يحيى
Yaḥyā
Prophet
John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah, whom the Quran praises as a prophet, noble and chaste.
What it means
Zechariah prayed for an heir, and the angels gave him good news of “a son whose name is Yahya; We have not given that name to anyone before” (19:7). “O Yahya, hold the Book with strength.” We gave him judgement as a child, tenderness from Us and purity, and he was devout, dutiful to his parents, and not arrogant or disobedient (19:12–14). He confirms “a word from God” (3:39), meaning Jesus.