Former Prophets

Zakariyya in the Sanctuary

The miraculous provision in the chamber of Maryam (peace be upon her) (Q 3:37)

The time of Zakariyya (peace be upon him), late Second Temple period

Imagined 360° reconstruction of Zakariyya in the Sanctuary

Educational historical reconstruction

Where

The sanctuary precinct, al-Quds (Jerusalem), Second Temple period

31.7780, 35.2354 · View on OpenStreetMap

Background

The Qur'an records the prophet Zakariyya (peace be upon him), the elderly priest of the Bani Isra'il into whose charge the young Maryam bint 'Imran (peace be upon her) was placed, in two principal passages: Surat Al 'Imran (Q 3:35-44, where the narrative of Maryam's early years in the sanctuary unfolds) and Surat Maryam (Q 19:1-15, the foundational account of his prayer and the birth of his son Yahya peace be upon him). The narrative of Q 3:35-37 records that Hanna (Anne), the mother of Maryam (peace be upon her), had vowed her unborn child to the service of the sanctuary. When she gave birth to a daughter (Q 3:36, 'And I am not for you to vow this; surely Allah knows best what she will bear'), she nevertheless committed Maryam (peace be upon her) to the sanctuary, where Zakariyya (peace be upon him) took her under his care. The Qur'an records the foundational sign of Maryam's standing at Q 3:37: every time Zakariyya (peace be upon him) entered upon her in the chamber (the mihrab), he found provision with her, fruits out of season, brought by no mortal hand. When he asked, 'From where is this for you?' she replied: 'It is from Allah; Allah provides for whom He wills, without account.' The miracle moved Zakariyya (peace be upon him), who was elderly and childless, to pray for a child of his own (Q 3:38, Q 19:3-6); his prayer was answered by the granting of Yahya (peace be upon him), the cousin of 'Isa (peace be upon him), born of an old man and a barren wife by direct divine action (Q 19:7-15). The Sunni qisas al-anbiya' tradition (Ibn Kathir's Qisas al-Anbiya', al-Tha'labi's 'Ara'is al-Majalis) preserves the narrative and locates the events in the precinct of the Second Temple at al-Quds in the late Second Temple period. The dating is by anchor (the time of Zakariyya peace be upon him), conventionally placed in the mid-1st century BCE to early 1st century CE, contemporary with the early life of 'Isa (peace be upon him). This scene depicts the chamber of Maryam (peace be upon her) at the moment Zakariyya (peace be upon him) would find the provision: the empty prayer niche, the bowl of out-of-season fruit on the low stone platform, the silver light through the high window. Maryam (peace be upon her) and Zakariyya (peace be upon him) are not depicted; the foundational sign is told entirely through the empty chamber and the provision.

What you see

A side chamber of the great precinct of the Second Temple at al-Quds (late 1st century BCE through 1st century CE). The chamber is walled in dressed limestone; the ceiling is a simple vault; a single high window admits silver morning light. The architectural idiom is late Herodian, the precinct as it stood in the time of Zakariyya (peace be upon him).

Against the qibla wall of the chamber, an empty prayer niche, the mihrab of the Qur'anic narrative (Q 3:37, Q 19:11). On a low stone platform before the niche, a small earthen bowl of ripe fruit, winter fruit out of season. The Sunni tafsir tradition (Ibn Kathir on Q 3:37) records this is the foundational miraculous provision: every time Zakariyya (peace be upon him) entered upon her in the chamber, he found provision with her.

The Qur'an records the moment in Q 3:37: kullama dakhala 'alayha Zakariyya al-mihraba wajada 'indaha rizqan qala ya Maryamu anna laki hadha qalat huwa min 'indi Allahi inna Allaha yarzuqu man yasha'u bi-ghayri hisab, 'Every time Zakariyya entered upon her in the chamber, he found provision with her. He said: O Maryam, from where is this for you? She said: It is from Allah; Allah provides for whom He wills, without account.' Maryam (peace be upon her) is not depicted; the chamber is shown without her.

The moment is the foundational sign of the special standing of Maryam (peace be upon her), innaki istafaki 'ala nisa'i al-'alamin, 'Allah has chosen you above the women of the worlds' (Q 3:42), and of the divine provision that prefigures the conception of 'Isa (peace be upon him). It is also the moment that prompted Zakariyya (peace be upon him) to pray for a child himself, the prayer answered by the birth of Yahya (peace be upon him) (Q 3:38-41).

The light is the silver morning light through the high window. The dating is by anchor: the time of Zakariyya (peace be upon him), conventionally placed in the late Second Temple period (mid-1st century BCE to early 1st century CE). The visible architectural fabric is late Herodian.

The narrative: Q 3:35-44, Q 19:1-15. The Sunni qisas: Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya'; al-Tha'labi; al-Tabari.

Primary sources

The Qur'an, Surat Al 'Imran 3:35-44, Surat Maryam 19:1-15: The principal Qur'anic passages on Zakariyya (peace be upon him), Maryam (peace be upon her), and Yahya (peace be upon him).

Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya': Standard Sunni stories of the prophets; the chapter on Zakariyya (peace be upon him).

al-Tabari, Tarikh and Jami' al-Bayan: Standard Sunni history and tafsir.

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