﴿ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ نِدَآءً خَفِيًّۭا ﴾

“When he called out to his Sustainer in the secrecy of his heart,”

Zachariah, or Zakariyyah, who was the chief administrator of the Haykal (Solomon’s temple) was married to Mary’s mother’s sister. Maryam was only five years old when her father, Imran, died. After his death, Zachariah was appointed in his place as the leader of the priests. At that time, Mary, in fulfillment of the pledge made by her mother, was placed in the service of the Haykal. As Zachariah was a close relative of hers and also the chief of the Haykal, he was given the responsibility of bringing her up. Zachariah silently prayed to God and the prayer was granted in an astonishing and wonderful manner. This shows what real prayer is. True prayer is a spontaneous expression of the firm belief that all powers vest in God. Man receives every single thing only on His giving it to him, and no one can own a thing if He does not confer it on him. True prayer needs to be directed solely towards the one and only God. That is why true prayer gushes forth when one is alone—when there is nobody present except God and oneself.