After the death of Prophet Hizqīl, corruption and disorder spread among the Children of Israel. They abandoned the covenant of Allah and turned to idol worship. Allah then sent to them Prophet Ilyas ibn Yāsīn ibn Finhās ibn al-ʿAzāz ibn Hārūn ibn ʿImrān as a prophet, continuing the mission of reminding them of the Torah which they had neglected.
Between Mūsā ibn ʿImrān and ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (ʿalayhimā al-salām), Allah sent a thousand prophets from among the Children of Israel, without any interruption. Ilyas lived in the time of a king named Akhāb, who at first listened to him and trusted him. But the Israelites had erected an idol called Baal, which they worshipped. Ilyas was sent specifically to the people of Baalbek, west of Damascus, calling them to worship Allah alone and abandon their idol.
He said to them, as mentioned in the Qur’ān:
“Will you not fear Allah? Do you call upon Baal and abandon the Best of Creators—Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers?” (al-Ṣāffāt, 123–126).
But they belied him, opposed him, and even sought to kill him. It is said that he fled and went into hiding.
The Hiding of Prophet Ilyas
According to Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, Ilyas hid from his king in a cave under al-Dam for ten years until Allah destroyed that ruler and replaced him with another. Ilyas then came forth and called the new king to Islām. The king accepted, and many of his people followed him, except ten thousand who refused and were executed.
Another narration from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, from some of the elders of Damascus, states that Ilyas stayed hidden in a mountain cave for twenty or forty nights, during which ravens brought him food.
At that time, the kings of the Children of Israel were fragmented, each ruling over a portion of land and consuming its wealth. The king who accompanied Ilyas said: “I do not see falsehood in what you call us to, because I see other kings worship idols and yet nothing harms them—they eat, drink, and enjoy themselves as we do.” Hearing this, Ilyas parted from him, sorrowful, and the king, too, turned to idol worship.
The Story of the Garden
That king had a righteous neighbour, a believer who concealed his faith and owned a garden near the royal palace. The king treated him well, but his wife was a woman of great evil and disbelief. She urged the king to seize the man’s garden, but he refused.
One time, when the king travelled, his wife falsely accused the man of insulting the king. She brought false witnesses, had him killed, and seized his garden. When the king returned, he was outraged, but she said, “It is already done.”
Allah then revealed to Ilyas, commanding him to tell the king and his wife to return the garden to the man’s heirs, or else Allah’s punishment would descend upon them. They rejected the truth, so Ilyas warned them of divine anger.
The Drought and Hardship
When Ilyas saw that the Israelites persisted in disbelief and oppression, he supplicated against them. Allah withheld rain for three years, causing livestock, birds, and crops to perish. People suffered extreme hardship.
Ilyas remained in hiding, sustained by provisions from Allah. One night, he sought refuge in the home of a woman from the Children of Israel, whose son al-Yasaʿ ibn Akhtūb was severely ill. Ilyas prayed for him, and Allah cured him. Al-Yasaʿ followed Ilyas, believed in him, and became his companion.
As Ilyas grew old, Allah revealed to him: “You have brought hardship upon many creatures—beasts, livestock, and birds—when only the Children of Israel disobeyed. Do you wish to now supplicate for relief?”
Ilyas returned to his people and said, “You and the animals have perished because of your sins. If you wish to know that Allah is angry with you and that my call is the truth, then bring forth your idols and call upon them. If they answer, then your claim is true; if not, then know you are in falsehood, and I shall pray to Allah for relief.”
They agreed. They called upon their idols, but nothing happened. They turned to Ilyas and asked him to supplicate. He prayed, and a cloud appeared like a shield, grew in size, and poured rain while they watched. The land revived, and the hardship lifted.
Yet the people still did not repent or return to Allah.
The Ascension of Prophet Ilyas
When Ilyas saw their persistence in disbelief, he asked Allah to take his soul and relieve him. Allah clothed him with feathers, dressed him in light, and removed from him the need for food and drink. He became an angelic human being—heavenly and earthly.
Allah then sent an enemy against the king and his people. The enemy defeated them, killed the king and his wife, and cast their bodies into that same garden until their flesh decayed. The land was named Baalbek, after the idol they had worshipped, Baal.
Qur’anic Confirmation
Allah mentions this story after Mūsā and Hārūn in Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt:
“Indeed, Ilyas was one of the messengers, when he said to his people: Will you not fear Allah? Will you call upon Baal and abandon the Best of Creators—Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers? But they denied him, so indeed, they will be brought forth [for punishment], except the chosen servants of Allah. And We left his name for those who came after: Peace be upon Ilyasīn. Indeed, thus do We reward the doers of good. Surely he was among Our believing servants.” (al-Ṣāffāt, 123–132).
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