Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist, peace be upon him)

Yahya (peace be upon him), son of Zakariyya, is one of the prophets born through a miraculous divine gift — his father was very old and his mother was barren, yet Allah willed his creation. His birth was announced in advance through revelation, and Allah gave him his name directly — a name not given to any person before him (Surah Maryam 19:7). Allah honored Yahya with one of the most comprehensive collections of praise in the Quran. In a single concentrated passage (Surah Maryam 19:12–15), Allah says: "O Yahya, take the Scripture with determination. And We gave him judgement while still a child. And affection from Us and purity, and he was righteous. And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant. And peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive." This verse describes Yahya as being given wisdom (hukm) from childhood — an extraordinary honor that placed him among the prophets despite his young age. He was noted for his purity, his compassion, his obedience to his parents, and his abstinence from the worldly distractions of his time. Classical scholars highlight his extreme asceticism: he wore rough garments, ate simple food, wept abundantly from the fear of Allah, and avoided the amusements and distractions that occupied those around him. Yahya's mission was to call the Children of Israel to repentance and righteousness before the arrival of Isa ibn Maryam — and the Quran records that he confirmed the word from Allah about Isa (Surah Aal Imran 3:39). He is thus a prophet who served as a forerunner and supporter of the penultimate prophet before Muhammad ﷺ. The verse that ends his Quranic passage — "peace upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive" — is nearly identical to the words Isa speaks about himself in the Quran (Surah Maryam 19:33), underscoring the deep spiritual kinship between these two prophets of the final era before Muhammad ﷺ.