"Let him be my heir and the heir of Jacob's clan, and make him, my Lord, acceptable."

John, called Yahya in Arabic, was a prophet of God and the son of Zachariah, born to an elderly father and a mother who had been sterile. The Quran counts him among the righteous prophets, next to Zachariah, Jesus, and Elias (6:85), and says those prophets were given "the scripture, wisdom, and prophethood" (6:89). Zachariah asked God for an heir to "my heir and the heir of Jacob's clan" (19:6), and John was told to "uphold the scripture, strongly" (19:12). It follows that his mission was to the Children of Israel, carrying forward the scripture already given to them. He lived at the same time as Jesus. The angels called John "a believer in the word of GOD" (3:39), and a few verses later Jesus is announced as "a Word from Him" (3:45). That suggests John's role included believing in Jesus and confirming him.
His story begins with Mary. Zachariah was her guardian, and whenever he entered her sanctuary he found provisions there that she said came from God (3:37). That moved him to pray for a good child of his own (3:38). He called on God in secret. He said his bones had turned brittle, his hair was gray, and his wife was sterile, and he was worried about his dependents after him. Still he never despaired of his Lord (19:3-6). He pleaded, "My Lord, do not keep me without an heir, though You are the best inheritor" (21:89).
While Zachariah was praying in the sanctuary, the angels brought him the good news of John, "honorable, moral, and a righteous prophet" (3:39). God said, "We never created anyone like him before" (19:7). Zachariah asked how this could be, given his age and his wife's condition. The answer came: "It is easy for Me to do. I created you before that, and you were nothing" (19:9), and "GOD does whatever He wills" (3:40). He asked for a sign and was told he would not speak to the people for three nights except through signals. He came out of the sanctuary and signaled to his family to meditate on God day and night (19:10-11, 3:41). God then "fixed his wife for him" and granted him John (21:90). In his footnote to that verse, Dr. Khalifa explains that the plural "we" shows the angels taking part, since they dealt with Zachariah directly in giving him the news.
John grew up as the Quran described him in advance. God gave him wisdom "even in his youth," along with kindness and purity, "for he was righteous" (19:12-13). He honored his parents and "was never a disobedient tyrant" (19:14). God gave him peace at each stage of his existence: "Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he is resurrected back to life" (19:15).
The Quran draws several lessons from his story. God hears prayer and answers it beyond what seems possible, because the One who created a person from nothing can easily give a child to an old man and a sterile woman (19:9). The family was blessed because "they used to hasten to work righteousness, and implored us in situations of joy, as well as fear. To us, they were reverent" (21:90). In both Sura 3 and Sura 19, John's miraculous birth comes right before the virgin birth of Jesus (3:42-45, 19:16). Dr. Khalifa notes that Sura 19 opens with the largest number of Quranic Initials possible because it deals with "the miraculous birth of John and the virgin birth of Jesus," and he says those initials give physical evidence on these matters (19:1). This suggests John's birth works as a lead-in: both births are signs of God's power, not proof that either child was divine. The Quran then says of all these prophets, "These are the ones guided by GOD; you shall be guided in their footsteps" (6:90).
Verses
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We* responded to him and granted him John; we fixed his wife for him. That is because they used to hasten to work righteousness, and implored us in situations of joy, as well as fear. To us, they were reverent.
*21:90 The use of the plural tense throughout the Quran indicates participation of the angels. It is clear from 3:39 and from the Bible that the angels dealt with Zachariah extensively, as they gave him the good news about John. See Appendix 10.
"O John, you shall uphold the scripture, strongly." We endowed him with wisdom, even in his youth.
And (we endowed him with) kindness from us and purity, for he was righteous.
He honored his parents, and was never a disobedient tyrant.
Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he is resurrected back to life.