Allah Almighty mentioned Prophet Al Yasa – Elisha among the Prophets in Surah al-Anʿām where He says:
“And Ishmael, and Elisha, and Jonah, and Lot — and each one We preferred over all the worlds.”
(al-Anʿām: 86)
Al-Yasaʿ (Elisha), peace be upon him, was from the descendants of Yusuf (Joseph), son of Yaʿqub (Jacob), son of Ishāq (Isaac), son of Ibrāhīm (Abraham), peace be upon them all — though some narrations mention otherwise.
Allah also said in Surah Ṣād: “And remember Ishmael, Elisha, and Dhul-Kifl — each of them among the best.”
(Ṣād: 48)
Prophet Al Yasa – Elisha | His Lineage and Prophethood
According to Isḥāq ibn Bishr, Abū Ḥudhayfah reported from Saʿīd, from Qatādah, from al-Ḥasan who said:
“After Prophet Ilyās (Elijah), peace be upon him, came Al-Yasaʿ. He remained as long as Allah willed, calling his people to Allah, holding firmly to the way and law of Ilyās, until Allah took him to Himself. Then there succeeded generations after him in whom corruption and sins spread, and tyrants increased among them, killing the Prophets. Among those rulers was an arrogant and oppressive king — said to be the one to whom Dhul-Kifl offered the guarantee that if he repented and returned to Allah, he would enter Paradise — and so he was called Dhul-Kifl.”
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq said: “He was Al-Yasaʿ ibn Akhṭūb.”
His Ancestry According to Ibn ʿAsākir
Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Qāsim ibn ʿAsākir mentioned in the letter “Yāʾ” of his History:
“Al-Yasaʿ is al-Asbāṭ ibn ʿAdī ibn Shutlam ibn Afrāthīm ibn Yūsuf ibn Yaʿqūb.”
It is also said that he was the cousin of Prophet Ilyās, peace be upon them both.
Another narration says he was hiding with Ilyās in Mount Qāsiyūn from the king of Baʿlabakk, then accompanied him there.
When Ilyās was raised by Allah, Al-Yasaʿ succeeded him among his people, and Allah appointed him as Prophet after him.
ʿAbd al-Munʿim ibn Idrīs ibn Sinān narrated from his father, from Wahb ibn Munabbih, that:
“Al-Asbāṭ lived in Bāniyās.”
Ibn ʿAsākir also mentioned that some recited his name with light or doubled pronunciation, and some read it as “al-Laysaʿ”, which all refer to one Prophet of Allah.
Ibn Kathīr commented:
“We have already presented the story of Dhul-Kifl after that of Ayyūb (Job), peace be upon them, because it was said he was Ayyūb’s son — and Allah knows best the truth.”
After the Time of Al-Yasa (Elisha)
Ibn Jarīr and others mentioned that the affairs of Banī Isrāʾīl then became confused, their sins and calamities multiplied, and they killed many of the Prophets.
Allah replaced the Prophets among them with tyrannical kings who oppressed and shed blood.
He also set upon them enemies from other nations.
Whenever they fought those enemies, they carried with them the Ark of the Covenant, which had been placed in the Tabernacle of Time, as mentioned before.
They were granted victory by its blessing and by what Allah placed within it of sakīnah (tranquillity) and relics left by the families of Mūsā (Moses) and Hārūn (Aaron).
During one of their battles against the people of Gaza and ʿAsqalān, the enemy overpowered them and seized the Ark.
When the king of Banī Isrāʾīl learned of this, he became deeply grieved and died from sorrow.
The Israelites were left like sheep without a shepherd — until Allah sent among them a Prophet named Shamwīl (Samuel).
They asked him to appoint a king to lead them in battle — a story which Allah later narrated in His Book.
Prophet Elisha | His Legacy
Historians relate that Al-Yasaʿ, peace be upon him, came after Ilyās and continued the mission among the Children of Israel, calling them to worship Allah alone, following the path and law of Ilyās.
He remained as long as Allah willed, until Allah took him to Himself.
Then corruption spread among the Israelites once more, and tyrants multiplied.
Among them was the Ark containing the remnants left by the families of Mūsā and Hārūn, passed down through generations.
Whenever they went forth to battle and carried the Ark before them, Allah granted them victory over every enemy they faced.
Some also said that Al-Yasaʿ was the cousin of Prophet Ilyās, peace be upon him; that he had hidden with him in Mount Qāsiyūn from the king of Baʿlabakk; and that when Ilyās died, Al-Yasaʿ succeeded him among his people and Allah revealed Prophethood to him thereafter.
