Islamic Timeline of RevelationOpen in flowchart →Prophet Idris (AS)
إدريس
A truthful prophet whom Allah 'raised to a high station'. The Prophet ﷺ met him in the fourth heaven during the Mi'raj.
Biography
The Quran describes Idris as 'a man of truth and a prophet' whom Allah raised to a high position (19:56-57), and lists him among the patient and righteous with Ismail and Dhul-Kifl (21:85-86).
In the authentic hadith of the Mi'raj, the Prophet ﷺ met Idris in the fourth heaven, who welcomed him as 'the righteous brother and righteous prophet' (Sahih Bukhari 3207; Sahih Muslim 162).
Most Muslim historians identify Idris with the Biblical Enoch (Akhnukh) and place him between Adam and Nuh, as a descendant of Shith and an ancestor of Nuh. Tradition credits him with being the first to write with a pen and to sew clothes; these attributions come from historical reports and Israiliyat, not the Quran or Sahih Hadith. Other identifications were also suggested by some early scholars; the Enoch identification is the majority view but not certain.
Many scholars understand 'raised to a high station' as elevation in rank; Israiliyat stories about his bodily ascent or his death in the company of an angel are not authentically established.
Sources & explanation
📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com
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Sahih al-Bukhari 3207 Sahih
The Mi'raj: the Prophet ﷺ met Adam, Yahya and Isa, Yusuf, Idris, Harun, Musa and Ibrahim in successive heavens.
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Sahih Muslim 162a Sahih
The Isra and Mi'raj in Sahih Muslim, including meeting Yusuf ('granted half of beauty'), Idris, Harun, Musa and Ibrahim.
💬 Explanation Unverified
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective
Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: The firm data are 19:56-57 and the Mi'raj hadith; the identification with Enoch and attributions such as inventing writing are treated as tradition.
Further references
- Quran 19:56-57
- Quran 21:85-86
- Sahih Bukhari 3207
- Sahih Muslim 162
Connections
Comes from
- Shith (Seth) - narrated in tradition (AS) ancestor of — Genealogists list Idris (Enoch) as a descendant of Shith
Leads to
- Prophet Nuh (AS) grandfather of — Genealogists list Nuh as great-grandson of Idris (Enoch)