Ilyas
Definition
Ilyas — the Prophet Elijah of Biblical tradition — was sent to a people in the region of Baalbek in what is now Lebanon, who had abandoned the worship of Allah for the worship of Baal, an ancient Levantine deity associated with storm and fertility. Ibn Kathir's account of Ilyas is brief but focused: the prophet confronted the irrationality of idol worship with the directness characteristic of the great prophets, and the Quran preserves his challenge: 'Do you call upon Baal and leave the best of creators — Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers?' The salutation 'Peace be upon Ilyas,' recited by every Muslim who recites the relevant Quranic verses, constitutes a form of eternal honor that transcends historical uncertainty about the full details of his mission.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
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