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Encyclopedia of Religion entry for

Idris

A prophet mentioned twice in the Qur’an, about whose identity there is some discussion.

Surah xix. 57: "Commemorate Idris in the Book; verily he was a man of truth and a Prophet; and we raised him to a lofty place."

Surah xxi. 85: "And Ishmael, and Idris, and Zu ‘l-Kifl - all steadfast in patience."

Al-Baizawi says Idris was of the posterity of Shis (Seth) and a forefather of Noah, and his name was Uhnukh (Enoch, Heb. , Consecrated). He was called Idris from dars to instruct from his knowledge of divine mysteries and thirty portions of God ‘s sacred scriptures were revealed to him. He was the first person who learned to write, and he was the inventor of the science of astronomy and arithmetic.

Husain says, "In the Jami ‘u ‘l-Usul, it is written that Idris was born one hundred years after the death of Adam."

The Jalalan say the meaning of the words in the Qur’an, "we raised him to a lofty place" is that he giveth either in the fourth heaven, or in the sixth or seventh heaven, or that he was raised up from the dead and taken to Paradise.

The Kamalan say, "In the book called the Rauzatu ‘l-Ahbab, Ibn Jarir relates that Idris was the special friend of one of the angels of heaven, and that this angel took him up into the heavens, and when they arrived in the fourth heaven, they met the Angel of Death. The angel asked the Angel of Death how many years there were remaining of the life of Idris; and the Angel of Death said, ‘Where is Idris; and the Angel of Death said, ‘Where is Idris for I have received orders to bring death to him? ‘ Idris then remained in the fourth heaven, and he died in the wings of his angel friend who had taken him from earth."

Some of the Commentators think Idris and Elijah (Ilyas) are the same persons. But the accounts given seem to identify him with Enoch.

citations: Dictionary of Islam, Hughes

article created 2006-04-12 , last updated 2006-04-12

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