John the Baptist (, Ioannēs ho baptistēs or Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων, Ioannēs ho baptizōn, known as the prophet Yahya in the Qur'an  ) was a Jewish itinerant preacher  in the early first century AD and is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. He is called a prophet by all of these traditions, and honoured as a saint in many Christian traditions.