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Prophet #18 · c. 900 BCE traditional

Ilyās

إلياس

Commonly rendered in English as Elijah.

Sent to a people who worshipped the idol Baʿl. They drove him out. Allah sent famine on them, then rain when they repented through his prayer.

Era
c. 900 BCE traditional
Region
Baʿlbek
Sent to
The worshippers of Baʿl
References in the library

Passages that mention Ilyās

  1. "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."

  2. "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."

  3. "Some traditions mention that Elijah and Al-Khidr meet every year during Ramadan in Jerusalem, make the pilgrimage, and drink from Zamzam. However, these accounts are not authentic, and evidence suggests that Al-Khidr and Elijah have passed away. Wahab ibn Munabih and others related that when Elijah prayed to be taken up after being disbelieved and harmed, a creature like fire came to him."

  4. "Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Lot, Salih, Shuayb, Moses, Aaron, and then Elijah. However, there are questions about this order. It is said that four prophets are alive, Elijah and Al-Khidr on earth, and Idris and Jesus in the sky, peace be upon them. Some traditions mention that Elijah and Al-Khidr meet every year during Ramadan in Jerusalem, make the pilgrimage, and drink from Zamzam."

  5. "Anas saw a man whose height was over 300 cubits. The man asked Anas to convey his greetings to the Prophet, saying, Your brother Elijah sends his salutations. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was informed and came to greet Elijah. They sat down to talk, and Elijah mentioned that he only eats once a year, inviting the Prophet to eat with him."

  6. "ibn Efrem, ibn Yusuf, ibn Yaqub, ibn Ishaq, ibn Ibrahim, the friend of Allah. It is said that he was a cousin of the Prophet Ilyas, peace be upon them. It is said that he was hidden with him in Mount Qasiyun from the king of Baalbek, and then he went with him there. When Ilyas was raised, Al-Yasa succeeded him among his people, and Allah appointed him as a prophet after him. Khadijah then took him to her cousin, Waraka ibn Naufal, who had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic period and used to write in Hebrew. Waraka was an elderly blind man. Khadijah said, Oh my cousin, listen to your nephew. Waraka asked the Prophet what he had"

  7. "not. As Allah says in Surah Al-Alaq, Read in the name of your Lord who created. Created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is the most generous, who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not. It is narrated that after Ilyas, Alyasa was among them. Peace be upon them. He remained as long as Allah willed, calling them to Allah, adhering to the methodology and law of Ilyas until Allah the exalted took him unto himself. Then there came after him successors, and great events and sins increased among them, and the tyrants multiplied, killing the prophets. Among them was a tyrannical king, and it is said that he was the one"

  8. "routes, though he noted earlier that these were weakened and did not present their chains of transmission. And Allah knows best. As for Ilyas, peace be upon him, Allah the Almighty mentioned his story in Surah al-Saffat. And indeed Ilyas was one of the messengers, when he said to his people, Will you not fear Allah? Do you call upon Baal and leave the best of creators, Allah your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers?"

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Hear the prophetic story in full.

Ibn Kathir's Stories of the Prophets, narrated chapter by chapter in the Joyful Muslims app.

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