Islamic Timeline of RevelationOpen in flowchart →Prophet Ilyas (AS)
إلياس
A messenger to the Children of Israel who confronted the worship of the idol Ba'l. The Quran praises him among the righteous and sends peace upon him.
Biography
The Quran states: 'And indeed Ilyas was among the messengers, when he said to his people, Will you not fear Allah? Do you call upon Ba'l and abandon the Best of creators, Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers?' (37:123-126). His people denied him and will be brought to account, except Allah's sincere servants (37:127-128). Allah left praise for him among later generations: 'Peace be upon Ilyas' (recited 'Il Yasin', 37:130). He is also listed among the righteous in 6:85.
Muslim historians identify him with the Biblical Elijah, active in the northern kingdom of Israel in the era of King Ahab (c. 9th century BCE), when worship of the Canaanite god Baal had spread; the Quran's naming of Ba'l fits this setting.
Some reports suggested he is the same as Idris, or that he is still alive alongside al-Khidr; these claims are not supported by Sahih Hadith and are generally regarded as weak.
Al-Yasa' (Elisha) is traditionally considered his student and successor.
Sources & explanation
۞ Qur'an
6:85 37:123 37:124 37:125 37:126 37:127 37:128 37:129 37:130 37:131 37:132
Links open quran.com.
📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com
No verified hadith attached yet. Only references checked against sunnah.com are listed.
💬 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 Quranic passage 37:123-132 is the firm basis; reports of his being alive or merged with other figures would be set aside as unauthentic.
Empires in their lifetime
- Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) c. 930 – c. 720 BCETradition identifies Ilyas with Elijah, who opposed Ba'l worship in this kingdom under Ahab.
- Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 – 609 BCEAssyria was the dominant power in the Levant during the 9th century BCE prophets of Israel (traditional identification).
Further references
- Quran 37:123-132
- Quran 6:85
Connections
Comes from
- Prophet Musa (Kalimullah) (AS) prophetic succession — Prophet of Bani Isra'il after Musa
Leads to
- Prophet Al-Yasa' (AS) prophetic succession — Elisha successor of Elijah per tradition
Linked with
- Judaism (Religion of Bani Isra'il) altered into — Ilyas confronted Ba'l worship among his people (37:125)