Tarikh (al-Tabari) 296
The story of Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both)
بشارة زكريا بابنه يحيى عليهما السلام وَقَوْلُهُ: يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَى لَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا وَهَذَا مُفَسَّرٌ بِقَوْلِهِ: رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ فَلَمَّا بُشِّرَ بِالْوَلَدِ وَتَحَقَّقَ الْبِشَارَةَ، شَرَعَ يَسْتَعْلِمُ - عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّعَجُّبِ - وُجُودَ الْوَلَدِ، وَالْحَالَةُ هَذِهِ لَهُ: قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا أَيْ: كَيْفَ يُوجَدُ وَلَدٌ مِنْ شَيْخٍ كَبِيرٍ، قِيلَ: كَانَ عُمْرُهُ إِذْ ذَاكَ سَبْعًا وَسَبْعِينَ سَنَةً. وَالْأَشْبَهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ، أَنَّهُ كَانَ أَسَنَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا يَعْنِي، وَقَدْ كَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي فِي حَالِ شَبِيبَتِهَا عَاقِرًا لَا تَلِدُ. وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. كَمَا قَالَ الْخَلِيلُ: أَبَشَّرْتُمُونِي عَلَى أَنْ مَسَّنِيَ الْكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُونِ وَقَالَتْ سَارَّةُ: يَا وَيْلَتَى أَأَلِدُ وَأَنَا عَجُوزٌ وَهَذَا بَعْلِي شَيْخًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ قَالُوا أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ إِنَّهُ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ [ هُودٍ: 72، 73 ]. وَهَكَذَا أُجِيبَ زَكَرِيَّا، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ; قَالَ لَهُ الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي يُوحِي إِلَيْهِ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهِ: كَذَلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ أَيْ: هَذَا سَهْلٌ يَسِيرٌ عَلَيْهِ. وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا أَيْ: قُدْرَتُهُ أَوْجَدَتْكَ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ شَيْئًا مَذْكُورًا، أَفَلَا يُوجِدُ مِنْكَ وَلَدًا وَإِنْ كُنْتَ شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا ؟! وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَى وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ [ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ: 90 ]. وَمَعْنَى إِصْلَاحِ زَوْجَتِهِ ، أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ لَا تَحِيضُ فَحَاضَتْ. وَقِيلَ: كَانَ فِي لِسَانِهَا شَيْءٌ ; أَيْ بَذَاءَةٌ.
Translation
✧ The glad tidings to Zakariyyā of his son Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both) And His saying: “O Zakariyyā, indeed We give you glad tidings of a boy whose name is Yaḥyā. We have not assigned to him before any namesake.” This is explained by His saying: “Our Lord, indeed You will gather the people for a Day about which there is no doubt. Indeed Allah does not fail in His promise.” So when he was given glad tidings of the child and the glad tidings were confirmed, he began to inquire—by way of wonder—about the existence of the child, given his situation: He said: “My Lord, how can I have a boy when my wife has been barren and I have reached extreme old age?” That is: how can a child come from an aged old man? It was said: his age at that time was seventy-seven years. The more likely view, and Allah knows best, is that he was older than that. “And my wife has been barren” meaning, my wife had been barren even in her youth, not bearing children. And Allah knows best. As al-Khalīl said: “Do you give me glad tidings although old age has touched me? So of what do you give me glad tidings?” And Sārah said: “Woe to me! Shall I bear a child when I am an old woman and this husband of mine is an old man? Indeed this is a strange thing.” They said: “Do you wonder at the command of Allah? The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house. Indeed He is Praiseworthy, Glorious.” [Hūd: 72, 73]. And thus Zakariyyā, ﷺ, was answered; the angel who conveyed to him by the command of his Lord said to him: “Thus said your Lord: it is easy for Me,” that is, this is simple and easy for Him. “And I created you before, when you were nothing,” that is, His power brought you into existence after you had not been a thing worth mentioning. Will He not bring forth from you a child even if you are an aged old man?! And He, exalted, said: “So We responded to him and gave him Yaḥyā and set his wife right for him. Indeed they used to hasten to good deeds and call upon Us in hope and fear, and they were humbly submissive to Us.” [al-Anbiyāʾ: 90]. The meaning of setting his wife right is that she had not been menstruating, and then she menstruated. It was also said: there was something in her tongue; that is, coarseness.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.