JOHN BAPTIST

Arabic Yaḥyā ( يحيى‎ ). Mentioned three times in the Qurʾān. The XIX th Sūrah opens with an account of the Birth of John the Baptist:— “A recital of thy Lord’s mercy to his servant Zacharias; when he called upon his Lord with secret calling, and said: ‘O Lord, verily my bones are weakened, and the hoar hairs glisten on my head, and never, Lord, have I prayed to Thee with ill succe . But now I have fears for my kindred after me; and my wife is barren: give me, then, a succe or as Thy special gift, who shall be my heir and an heir of the family of Jacob: and make him, Lord, well pleasing to Thee. ’ ‘O Zacharias! verily we announce to thee a son,—his name John: that name We have given to none before him.’ He said: ‘O my Lord! how when my wife is barren shall I have a son, and when I have now reached old age, failing in my powers?’ He said: ‘So shall it be. Thy Lord hath said, Easy is this to me, for I created thee aforetime when thou wast nothing.’ He said: ‘Vouchsafe me, O my Lord! a sign.’ He said: ‘Thy sign shall be that for three nights, though sound in health, thou speak est not to man.’ And he came forth from the sanctuary to his people, and made signs to them to sing praises morn and even. We said : ‘O John! receive the Book with purpose of heart’:—and We bestowed on him wisdom while yet a child; and mercifulne from Ourself, and purity; and pious was he, and duteous to his parents; and not proud, rebellious. And peace was on him on the day he was born, and the day of his death, and shall be on the day when he shall be raised to life!” Sūrah xxi. 89 : “And Zacharias; when he called upon his Lord saying, ‘O my Lord, leave me not childle : but there is no better heir than Thyself.’ So we heard him, and gave him John, and we made his wife fit for child-bearing. Verily, these vied in goodne , and called upon us with love and fear, and humbled themselves before us.” Sūrah vi. 85 : “And we guided … Zacharias, and John , and Jesus, and Elias, all righteous ones.”