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Assalamu Alaikum!
Walaikum Assalam!
What do you want
to do today Amir?
Today is Sunday Baba,
Will you take me to the Garden?
Of course my son,
Get ready and eat
your breakfast.
We will go to the
garden after that!
That’s great!
Let me get ready then!
Are you ready?
Yes, come on lets go!
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Come Amir,
let’s sit on that bench
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It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?
Yes, it is!
Thank you for bringing me here!
Hey, look at that father and son!
Don’t they look cute?
Father and son?
That old man must
be his grandfather!
He is too old to be his father!
No Amir, I know him.
His name is Basheer,
he works with me.
And that is his son Nizam.
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But he is too old to
have such a young son!
How could that be?
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Now you are forgetting the 
powers of Allah, my son!
He can work miracles, you know that!
I.. I’m sorry Baba!
Wait! I just remember the story
of this Prophet who had a son,
 when he was Ninety years old!
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Please tell me his story Baba!
Alright, now listen carefully
Bismillah!
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The story of Zakariya (as)
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Zakariyah (as) was an illustrious
Prophet of the Israelites.
He was one of the descendants
of Sulaiman (as).
He worked as a carpenter,
and he led a simple life
like most of the other Prophets.
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He had a wife and her 
name was al-Yashbi,
 who belonged to the family of
 Prophet Harun (as)
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The Qur’an does not provide accounts
of the Prophet’s childhood or youth.
Hence the story of this Prophet
begins when he was Ninety years old!
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Zakariyah (as) was a faithful
 follower  of Allah (swt),
and he was very humble
 in his behaviour.
Like his ancestor Ibrahim (as),
 the Prophet too reached an old age
without having any children.
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It was during this time,
that the wife of Imran (as), or his
sister in law gave birth to Maryam (as)
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But shortly after,
 Imran (as) passed away.
And this sparked off a dispute within
Bani Israel regarding her guardianship.
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Zakariyah (as) should have
been the ideal choice,
for he was her Uncle,
and a Prophet whose moral
character was beyond question.
But Bani Israel
disputed this choice,
for everyone wanted the prestige of
raising the daughter of Imran (as)
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The people finally agreed to cast
lots to decide on the matter.
Zakariyah (as) kept silent, and
remained in his good behaviour.
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The people who wanted to
become the guardian
wrote their names on wooden pens,
 and put them in a container.
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Then a child was asked to
pick one pen from the box.
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The pen that the child selected
bore the name of Zakariyah (as)!
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But the people were not happy!
Many of them asked for the
cast to be repeated!!
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The Prophet kept
silent, and agreed.
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This time the claimants all put
their pens into the river.
It was decided that the pen 
that would flow against the current
would win the guardianship
 of Mariyam (as)
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It was a miracle!
All the pens of the claimants 
floated along with the river’s current,
but the Prophet’s did not!
It floated against the current!!
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But the people weren’t
happy with this either!
They were not convinced, and
they demanded a third round!!
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This time, they demanded that 
the pen that
floated with the current would
 win the cast
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They threw their pen into the river,
and again the Prophet won the cast!!
The Prophet’s pen floated with the current,
while others pen drifted upstream!!
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Such is the power of Allah(swt)!
The people may plot and plan, but
what is written will take place
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Thus Bani Israel had no choice but to
acknowledge that Zakariyah (as)
was entitled to assume the
guardianship of Maryam (as)
Maryam (as) grew up as a faithful
follower of Allah (swt).
Even when she was a child, she was
always found in a state of prayer.
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She stayed in seclusion,
away from the people.
Her room was in an enclosure, within
Bait-al Maqdis specially built for her.
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There was something magical
about this little girl.
Every time the Prophet walked
in to check on Her,
He always found her surrounded by
 an abundance of food!
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“I did not bring this food for her!”
He wondered
“Then where did all this food come from?”
And strangely, the fruits before
her were not of this climate.
But they were still fresh!
“O Maryam”
 He asked
“From where are these fruits
 coming to you?”
“It is from Allah (swt)”
replied the little girl
Even though the Prophet believed the
little girl, He still had his doubts
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This incident repeated many times, and
finally the Prophet asked her once again.
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“It is from Allah (swt)”
replied Maryam (as).
“Indeed, Allah provides for whom
He wills without account” She said
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When the Prophet saw these
 miracles repeatedly,
it reaffirmed His faith in Allah (swt).
He knew Allah (swt) had the
power to do anything,
no matter what the
conditions are.
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The Prophet always wanted a child, who
could continue His legacy of Prophethood.
But he was now ninety years old,
(---No dialogue---)
and so was his wife as well.
He started praying with utmost
conviction to His Lord!
“O Lord, give me from yourself an heir,
 who shall inherit me, and inherit also
the posterity of Yaqub”
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“And make him my Lord, one with
whom you are well pleased”
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And very soon, Allah(swt)
responded to his prayers.
One day, when the Prophet was
praying, the angels came to him
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“O Zakariyah!” said the angels.
“We are here to share a good news
 about your son!
His name shall be Yahya!
Allah himself has named Him,
and this name has never
existed in history!”
But when the Prophet heard
this, he got confused!
“My Lord” he said to the angels.
“How can I have a son when my wife
is barren, and I an old man?”
The Prophet said this not because
He didn’t believe,
but it was more of an exclamation
of surprise!!
“Such is Allah, He does what
He wills” said the Angel
“Can you show me a sign?”
He asked the Angel
And the Angel replied
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“Your sign is that you shall not
speak to anyone for three nights!”
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“You can talk to them
only in gestures.
And remember your Lord, and glorify
Him in the morning and afternoon”
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When the Prophet came out of the room,
he realized he couldn’t talk anymore!
He had to talk to the
people using gestures!!
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After a few months, like Allah(swt)
had promised,
His wife soon gave birth to a boy!
They named Him Yahya (as)
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Masha Allah, that was
such an amazing story!
(---Baba laughing---)
Do you believe now that nothing
is impossible with Allah (swt)
Yes I do!
Alright, now let me ask
you a few questions
I’m ready!
Tell me what was the
profession of Zachariah (as)?
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He was a carpenter!
That’s correct!
Now can you tell me which
family He belonged to?
He belonged to the
family of Sulaiman (as)
That’s right again!
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Who was the father
of Maryam (as)?
Imran (as)! He was the father
of Maryam (as)!
Isnt it right?
Yes my son, you are right.
How was Zachariah (as) chosen to
be the guardian of Maryam (as)?
They chose Him by casting lots!
That’s right again!
Now tell me what name did Allah(swt)
give for the Prophet’s son?
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He was named Yahya (as)!
That’s very good my son.
Its getting late, come on,
lets go back home!
(---No dialogue---)
