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Surah: Maryam (3)
When He Called His Lord with a Hidden Call — Zakariya's Supplication and the Secret of Concealment
إِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ نِدَآءً خَفِيًّا
— مريم الآية 3
Verse: "When he called his Lord with a hidden call." (19:3) — Zakariya prays secretly, at night, from bodily weakness and sorrowful despair. Three reasons for concealment: furthest from show (no one appreciates it), most sincere (secret between servant and Lord), deepest in brokenness (when praying alone at night you are most truthful). The supplication: "My Lord, do not leave me alone" — the most honest prayer. Not "give me a child" but "do not leave me alone." Lesson: a sincere hidden prayer is better than decorated shouting.
Source: Ibn Kathir (5/208); Al-Sadi
Test Yourself
What are the reasons that hidden supplication is better than public in the context of Zakariya's verse?
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