فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُۥ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُۥ زَوْجَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يُسَـٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا۟ لَنَا خَـٰشِعِينَ 90
Translations
So We responded to him, and We gave to him John, and amended for him his wife. Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.
Transliteration
Fastajabna lahu wa wahabna lahu Yahya wa aslahna lahu zawjahu. Innahum kanu yusarieun fil khayrati wa yad'unna rageban wa rahaba. Wa kanu lana khashi'in.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Prophet Zakariyyah (Zechariah), whose supplication Allah answered by granting him a righteous son, Yahya (John the Baptist), and reforming his wife's condition so she could bear children despite their advanced age. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the verse emphasizes that Zakariyyah and his household were granted these blessings because of their eagerness in good deeds, sincere devotion to Allah combining hope (raghab) and fear (rahab), and their profound humility and submission before their Lord.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Anbiya's discussion of various prophets and their stories. It comes after the account of Zakariyyah's prayer mentioned in 21:89, where he called upon Allah in private despite his old age and the infertility of his wife. The broader context emphasizes how prophets exemplified devotion and how Allah responds to sincere supplication.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (3371): The Prophet Muhammad mentioned Zakariyyah's invocation and Allah's response. Additionally, Sunan An-Nasa'i contains narrations about the virtue of supplication (dua) combined with good deeds and righteous conduct, reflecting the principle shown in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere supplication combined with righteous action, humility, and balance between hope in Allah's mercy and fear of His judgment creates the conditions for divine blessings. For modern believers, it emphasizes that passive prayer without good conduct is incomplete; true devotion requires active pursuit of virtue alongside heartfelt invocation.