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.
How the scholars use Ilyas.
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"But they denied him, so they will certainly be brought to punishment, except for the chosen servants of Allah. And we left for him favorable remembrance among later generations. Peace be upon Ilyas. Thus do we reward the doers of good. Indeed he was of our believing servants. Genealogists have identified him as Ilyas al-Tishbi, sometimes described as the son of Yashin bin Fanhas bin Al-Azhar bin Aran, and other times as Ilyas bin Al-Azhar bin Aran bin Imran."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
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"Ilyas then invited the new king to Islam and he embraced it along with many of his people, except for 10,000 who were ordered to be killed. Another account states that Ilyas, peace be upon him, hid in a mountain cave for 20 or perhaps 40 nights, sustained by ravens. It is also narrated that the first prophets sent were Idris, then Noah, then Abraham, followed by Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub, Yusuf, Lut, Salih, Shuayb, Musa, and Harun, and then Ilyas al-Tishbi."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
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"However, if one prostrates after the salutation and then loses their wudu, their prayer is invalidated. When one enters into the prostration, it is as if their salutation was mistakenly placed, so they do not exit the prayer, and they should repeat the salutation after the prostration. If one remembers the prostration of forgetfulness after leaving the mosque or after a long period, it is considered missed."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 4: The Book of Prayer
Appears in
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