Zakariyya’s Quiet Prayer
8 min · Ages 4–12 · Prophet Zakariyya (Zechariah)
The Prophet Zakariyya, peace be upon him, is very old and has no child. He calls on Allah in a quiet prayer, and Allah answers with good news of a boy named Yahya. The story teaches us that Allah hears every whisper, and that nothing is too hard for Him.
Zakariyya was old, and he called on Allah in a quiet prayer. Allah heard him and gave him a son named Yahya.
Try today: Tell Allah quietly, in your own words, something you are hoping for.
How the Story begins
Allah hears even a whispered prayer. This true story, from the Qur’an, is about one. It is the story of the Prophet Zakariyya, peace be upon him. Zakariyya was one of Allah’s prophets, a good and gentle man who loved to pray. The Qur’an begins his story with these words: a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyya. So this is a story about Allah’s mercy. Let’s listen together.
Zakariyya worked hard with his own hands. Our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, told us that Zakariyya was a carpenter. A carpenter makes things out of wood, like doors, and benches, and boxes. Imagine the smell of fresh wood shavings, and the tap, tap, tap of his tools. Zakariyya earned his living honestly, and the Qur’an tells us that he hurried to do good things.
Zakariyya also looked after a very special girl. Her name was Maryam, peace be upon her. Allah had placed Maryam in his care. Maryam worshipped Allah in a quiet prayer room, a peaceful place set apart for prayer. And every time Zakariyya came in to see her, he found something surprising. There was food there with her. Who had brought it? Zakariyya had not brought it.
The Story has 18 Pages. The rest is narrated in the app.
Hear the whole Story in Munira. Narrated Page by Page over hand-drawn Scenes, then a picture Quiz and one Moral to carry into tomorrow. Bedtime Mode dims the screen and fades the narration to silence.
Download on the App StoreFree to download with 5 Free Stories. Every Story with Yearly (US$19.99, 7-day free trial) or Lifetime (US$49.99). iPhone and iPad; English.
Sources
Retold from Surah Maryam 19:1–15, Al 'Imran 3:37–41, Al-Anbiya 21:89–90; Sahih Muslim 2379; Sahih al-Bukhari 3430; with notes from Tafsir Ibn Kathir
Every Story in Munira is retold only from the Qur’an and authentic hadith, shows its Sources, and is checked by a Reviewer before it is published in the app.
