Page 19 - Some Secrets of the Qur'an
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GOD ANSWERS EVERYONE'S PRAYERS
is crowned with white, but in calling on You, My
Lord, I have never been disappointed. I fear my
relatives when I am gone and my wife is barren, so
give me an heir from You to be my inheritor and the
inheritor of the family of Jacob (Ya'qub), and make
him, my Lord, pleasing to You.' (Surah Maryam: 3-6)
God answered the Prophet Zachariah's prayer and gave
him the good news of the Prophet John (Yahya), peace be
upon him. Having received the tidings of a son, the Prophet
Zachariah was surprised since his wife was barren. The
answer of God to the Prophet Zachariah reveals a secret
which believers should always keep in mind:
He said, 'My Lord! How can I have a boy when my
wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?'
He said, 'It will be so! Your Lord says, "That is easy
for me to do. I created you before, when you were
not anything."' (Surah Maryam: 8-9)
There are many other prophets mentioned in the Qur'an
whose prayers were answered. For example, the Prophet
Noah (Nuh), peace be upon him, asked God to inflict a
torment on his people, who went astray despite his best
efforts to guide them to the right path. As an answer to his
prayer, God inflicted a great torment on them which went
down in history.
The Prophet Job (Aiyub), peace be upon him, called out to
God because of his distress, saying "... Great harm has
afflicted me and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful"
(Surat al-Anbiya': 83). The response to the Prophet Job's
prayer is related as follows: