Yahya (a): Difference between revisions

  | caption = Monument of the Prophet Yahya (a), the [[Umayyad Mosque]]

  | Burial place = The [[Umayyad Mosque]]

  | Repeat in the Qur'an = Five times in the [[Qur'an 3]], [[qur'an 6]], [[Qur'an 19]] (two times), [[Qur'an 21]]

'''Yahyā (a)''' or '''John (a)''' was an [[Israelite]] prophet. He became a prophet when he was a child. The story of Yahya’s (a) birth, despite his aged father and barren mother, is mentioned in the [[Qur'an]]. Yahya (a) was known for his [[asceticism]] and his abundant weeping in awe of [[God]].

In [[Shiite]] traditions, the martyrdom of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] is likened to Yahya’s tragic departure, and the [[imamate]] of [[Imam al-Jawad (a)]], [[Imam al-Hadi (a)]], and [[Imam al-Mahdi (a)]] in their childhood is likened to [[Prophethood|Yahya’s prophethood]] in his childhood.

[[Mandeans]] consider themselves the followers of Yahya (a).  

In the [[Umayyad Mosque]] in [[Damascus]], there is a memorial known as Yahya’s grave.

[[Zachariah (a)]], Yahya’s father, was childless until his aging years. One day, when he saw [[Mary (a)]] and the heavenly blessings that God had bestowed upon her{{enote|Qur'an 3:37}}, he asked God for a child, “My Lord! Grant me a good offspring from You! Indeed, You hear all supplications”{{enote|Qur'an 3:38}}. In his prayer, he mentioned his lack of heirs{{enote|Qur'an 19:6}} and his fear from his relatives after his death{{enote|Qur'an 19:5}}. In response, God promised him that he would have a child named Yahya, even though he was old and his wife was barren. Yahya’s mother, Elizabeth, was Mary’s aunt, and her miraculous pregnancy was simultaneous with that of Mary (a).  

Some have said that Yahya—derived from the root h-y-y (to live) (Arabic: {{ia|ح-ی-ی}})— was so named because God took away the barrenness of Elizabeth and somehow “revived” her; others have said that it was because God created him with faith or with prophethood. No one was named so before him.  

Yahya (a) became a prophet when he was a child. One of his characteristics was the fact that he was a confirmer of [[Jesus (a)]]{{enote|Qur'an 3:39}}. Yahya (a) followed and promoted the [[sharia]] of [[Moses (a)]], but when Jesus (a) became a prophet, he followed him. According to history sources, Yahya (a) was six months elder than Jesus (a) and was the first person to confirm and believe in Jesus’ (a) prophethood. Owing to his piety and chastity, his Jesus's (a) confirmation influenced many people to believe in him.  

[['Allama Tabataba'i]] states that “the book” that Yahya (a) is ordered to hold on with power is [[Torah]].{{enote|The [[Qur'an 19]]:12}}

According to a [[hadith]] from [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]], an [[Israelite]] king fell in love with one of his [[mahram|mahram relatives]] and wanted to marry her. Yahya (a) opposed this decision, and his opposition led to the hostility of the girl and her mother towards him. As a result, the girl’s mother prompted her daughter to ask for Yahya’s head as a condition for the marriage. The Israelite king agreed and beheaded Yahya (a) and sent his head in a golden dish to the girl.  

Among Yahya’s (a) characteristics, five are specifically mentioned: believing in Jesus (a), leadership in knowledge and practice, a righteous prophet, [[asceticism]] and nobility. About his asceticism and piety, it is mentioned that he would weep a lot in awe of God and would wear coarse clothes. In this regard, the Prophet (s) is reported to have said, “When Yahya went to [[Jerusalem]] in his childhood and saw rabbis putting on woolen shirts worshipping, he also put on coarse clothes and went to the temple to worship God.”

It is said that whenever [[Zechariah (a)]] was preaching and Yahya (a) was among the audience, he would not mention anything about [[Hellfire]] or [[Paradise]], as it would make Yahya (a) weep a lot. [[Imam Ali (a)]] is reported to have said, “Yahya (a) would weep a lot but would not laugh, [[Jesus (a)]] would both laugh and weep, and Jesus’s manner was better than that of Yahya (a).”

Yahya’s (a) name appears five times in four chapters of the Qur'an{{enote|Five times in the [[Qur'an 3]], [[qur'an 6]], [[Qur'an 19]] (two times), [[Qur'an 21]]}}. The story of his birth, the fact that he was gifted “judgment”'s talent in his childhood, and some of his virtues are mentioned in the Qur'an. In [[surah Maryam]], we read, “Peace be to him, the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised alive!” (Qur'an 19:15). Referring to this verse, [[Imam al-Rida (a)]] is reported to have said that Yahya (a) will be safe and secure in three stations in which all mankind fear: birth, death, and resurrection.  

According to a hadith, 'Ali b. Asbat said, “One day, I saw Imam al-Jawad (a) [in his childhood] coming to me. I looked carefully at him … so that I can describe him for my friends in [[Egypt]]. Then the Imam (a) prostrated himself and (a) said, “God has argued in the case of imamate as He argued in the case of prophethood saying, “And We gave him judgement while still a child” (Qur'an 19:12), and said, “When he comes of age and reaches forty years” (46:15). So it is possible for someone to receive judgment when he is a child, and it is possible for him to receive it when he is forty years old.”

The prophethood of Yahya (a) in his childhood is adduced to prove the possibility of reaching the position of imamate in childhood.  

Mandeans are Aramaic-speaking people who believe that they follow Yahya (a) and that their scripture belongs to Yahya (a). Their migration to [[Iran]] is believed to have taken place at the time of the Parthians. Apart from the [[Jews]], they are one of the earliest non-Aryan immigrants who came to [[Iran]] from [[Palestine]]. Mandeans are [[monotheist]]s. They have their own scripture, language, and script. They are mentioned in the Qur'an in several verses.{{enote|Qur'an 2:62, Qur'an 5:69, Qur'an 22:17}}  

There is a disagreement as where Yahya (a) was buried in. The most famous place is a grave in the [[Umayyad Mosque]], which is believed to be the place where Yahya’s (a) headless body was buried, and it is believed that his head was buried in a mosque located in the Zabdani neighborhood in Damascus. According to some other reports, Yahya’s (a) head was buried in the grave located at Nabi Yahya mosque in the Palestinian village Sebastia. [[Christians]] also have built a church near this mosque called Church of St. John the Baptist.

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