قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةً ۚ قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَـٰثَ لَيَالٍ سَوِيًّا 10
Translations
[Zechariah] said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, [being] sound."
Transliteration
Qala rabbi ij'al li ayatan qala ayatuka alla tukalima an-nasa talata layalin sawiyya
Tafsir (Explanation)
Zachariah (Zakaria) asks Allah for a sign to confirm the good news of a son, and Allah grants him the sign that he will not be able to speak to people for three nights while remaining in full possession of his faculties. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain this as a miraculous sign (ayah) that demonstrates divine power and serves as a test of patience and faith for Zachariah, preparing him for the extraordinary birth of Yahya (John the Baptist). The phrase 'sawiyya' (sound/healthy) emphasizes that his inability to speak was not due to illness or deficiency but a deliberate divine intervention.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Zachariah in Surah Maryam, which addresses the story of three righteous families (Zachariah, Maryam, and Ibrahim) as evidence of Allah's power and mercy. The context is Zachariah's supplication for an heir despite his advanced age and his wife's barrenness; this sign precedes the miraculous conception of Yahya.
Related Hadiths
The story of Zachariah is referenced in Sahih Bukhari and other hadith collections as part of the broader Islamic narrative tradition. Hadith collections often cite this account when discussing divine signs (ayat) and miraculous births in Islamic history.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that signs from Allah often come with tests that require patience and acceptance; believers should trust that apparent hardships or restrictions imposed by Allah serve a divine purpose and ultimately strengthen faith and character.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلَّذِينَ سَعَوْ فِىٓ ءَايَـٰتِنَا مُعَـٰجِزِينَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مِّن رِّجْزٍ أَلِيمٌ
But those who strive against Our verses [seeking] to cause failure - for them will be a painful punishment of foul nature.
سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ وَإِن كُنَّا لَمُبْتَلِينَ
Indeed in that are signs, and indeed, We are ever testing [Our servants].
وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلنَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ فَصَّلْنَـٰهُ تَفْصِيلًا
And We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible that you may seek bounty from your Lord and may know the number of years and the account [of time]. And everything We have set out in detail.