21:90 Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

{ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَى } النبي الكريم، الذي لم يجعل الله له من قبل سميا. { وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ } بعدما كانت عاقرا، لا يصلح رحمها للولادة فأصلح الله رحمها للحمل، لأجل نبيه زكريا، وهذا من فوائد الجليس، والقرين الصالح، أنه مبارك على قرينه، فصار يحيى مشتركا بين الوالدين. ولما ذكر هؤلاء الأنبياء والمرسلين، كلا على انفراده، أثنى عليهم عموما فقال: { إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ } أي: يبادرون إليها ويفعلونها في أوقاتها الفاضلة، ويكملونها على الوجه اللائق الذي ينبغي ولا يتركون فضيلة يقدرون عليها، إلا انتهزوا الفرصة فيها، { وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا } أي: يسألوننا الأمور المرغوب فيها، من مصالح الدنيا والآخرة، ويتعوذون بنا من الأمور المرهوب منها، من مضار الدارين، وهم راغبون راهبون لا غافلون، لاهون ولا مدلون، { وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ } أي: خاضعين متذللين متضرعين، وهذا لكمال معرفتهم بربهم.

ويدعوننا رغبا ورهبا وكانوا لنا خاشعين قال الله تعالى " فاستجبنا له ووهبنا له يحيى وأصلحنا له زوجه " أي امرأته قال ابن عباس ومجاهد وسعيد بن جبير كانت عاقرا لا تلد فولدت وقال عبد الرحمن بن مهدي عن طلحة بن عمرو عن عطاء كان لسانها طول فأصلحها الله وفي رواية كان في خلقها شيء فأصلحها الله وهكذا قال محمد بن كعب والسدي والأظهر من السياق الأول و قوله " إنهم كانوا يسارعون في الخيرات " أي في عمل القربات والطاعات " ويدعوننا رغباً ورهباً " قال الثوري رغبا فيما عندنا ورهبا مما عندنا " وكانوا لنا خاشعين " قال علي بن أبي طلحة عن ابن عباس أي مصدقين بما أنزل الله وقال مجاهد مؤمنين حقا وقال أبو العالية خائفين وقال أبو سنان الخشوع هو الخوف اللازم للقلب لا يفارقه أبدا وعن مجاهد أيضا خاشعين أي متواضعين وقال الحسن وقتادة والضحاك خاشعين أي متذللين لله عز وجل وكل هذه الأقوال متقاربة وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا علي بن محمد الطنافسي حدثنا محمد بن فضيل حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن إسحاق عن عبد الله القرشي عن عبد الله بن حكيم قال خطبنا أبو بكر رضي الله عنه ثم قال أما بعد فإني أوصيكم بتقوى الله وتثنوا عليه بما هو له أهل وتخلطوا الرغبة بالرهبة وتجمعوا الإلحاف بالمسألة فإن الله عز وجل أثنى على زكريا وأهل بيته فقال " إنهم كانوا يسارعون في الخيرات ويدعوننا رغبا ورهبا وكانوا لنا خاشعين ".

Zakariyya and Yahya

Allah tells us of His servant Zakariyya, who asked Allah to grant him a son who would be a Prophet after him. The story has already been given in detail at the beginning of Surah Maryam and also in Surah `Imran. Here an abbreviated version is given.

إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ

(when he cried to his Lord) means, in secret, hiding it from his people.

رَبِّ لاَ تَذَرْنِى فَرْداً

(O My Lord! Leave me not single,) means, with no child and no heir to stand among the people after me.

وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَرِثِينَ

(though You are the Best of the inheritors.) This is a supplication and form of praise befitting the topic. Allah says:

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَى وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ

(So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya, and cured his wife for him.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "She was barren and never had a child, then she gave birth."

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يُسَارِعُونَ فِى الْخَيْرَتِ

(Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds,) means, acts of worship and acts of obedience towards Allah.

وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَباً وَرَهَباً

(and they used to call on Us with hope and fear,) Ath-Thawri said, "Hoping for that (reward) which is with Us and fearing that (punishment) which is with Us."

وَكَانُواْ لَنَا خـشِعِينَ

(and they were Khashi`in before Us.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas that this means, sincerely believing in that which was revealed by Allah. Mujahid said: "Truly believing." Abu Al-`Aliyah said: "Fearing." Abu Sinan said: "Khushu` means the fear which should never leave our hearts." It was also reported from Mujahid that the Khashi`in are those who are humble." Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak said, "The Khashi`in are those who humble themselves before Allah." All of these suggestions are close in meaning.

So We responded to him in his call and gave him John as a son and We restored fertility to his wife for him and so she bore a child having been barren. Truly they those prophets that have been mentioned would hasten to they would hurry to perform good works namely acts of obedience and supplicate Us out of desire for Our mercy and in awe of Our chastisement and they were submissive before Us humble in their worship.

يَدْعُونَنَا رَ‌غَبًا وَرَ‌هَبًا (and call Us with hope and fear - 21:90). This may be interpreted to mean that they call Allah Ta` ala both in comfort and distress. The other explanation of the verse is that during their prayers they remain suspended between hope and fear hoping that Allah would forgive their sins and fearing that their lapses may bring on them His displeasure.

They were vying in good works and they were supplicating Us in eagerness and dread, and they were reverent toward Us. “My servants are striving to obey Me and they call upon Me with eagerness and dread. They know only Me and they circle only around My door. They are the burned ones of My Presence, the ones lifted up by My gentleness.” “He guided them so that they would recognize them, He gave them success so that they would worship Him, He instructed them so that they would ask of Him, He illuminated their hearts so that they would love Him. He loves without bribery, He bestows without obligation, and He honors without a means of approach.” He scatters a hundred blessings on your head and counts it as a dust mote. He considers a straw of yours to be a mountain. Do you not see that He will give you a paradise with all that tremendousness and vastness, but He calls it an “upper chamber”? “It is they who will be recompensed with the upper chamber” [25:75]. Abraham the Bosom Friend placed a calf before his guests. The Exalted Lord approved of him, honored him, and displayed him to the world's folk: “He brought a roasted calf” [11:69]. He is a Lord who makes wealthy anyone who presents a need to Him, who exalts anyone who delights in Him. Supposing that the servant disobeys for a hundred years and then says, “I repent,” He will say, “I accept.” He it is who accepts repentance from His servants [42:25]. A bedouin was supplicating, and it was a marvelous supplication. He said, “O God, you will find someone other than me to chastise, but I will find no one other than You to have mercy on me.”