Dr Faid Mohammed Said writes:
There are no “stories” in the Qur’an in the conventional sense—no narratives told merely to fill time or entertain an idle mind. Rather, they are pulses of life, filaments of light stretched from heaven to the human heart, reshaping consciousness and cleansing the soul from the dust of its worldly burdens. The Almighty named them “the best of stories” because they restore a person’s humanity and enable him to see beyond habit, to perceive what lies above the senses.
These are accounts that sketch for the human being a path on which he learns how to live, how to endure, how to dream, and how to rise from beneath the rubble of his own exhaustion.
At the heart of this Qur’anic radiance stands the story of Prophet Zachariah—pure as the first supplication, delicate as the trembling of a hopeful heart, and profound as the touch of faith upon what seems impossible.
When the Body Grows Old… and the Heart Remains Young
Zachariah (peace be upon him) was an elderly man, bent beneath the weight of years, his bones weakened by time and his hair ignited with grey. Yet his heart—that subtle, hidden chamber—remained a child knocking insistently on the gates of heaven. It did not tire, nor despair, nor dim.
When a person finds that the causes of this world have shattered in his hands, he hesitates to raise his need to his Lord—fearing his weakness may betray him, or that people may accuse him of illusion. But the prophets teach us another lesson: that the fragility of the body must not extinguish the strength of hope, and that the whitening of hair does not quench the light of the heart.
In the midst of this very human frailty, God opened for Zachariah a small window of light—
a window that would change destinies.
Fruits that Break the Logic of Seasons… and an Answer that Awakens the Soul
Summer fruits lay before her in the depth of winter, and winter fruits rested upon her garment in the heat of summer.
The venerable old prophet stood in amazement—
not because the fruits were plentiful,
but because they defied the laws of the ordinary.
God alone can bring forth harvests out of season, gifts beyond their time, and relief beyond the confines of our narrow calculations.
Zachariah asked a gentle question, a question shaped by the heart’s bewilderment when it encounters a miracle:
“O Mary, how has this come to you?”
She responded with a music of light to which the soul can only listen:
“It is from Allah.”
Then, as though she added a touch of heavenly reassurance:
“Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without limit.”
Her words were like a drop of rain falling upon a dry stone—
and from that stone, a spring burst forth.
The Moment of Turning: When Causes Melt Before the Causer
In that moment Zachariah realised that God is not asked “how,” nor “when,” nor “why.”
What the world declares impossible, God opens with His familiar command: Be.
His heart leapt suddenly from the constriction of earth into the vastness of heaven.
All the barriers we build around ourselves—in the name of logic, reality, and routine—collapsed before him.
At that moment,
his request was no longer bold; it became attainable.
His dream was no longer strange; it became near.
He raised his trembling hands—perhaps shy of his own weakness—and whispered a hidden plea.
A voice almost inaudible to human ears, yet heard by God even before it is formed:
“My Lord, grant me—from Yourself—a good offspring.”
He did not say “Give me,” but “Grant me”—
for a gift is not measured by merit.
And he did not say “from me,” but “from You”—
for he was standing at a door that opens only by its Owner’s command.
The Enduring Lesson: Do Not Imprison Your Hope Within the Walls of Your Reality
The story of Zachariah is not the story of a man seeking a child.
It is the story of a man who freed his hope from the prison of circumstance.
It tells you:
• Do not let the world convince you that possibility is limited.
• Do not let habit frighten you away from dreaming.
• Do not let causes make you forget the Causer.
• Do not let despair train you to surrender.
For the Lord who brings forth summer fruits in the depth of winter
is able to bring you what you believed lost, what you thought distant,
and what you imagined had come to an end.
Through the stories of Zachariah and Mary, He says to you:
Raise your need—even faintly.
Raise your hope—even impossibly.
Raise your heart—above the borders of logic.
For what is with God is greater than you can conceive.
A Concluding Meditation
Qur’anic narratives are not history to be read,
but intimacy to be lived,
faith renewed,
and light that knocks gently upon the doors of the soul.
The story of Zachariah (peace be upon him) is among the most delicate lessons in how a human being surpasses himself,
and how he can hear the flutter of hope rising from beneath ashes.
And when we read the verse:
“We relate to you the best of stories,”
we realise that God is not speaking of a time long gone,
but of a heart capable—at any moment—of being born anew.
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