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زَكَرِيَّا

Zakariya: meaning of the name

Boy Hebrew origin Zakariyyā

ProphetIn the Quran

Name of the prophet Zakariyya (Zechariah); in Hebrew, “God has remembered”

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The word as it is recited in the Quran: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, Maryam 19:2.

Zakariya in Islam

Zakariyya, named seven times in the Quran, took Maryam into his care and found provision from Allah with her (3:37). Old, with a barren wife, he prayed for a son: “My Lord, do not leave me alone; You are the best of inheritors” (21:89), and Allah gave him Yahya. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Zakariyya was a carpenter” (Muslim 2379).

Meaning of the name Zakariya

Zakariyya is the Arabic form of the Hebrew Zekharyah, “God has remembered”. The Hebrew verb zakhar matches the Arabic dhakara, “to remember, to mention”, and Surah Maryam fittingly opens with “a mention (dhikr) of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zakariyya” (19:2). The name is said with or without a final hamza, Zakariyyaʾ or Zakariyya, both accepted readings of the Quran.

In Arabic
زَكَرِيَّا زكريا
Transliteration
Zakariyyā
Gender
Boy
Origin
Hebrew

Is Zakariya in the Quran?

Yes: Zakariya is named in the Quran 7 times, in 4 surahs.

ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُۥ زَكَرِيَّآ ۝٢

[This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zechariah

Surah Maryam, Verse 2

وَزَكَرِيَّآ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِى فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْوَٰرِثِينَ ۝٨٩

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."

Surah Al-Anbya, Verse 89

هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُۥ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ ۝٣٨

At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."

Surah Ali ’Imran, Verse 38

فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنۢبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا ٱلْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِندَهَا رِزْقًا قَالَ يَٰمَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَٰذَا قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ۝٣٧

So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, "O Mary, from where is this [coming] to you?" She said, "It is from Allāh. Indeed, Allāh provides for whom He wills without account."

Surah Ali ’Imran, Verse 37

2 other verses

In the hadiths

Is this name permissible?

No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Zakariya in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.

Read the rules for choosing a name

This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.

Writing Zakariya in each language

French
Zakaria, Zakariya, Zakariyya, Zakarya
English
Zakariya, Zakaria, Zakariyya, Zakariyah
Spanish
Zakariya, Zakaria, Zacarías
Turkish
Zekeriya, Zekeriyya
Arabic
زَكَرِيَّا

Similar names

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