Quran Universe
21:89

وَزَكَرِيَّآ إِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرۡنِي فَرۡدٗا وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡوَٰرِثِينَ

Wazakariyya ith nada rabbahu rabbi la tatharnee fardan waanta khayru alwaritheena

And [mention] Zechariah, when he called to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave me alone [with no heir], while you are the best of inheritors."

Word by word
  1. وَزَكَرِيَّآAnd Zakariya
  2. إِذۡwhen
  3. نَادَىٰhe called
  4. رَبَّهُۥ(to) his Lord
  5. رَبِّMy Lord
  6. لَا(Do) not
  7. تَذَرۡنِيleave me
  8. فَرۡدٗاalone
  9. وَأَنتَwhile You
  10. خَيۡرُ(are) [the] Best
  11. ٱلۡوَٰرِثِينَ(of) the inheritors
Al-Anbya · 21:89Makkah

Zakariyya prayed: do not leave me alone; You are the best heir.

A quiet dua with praise woven in

His prayer
Zakariyyaold, in secret
asks
an heirnot left alone
best of inheritorsAllah
How he asked
demandjust the request
ask and praisefitted to the need

Zakariyya cried to his Lord in secret, hiding it from his people. He asked not to be left with no heir to stand among the people after him. The tafsir calls his closing words, You are the best of inheritors, a praise befitting the request.

You want a child, or a spouse, or someone to carry on your work, and you feel embarrassed to keep asking. Zakariyya asked quietly, in old age, and praised Allah with a name that fit his need.

Some wishes are too late or too private to keep asking for.

I can ask quietly, at any age, and praise Allah with the name that fits my need.

Try this

Make a private dua tonight, and end it with a name of Allah that fits what you asked.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And (remember) Zakariyya, when he cried to his Lord: "O My Lord! Leave me not single (childless), though You are the Best of the inheritors. (89)So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya, and cured his wife for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and they were Khashi'in before Us (90)

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 نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ

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

رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا

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

وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ

(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 يَحْيَىٰ 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 كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ

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

وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا

(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."

وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ

(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.