Prophet Yahya (alaihis salam) – The Boy Who Spoke the Truth : A long time ago, there was a kind and old man. His name was Prophet Zakariya (alaihis salam). He was a good man. He prayed to Allah every day. He loved Allah very much. But Prophet Zakariya(alaihis salam) and his wife did not have a child. They were both very old. Even though they were old, Zakariya still wanted a baby. He wanted a son who would be kind and love Allah. He made dua to Allah. Dua means talking to Allah and asking Him for something. Prophet Zakariya(alaihis salam) said, “O Allah, please give me a good child. I want a son who will do good things.” Allah heard his dua. Allah knows everything. Allah can do anything. One day, Allah sent an angel to Zakariya. The angel gave him happy news. The angel said, “You will have a baby boy. His name will be Yahya.” Prophet Zakariya(alaihis salam) was surprised. He said, “How can I have a baby? I am old and my wife is old.” The angel said, “Do not worry. Allah will give you a son. Allah can do everything.”
After some time, a baby boy was born. His name was Yahya. He was a special baby. He was calm and quiet. He smiled a lot. His parents were very happy. Prophet Zakariya(alaihis salam) thanked Allah for this gift. As Yahya grew up, he became a very good boy. He was kind. He was honest. He never told a lie. He did not hurt others. He shared his food. He helped the poor. He listened to his parents. He was clean and polite. Yahya liked to pray. He liked to think about Allah. Even when he was a child, he was smart. He was wise. Wise means he knew what was right and what was wrong. He did not follow bad people. He always chose the right way. People liked him. They said, “Look at Yahya! He is such a good boy.”
When Yahya got older, Allah made him a prophet. That means Allah gave him a big job. His job was to teach people. Yahya told the people, “Pray to Allah. Be kind. Share with others. Do not steal. Do not lie. Love your parents. Help the poor.” Some people listened to him. Some people did not. Some people were happy. Some were angry. But Yahya was brave. He did not stop. He kept telling the truth. He was not afraid of anyone. He knew Allah was always with him. He only wanted to do what was right. He spoke with love. He did not shout. He used kind words. He always told the truth.
Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam) had a cousin. His cousin’s name was Prophet Isa(alaihis salam). In English, people call him Jesus. Yahya and Isa were both good boys. They loved each other. They helped each other. They both prayed to Allah. They both taught the people to be good. Prophet Yahya told the people to listen to Isa. He said, “Isa is a good prophet. He teaches the truth.” They worked together like brothers. Allah gave both of them wisdom and kindness.
But not everyone liked Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam). There was a king. The king was rich and powerful. But the king wanted to do something bad. He wanted to marry a woman he should not marry. It was not allowed. It was wrong. Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam) told the king, “This is not right. You must not do this.” The king became angry. He did not want to hear the truth. He wanted Yahya to be quiet. He told his guards, “Take Yahya away. Stop him.” Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam) was brave. He did not lie. He did not run. He still told the truth. He said, “I will not say what is wrong. I will only say what is right.” The king made a bad choice. He told the guards to hurt Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam). The guards hurt him very badly. Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam) became a shaheed. That means he died while doing something good for Allah. He died because he told the truth. He died because he did not lie. He died because he was brave.
But even though he died, Allah still loved him. Allah gave him a high place in Jannah. In the Quran, Allah says beautiful words about Yahya. Allah says, “Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised again.” This means Allah loves Yahya. He was a good baby. He was a good man. And he will be happy in the next life too. He is a hero for all of us.
What do we learn from the story of Prophet Yahya(alaihis salam)? We learn to always tell the truth. We learn to be kind to our parents. We learn to help others. We learn to pray to Allah. We learn to be brave, even when people are mean. We learn to say no to wrong things. Yahya was a very good example for all of us. We can try to be like him. We can try to be honest. We can try to be kind. We can try to speak nicely. We can try to be brave. If someone does something wrong, we should not copy them. We should always do what is right.