Comparing Prophets Yahya and Isa
Syed Sharfuddin
In Surah Maryam there are two almost identical verses about Prophet Yahya and Prophet Isa. The only difference in their wording is that in verse 19 Allah sends Salam on the birth of Yahya whereas in Verse 33 Isa sends Salam on his own miraculous birth which is explained in the Surah about the coming of the Spirit (Jibril) to Maryam who foretold her about having a baby without a father as it was the Will of Allah.
وَسَلَـٰمٌ عَلَیۡهِ یَوۡمَ وُلِدَ وَیَوۡمَ یَمُوتُ وَیَوۡمَ یُبۡعَثُ حَیࣰّا﴿ ١٥ ﴾
Peace was on him (Yahya) the day he was born, the day he died, and it will be on him the day he is raised to life again.
Maryam, Ayah 15
وَٱلسَّلَـٰمُ عَلَیَّ یَوۡمَ وُلِدتُّ وَیَوۡمَ أَمُوتُ وَیَوۡمَ أُبۡعَثُ حَیࣰّا﴿ ٣٣ ﴾
Peace was on me (Isa) the day I was born, and will be on me the day I die and the day I am raised to life again.’
. Maryam, Ayah 33
The three Salams of Allah are also very meaningful. Birth, death and resurrection are three major events in the journey of every human soul that was created by Allah before the creation of Adam in heaven. It is a part of the Grand Design of Allah. These three unknowns are: when man’s soul is born out of the womb of his mother taking the form of a human body; when his soul leaves his body at the time of death and when his soul and body are rejoined and raised at resurrection. These three times are also most hard to bear. Every baby is born crying when he enters the world not knowing what is his fate and what he will earn. Every death is painful because no one knows the torment of the grave and what happens after death. The day of resurrection will also be very hard because no one will be spared accountability and there will be no one to help out except with Allah’s permission.
Allah has specifically promised Yahya and Isa that these three times which are hard on other humans will be made peaceful on them by the Will of Allah. Yahya was executed on the orders of King Herod who married his niece and Yahya did not endorse it because according to the Sharia of Musa it was incest; but Yahya’s death was made divinely peaceful by Allah. Isa was also ordered execution for upholding the law of Musa, but Allah raised Isa to the heavens and instead placed another person on the cross who resembled Isa. The day Isa will die on earth after his second coming will also be made divinely peaceful by Allah.
Both Yahya and Isa are prophets of Bani Israel. Both are Nabis, not Rasools. Both are contemporaries and related to each other as cousins. Both had miraculous births. Yahya was born to Zakaria’s wife when Zaharia had reached old age of un-siring a child, and his wife was barren; she could not conceive to bear a child even when she was young. Isa was born to Maryam who had taken seclusion and whom no man had touched. In the time of these prophets Jews were subjugated and were ruled by a Roman king. Both prophets were sent at a time when the Sharia of Musa was disregarded by its followers, and corruption and materialism had replaced it. There was a need to revive the law of Musa against the dark forces of polytheism.
Allah’s tradition is to work through the least expected. Despite their good work of reviving the religion of Musa, both prophets appeared to have died without receiving divine intervention to save them from capital punishment, as if truth had been defeated and darkness had won. But Allah works in mysterious ways. His Deen and his prophets’ legacy is still alive today and will remain so until the end of the time.
Both prophets were soft spoken and pure. Both were dutiful and not overbearing to their parents. The names Yahya and Isa are both given by Allah to them in the Quran.
Apart from the many similarities there are also differences between the two prophets that ensure that Muslims do not consider Isa having died on the cross as Christians believe and misinterpret Verse 33 as Allah sending Salam on himself as Isa. Verse 34 refers to this dispute about the humanity of Isa which the Muslims believe and his divinity which the Christians believe.
The differences are that Yahya had both parents, his mother and father, whereas Isa had only his mother; Yahya had access to King Herod and was granted audience by the king whereas Isa did not have access to Herod’s palace. Yahya was not given the Scripture but was asked by Allah to hold fast to the Torah. Isa on the other hand was given a revelation (Injeel) that did not replace the Sharia law of Musa but restored the Torah.
The most important point of the two verses which mention of two similar and contemporary prophets in one Surah (Maryam) is that Allah is questioning those who have taken Isa Ibn Maryam as the son of God. Allah is asking these cross bearing people of the Book: how cruel and unjust of you that you pick Isa as my son and not pick his cousin Yahya as my son whereas both shared so many features, including my Salams? The fact is that neither of them is son of Allah. This is the whole message of Surah Maryam with full Dalleel (evidence) which cannot be refuted.
It is such a serious accusation that Surah Maryam ends with one of the strongest charge-sheets against this claim:
وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ وَلَدࣰا﴿ ٨٨ ﴾
لَّقَدۡ جِئۡتُمۡ شَیۡـًٔا إِدࣰّا﴿ ٨٩ ﴾
تَكَادُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتُ یَتَفَطَّرۡنَ مِنۡهُ وَتَنشَقُّ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَتَخِرُّ ٱلۡجِبَالُ هَدًّا﴿ ٩٠ ﴾
أَن دَعَوۡا۟ لِلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ وَلَدࣰا﴿ ٩١ ﴾
وَمَا یَنۢبَغِی لِلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ أَن یَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا﴿ ٩٢ ﴾
إِن كُلُّ مَن فِی ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّاۤ ءَاتِی
ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ عَبۡدࣰا﴿ ٩٣ ﴾
“And they say the Lord of mercy has a son How terrible is this thing that you assert? It almost causes the heavens to be torn apart, the earth to split asunder, the mountains to crumble to pieces. There is none in the heavens and earth who will not come to the Lord of Mercy as His servant.
[Surah Maryam, verses 88 to 93]
In Tafseer Qurtubi, commenting on Verses 15 and 33 in Surah Maryam about Prophets Yahya and Isa, Qurtubi quotes Al-Tabari who mentioned on the authority of Al-Hasan that Isa and Yahya met – and they were the sons of their maternal aunts – and Yahya said to Isa: Pray to Allah for me, for you are better than me; and Isa said to Yahya: rather, you pray to Allah for me, for you are better than me; Allah greeted you and I greeted myself”.
This explanation shows as do other stories of Prophets in the Quran that people of faith have prayed to Allah and made Dua not only for themselves but also for others.
The most effective Dua is one which is made for others; by parents for their children, by children for their parents, by a husband for his wife, by a traveller about the settlers and so on. We should never forget our children, parents, relatives, ancestors and friends and community when we raise our hands to Allah asking His help and mercy. May Allah forgive our transgressions and falsehoods and shower His blessings on us as He blessed our Prophet Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم and Prophets Yahya and Isa علهما السلام.
Madinah
17 September 2024.
Leave a Reply