were reverent.” [21:90]
John, the Son of Zachariah
We have seen Zachariah's prayer answered. Now let's look at the son God gave him. The angels described John to Zachariah as “a believer in the word of GOD, honorable, moral, and a righteous prophet” [3:39].
God told him: “O John, you shall uphold the scripture, strongly.” [19:12] God gave him wisdom while he was still young, and He also gave him kindness and purity [19:12] [19:13].
God tells us how John lived with his mother and father: “He honored his parents, and was never a disobedient tyrant.” [19:14]
The Good News to Mary
So far, we have followed Zachariah and the good news he received about John. From here, the Quran turns back to Mary, and now it was her turn to receive good news. She had gone away from her family, to a place in the east [19:16]. God sent her His Spirit in the form of a man [19:17].
She was afraid, and she said: “I seek refuge in the Most Gracious, that you may be righteous.” [19:18] He answered: “I am the messenger of your Lord, to grant you a pure son.” [19:19]
She asked the same question any of us would ask: “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me; I have never been unchaste.” [19:20]
The answer came: “Thus said your Lord, ‘It is easy for Me. We will render him a sign for the people, and mercy from us. This is a predestined matter.’” [19:21]
The angels also told her what God commanded her: “O Mary, you shall submit to your Lord, and prostrate and bow down with those who bow down.” [3:43]
Mary Gives Birth Under the Palm Tree
We have seen the good news come to Mary. Now let's look at the birth itself. When the time came, Mary went far away, and the pain of birth came to her by the trunk of a palm tree [19:23].
She was alone, and she was ashamed. She cried out: “(I am so ashamed;) I wish I were dead before this happened, and completely forgotten.” [19:23]
God did not leave her alone. The newborn called to her: “Do not grieve. Your Lord has provided you with a stream.” [19:24] “If you shake the trunk of this palm tree, it will drop ripe dates for you.” [19:25] “Eat and drink, and be happy.” [19:26]
If any of us has ever felt alone and ashamed, we can find comfort in this part of her story. Please notice that God was close to Mary at the most difficult time of her life. He gave her water and food, and He comforted her, so she was never really alone.
Mary Faces Her People
After the birth, Mary came home carrying her baby, and her people accused her right away: “O Mary, you have committed something that is totally unexpected.” [19:27] “O descendant of Aaron, your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother unchaste.” [19:28]
She did not argue with them. She pointed to the baby [19:29], and the infant spoke: “I am a servant of GOD. He has given me the scripture, and has appointed me a prophet.” [19:30]
God Himself defended Mary. He condemns those who spoke “about Mary a gross lie” [4:156].
God made Mary and her son a sign: “We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign” [23:50]. The full story of Jesus has its own page in this section, if you would like to read more about him.
Their Story, and Where to Read It
We have now gone through both stories. The Quran tells them mainly in sura 3 and sura 19, and this table shows where you can read each part for yourself.
| What happened | Where to read it |
|---|---|
| Mary's mother dedicates her to God | [3:35] to [3:37] |
| Provisions from God in the sanctuary | [3:37] |
| Zachariah prays, and John is promised | [3:38] to [3:41] and [19:2] to [19:11] |
| John, given wisdom in his youth | [19:12] to [19:15] |
| Zachariah's family, and their prayers | [21:89] to [21:90] |
| The angels speak to Mary | [3:42] to [3:47] |
| The Spirit comes to Mary | [19:16] to [19:21] |
| Mary gives birth under the palm tree | [19:22] to [19:26] |
| Mary faces her people, and the infant speaks | [19:27] to [19:34] |
| Mary, an example for the believers | [66:11] to [66:12] |
Mary Worshiped God Alone
Now that we have read Mary's story, there is one more thing we need to look at. Mary is loved and honoured, but the Quran makes it clear to us that she is not to be worshiped or prayed to.
God will ask Jesus on the Day of Judgment: “did you say to the people, ‘Make me and my mother idols beside GOD’?” [5:116] Jesus will answer that he never said it [5:116] [5:117].
God reminds us that Mary and her son were human beings: “Both of them used to eat the food.” [5:75]
Mary herself bowed down to God. The angels told her: “O Mary, you shall submit to your Lord, and prostrate and bow down with those who bow down.” [3:43] She was “obedient” [66:12]. So it is clear to us that the One she prayed to was God alone.
One Message: God Alone
If you look closely at both stories, you will notice that they carry the same message. Mary taught it in her answer to Zachariah [3:37], and Zachariah lived by it, because he kept on praying to his Lord and never gave up hope [19:4].
Their sons carried the same message. John was told: “O John, you shall uphold the scripture, strongly.” [19:12] Jesus said: “GOD is my Lord and your Lord; you shall worship Him alone.” [19:36]
So the way we honour Mary and Zachariah is by doing what they did. We can thank God for every good thing that comes to us, the way Mary did, and we can pray to Him in joy as well as in fear, the way Zachariah's family did. This is how we worship God alone, which is the message that every one of them carried.
Mary and Zachariah in Four Verses
Here are four verses we can keep close to us. In the last one, the newborn Jesus is speaking to his mother.
Her Lord accepted her a gracious acceptance, and brought her up a gracious upbringing, under the guardianship of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah entered her sanctuary he found provisions with her. He would ask, “Mary, where did you get this from?” She would say, “It is from GOD. GOD provides for whomever He chooses, without limits.”[3:37]
He said, “My Lord, the bones have turned brittle in my body, and my hair is aflame with gray. As I implore You, my Lord, I never despair.”[19:4]
We responded to him and granted him John; we fixed his wife for him. That is because they used to hasten to work righteousness, and implored us in situations of joy, as well as fear. To us, they were reverent.[21:90]
“Eat and drink, and be happy. When you see anyone, say, ‘I have made a vow of silence; I am not talking today to anyone.’”[19:26]
Zachariah Never Gave Up Hope
Zachariah was old, and his wife could not have children. He still kept on praying: “As I implore You, my Lord, I never despair.” [19:4]
Zachariah's prayer is a good reason for each of us to ask ourselves a question. What have we stopped asking God for, because it seemed too late or too hard?
Growth Prompt
Mary looked at the food in front of her and said: “It is from GOD.” [3:37] Today, each time something good comes to you, please say the same words quietly to yourself. At night, you may like to write down three of those good things.
Do I pray to God only when things go wrong, or in joy as well as fear, like Zachariah's family?
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