6 Preface يَرِثُني وَيَرِثُ مِن آلِ يَعقوبَ ۖ وَاجعَلهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّاYusuf Ali“(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent1 the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art wellpleased!”It is true that, an heir inherits property, but his higher duty is to represent in everything the personality of him from whom he inherits. It is doubtful whether Zakariya had any worldly property. But he had character and virtue, as a man of God, and this he wanted to transmit to his heir as his most precious possession. It was almost the most precious possession of the posterity of Jacob. The people around him had fallen away from God’s Message. Could his heir, like him, try and renew it?