Prophet Zakariya; First And Major Supporter of Jesus
Zakariya is one of the prophets of Bani Isra’il. He was the head of priests and servants in al-Quds, inviting people to the religion of Hazrat Musa.
There are different views about his ancestry; some believe he was the son of Barkhiya, one of the grandchildren of Hazrat Yaqub (Jacob). Meanwhile, some others believe that Zakariya can be traced back to Moses. Another view is that he is a descendant of Hazrat Sulaiman (Solomon).
Barkhiya was among the leaders of religion at the time, living in Palestine. Historians say Zakariya was also a carpenter. His wife, Elizabeth, was Mary’s aunt.
There were two prominent sisters in Bani Isra’il; Anne and Elizabeth. The sisters married Imran and Zakariya respectively. After Imran’s death, Zakariya took guardianship of Maryam.
Zakariya and Elizabeth did not have any children for long years until God bestowed them with a son named Yahya (John the Baptist).
When Jewish priests leveled wrong accusations against Hazrat Maryam, Zakariya rejected the allegations and supported her. Meanwhile, some people tried to kill Zakariya.
Finding out about their hostile plans, he fled and hid inside a tree. A group of individuals discovered the tree and cut it into pieces, killing Zakariya.
His name has been given seven times in the Quranic chapters of Maryam, Al-Imran, Al-An’am, and Al-Anbiya. Like Muslims, Christians also believe in the prophethood of Zakariya but Jews deny it as they consider Zakariya a righteous Jewish priest.
Some sources say he was 130 years old when he died. He is said to be buried in al-Quds but there is also a tomb in Aleppo that is attributed to him.
