Prophet Zachariah, or Zakariyyah, who was the chief administrator of the Haykal (Solomon’s temple). He silently prayed to his Lord to grant him a son to carry on his mission: ‘Lord, my bones have weakened and my head has turned hoary with age, but never, Lord, have I been disappointed in my prayer to you: now I fear my kinsmen when I am gone. [I have no hope of their continuing my mission] for my wife is barren, so grant me a successor from Yourself, to be my heir and to be the heir [of the blessings] of the House of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord, acceptable to you.’ (19: 4-6)

These verses of the Quran show what real prayer is. True prayer is a spontaneous expression of the firm belief that all powers vest in God. Man receives every single thing only on His giving it to him, and no one can own a thing if He does not confer it on him. True prayer needs to be directed solely towards the one and only God. That is why true prayer gushes forth when one is alone—when there is nobody present except God and oneself.

This is the prayer of one who had grown very old while pursuing a religious mission and failed to find among his family members anybody to carry on his task after him. The feeling of his own helplessness on the one hand, and the realization of the tremendous importance of his mission on the other, combine in the prayer and are expressed in these verses. In other words, this was not a mere prayer for a son in the usual sense: it was a prayer for a worthy successor capable of carrying on his prophetic mission after him. Prophet Zachariah’s prayer was answered by the granting of a son—Prophet John.

Prophets are those on whom God has bestowed His special Grace. A most prominent personal characteristic of theirs is that their endeavours are directed not towards the attainment of worldly goals but towards the attainment of things that are valuable from the viewpoint of the Hereafter. They have discovered the Majesty of God to the extent that in their eyes He is everything and nothing else matters. In every circumstance they opt for the path of modesty and humility.

These qualities were found in full measure in Zachariah (Zakkariyyah) and other prophets. On this account, God blessed them with His special grace. Common believers too will be entitled to God’s succour and His blessings, provided that they possess the aforesaid qualities.