Prophet Yahya (John)
1st century CE (contemporary of Isa; killed before or around the time of Isa's mission).
Yahya (John) was the son of Zakariyah, given wisdom and prophethood as a child. He was serious and merciful to animals; he fed them from his food and ate fruit or leaves. He loved reading and was guided to hold fast to the Scripture; he became the wisest of his time and wept much in fear of Allah. He lived in the wilderness, sometimes in a grave he had dug, or in caves with beasts that recognised him and left. He called people to repent. He pronounced that the marriage of the tyrant Herod Antipas to his niece Salome was incestuous; she asked for his head, and he was executed. The Quran honours him: "Peace upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive."
"O Yahya, take the Scripture with strength." And We gave him judgement [while yet] a boy, and affection from Us and purity, and he was righteous and dutiful to his parents and was not a disobedient tyrant. (Maryam 19:12-14) Yahya was born a stranger to the world of children who amused themselves—he was serious all the time. Most children took delight in torturing animals; he was merciful to them and fed them from his food until there was nothing left for him, and he just ate fruit or leaves. He loved reading from childhood. Allah guided him to read the Book of Jurisprudence closely; he became the wisest and most knowledgeable man of that time. His compassion for his parents and for all people and creatures increased. Ibn Wahb said that grass was the food of Yahya ibn Zakariyah, and he wept sorely in fear of Allah.
In this story
- Yahya's childhood and qualities
- His devotion and love of nature
- Why Yahya always wept
- His cruel death
Where the Quran tells it
- Maryam 19:12-15
- Aal Imran 3:39
- Al-Anbiya 21:90
- Aal Imran 3:38-41