--- title: "John the Baptist (Yahya): A Life of Purity and Courage | Islam Is Mercy" description: "Who was John the Baptist (Yahya) in Islam? A prophet born to elderly parents, wise as a child, pure and kind, who confirmed the coming of Jesus." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-john-the-baptist/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Stories of the Prophets](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/) 3. John the Baptist (Yahya): A Life of Purity and Courage # John the Baptist (Yahya): A Life of Purity and Courage Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 3 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer John the Baptist, called Yahya in Arabic, is a prophet honoured in Islam. The Qur'an describes him as a miraculous answer to his father Zechariah's prayer, given wisdom as a child, pure, devout and kind to his parents. He confirmed the coming of Jesus, his cousin, and God sent peace upon him on the day he was born, the day he died and the day he will be raised. ## On this page 1. A child no one expected 2. Confirming a word from God 3. Wise as a child, gentle and pure 4. A preacher of five commands 5. What John teaches Christians know him as the voice crying in the wilderness, who called people to repentance and baptised in the Jordan. Muslims know him as Yahya (peace be upon him), a prophet whose short but radiant life the [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/) describes in a few unforgettable verses. For both, he is closely tied to Jesus — and his story is one of the clearest bridges between the Gospel and the Qur’an. ## A child no one expected John’s story begins with his father, the prophet Zechariah, an old man whose wife had never been able to have children. When Zechariah prayed for an heir, the angels brought him good news while he stood praying in the sanctuary: > فَنَادَتْهُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَهُوَ قَآئِمٌۭ يُصَلِّى فِى ٱلْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَىٰ مُصَدِّقًۢا بِكَلِمَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًۭا وَحَصُورًۭا وَنَبِيًّۭا مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ﴿٣٩﴾ > So the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, "Indeed, Allah gives you good tidings of John, confirming a word from Allah and \[who will be\] honorable, abstaining \[from women\], and a prophet from among the righteous." [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:39](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=39&translations=20)Saheeh International The Qur’an adds that God had not given this name to anyone before him (Qur’an 19:7). Luke’s Gospel records a similar detail: the relatives were surprised at the name, and Zechariah confirmed it in writing — “His name is John” (Luke 1:63, KJV). You can read the full story of this answered prayer in [Zechariah (Zakariyya)](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-zechariah/). ## Confirming a word from God Notice a phrase in the verse above: John would come to confirm a word from God. Muslim commentators since the earliest generations have explained that this word is Jesus, whom the Qur’an elsewhere calls a word from God, created by God’s command (Qur’an 3:45; 3:59). So the Qur’an, like the Gospels, presents John as the one who announced and supported Jesus. The two were family too. During his Night Journey, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ met them together: > …When we reached over the second heaven, I saw Yahya (i.e. John) and Jesus who were cousins. Gabriel said, 'These are John (Yahya) and Jesus, so greet them.' I greeted them and they returned the greeting saying, 'Welcome, O Pious Brother and Pious Prophet!… [Sahih al-Bukhari 3430](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/60#:~:text=and%20ascended%20up%20till%20he)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) Christian readers will remember that Luke’s Gospel calls Elisabeth, John’s mother, Mary’s “cousin” (Luke 1:36, KJV). ## Wise as a child, gentle and pure The Qur’an’s portrait of John is short, but every word carries weight: > يَٰيَحْيَىٰ خُذِ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ بِقُوَّةٍۢ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَٰهُ ٱلْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّۭا ﴿١٢﴾ وَحَنَانًۭا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَزَكَوٰةًۭ ۖ وَكَانَ تَقِيًّۭا ﴿١٣﴾ وَبَرًّۢا بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُن جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّۭا ﴿١٤﴾ وَسَلَٰمٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّۭا ﴿١٥﴾ > 12\[Allah\] said, "O John, take the Scripture with determination." And We gave him judgement \[while yet\] a boy 13And affection from Us and purity, and he was fearing of Allah 14And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant. 15And peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive. [Qur'an, Maryam 19:12-15](https://quran.com/19?startingVerse=12&translations=20)Saheeh International He was told to take hold of the Scripture with determination — to hold firmly to the Torah and live by it. He was given wisdom and judgement while still a boy. He was gentle and full of compassion, which the Qur’an calls *hanan*; pure, God-conscious, and dutiful to his parents, never arrogant or rebellious. The verse in [Surah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/surah/) Al Imran adds that he was chaste and *sayyid* — a noble leader (Qur’an 3:39). The final verse is especially beautiful: peace upon him on the day of his birth, the day of his death and the day he is raised to life again. The Qur’an uses almost the same words for Jesus (Qur’an 19:33), another sign of how closely the two are linked. ## A preacher of five commands The Gospels describe John preaching in the wilderness: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, KJV). A [hadith](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hadith/) also describes John as a preacher to the Children of Israel, given five commands by God: > …Indeed Allah commanded Yahya bin Zakariyya with five commandments to abide by, and to command the Children of Isra'il to abide by them.… [Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2863](https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/44#:~:text=if%20you%20precede%20me%20in)Grade: Sahih — Al-Albani In the full narration, Jesus encourages John to deliver them, and John gathers the people in Jerusalem until the place is full. The five commands are to worship God alone without partners, to pray, to fast, to give in charity and to remember God often — the same core that runs through every prophet’s message, and which Muslims still practise today. The Qur’an does not describe how John’s life ended. The Gospels tell of his execution by Herod, and classical Muslim historians also recorded that he was killed unjustly. Muslims honour him as a righteous prophet who stood for the truth whatever it cost. ## What John teaches John’s life shows that greatness is not measured by length of years or worldly power. He is remembered for purity, tenderness, devotion to his parents and courage in calling people back to God. For Christians and Muslims alike, he points beyond himself to Jesus, and beyond Jesus to the One God whom both served. To continue the story, read [The Story of Jesus in the Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/story-of-jesus/) and [Mary in Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/compare/mary-in-islam/). ![John the Baptist (Yahya): A Life of Purity and Courage](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/prophet-john-the-baptist-info.DYf_NBHJ_238uiQ.jpg) ## Key takeaways - John (Yahya) was born to Zechariah and his wife in their old age, as an answer to prayer. - God gave him wisdom as a child, along with tenderness, purity and devotion. - He came to confirm a word from God, which Muslim scholars understand to mean Jesus. - The Prophet ﷺ met John and Jesus, cousins, during his Night Journey. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=John%20the%20Baptist%20(Yahya)%3A%20A%20Life%20of%20Purity%20and%20Courage%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fprophets%2Fprophet-john-the-baptist%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fprophets%2Fprophet-john-the-baptist%2F&text=John%20the%20Baptist%20(Yahya)%3A%20A%20Life%20of%20Purity%20and%20Courage)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=John%20the%20Baptist%20(Yahya)%3A%20A%20Life%20of%20Purity%20and%20Courage&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fprophets%2Fprophet-john-the-baptist%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fprophets%2Fprophet-john-the-baptist%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Aal-i-Imraan 3:39](https://quran.com/3?startingVerse=39&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Maryam 19:12-15](https://quran.com/19?startingVerse=12&translations=20) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 3430](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/60#:~:text=and%20ascended%20up%20till%20he) - [Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2863](https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/44#:~:text=if%20you%20precede%20me%20in) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) [The Journey](https://islamismercy.com/en/journey/)·Chapter 15 of 26·Mary and Jesus [Previous chapter**Zechariah (Zakariyya): A Quiet Prayer, Answered**](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-zechariah/)[Next chapter**Mary (Maryam) in Islam**](https://islamismercy.com/en/compare/mary-in-islam/) ## Keep reading [Stories of the Prophets ### Zechariah (Zakariyya): A Quiet Prayer, Answered The story of Zechariah in the Qur'an — guardian of Mary, an elderly prophet who prayed in secret for a child and was given John (Yahya). Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/prophet-zechariah/)[Stories of the Prophets ### The Story of Jesus in the Qur'an How the Qur'an tells the story of Jesus — his mother Mary, his miraculous birth beneath a palm tree, his miracles and his mission to the Children of Israel. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/prophets/story-of-jesus/)[Compare Faiths ### Mary (Maryam) in Islam The Qur'an honours Mary, mother of Jesus, as chosen above the women of the worlds, names a whole chapter after her, and tells her story with deep tenderness. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/compare/mary-in-islam/)[Compare Faiths ### Who Is Jesus in Islam? Muslims love and honour Jesus as the Messiah, born of the virgin Mary, a mighty prophet of God who worked miracles and who will return before the end of time. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/compare/jesus-in-islam/)