The story in short
- Arabic name
- إلياس
- English name
- Elijah
- Named in the Quran
- 2 times
- Sent to
- His people, who worshipped the idol Bal
- In the list of 25
- 19 of 25
In short: Ilyas was a messenger sent to a people who worshipped an idol called Bal. He asked them: "Do you call upon Bal and leave the best of creators, Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers?" (37:125-126). They denied him, except Allah's sincere servants. Allah left praise of him among later generations: "Peace upon Elias" (37:130), where the Arabic reads Il-Yasin.
The story of Ilyas
What the Quran says
"And indeed, Ilyas was from among the messengers, when he said to his people, 'Will you not fear Allah? Do you call upon Bal and leave the best of creators, Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers?' And they denied him, so indeed, they will be brought for punishment, except the chosen servants of Allah" (37:123-128). He is also named in Surah Al-Anam among the righteous, with Zakariya, Yahya and Isa (6:85). Scholars explain "Il-Yasin" in 37:130 as another form of his name, the way Arabs sometimes extended names.
What is uncertain
Ilyas is generally identified with Elijah, and historians place him among the prophets of the Children of Israel after Sulaiman. Reports that Ilyas is still alive, that he meets al-Khidr every year at Hajj, or that he was taken up in a chariot of fire, come from Isra'iliyyat or from narrations that hadith scholars judged weak or fabricated. Ibn Kathir and others rejected them.
Key verses
وَإِنَّ إِلْيَاسَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿١٢٣﴾ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٢٤﴾ أَتَدْعُونَ بَعْلًۭا وَتَذَرُونَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْخَٰلِقِينَ ﴿١٢٥﴾ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْ وَرَبَّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿١٢٦﴾ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ ﴿١٢٧﴾ إِلَّا عِبَادَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ ﴿١٢٨﴾ وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرِينَ ﴿١٢٩﴾ سَلَٰمٌ عَلَىٰٓ إِلْ يَاسِينَ ﴿١٣٠﴾ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾ إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٣٢﴾
Wa inna Ilyaasa laminal mursaleen Iz qaala liqawmiheee alaa tattaqoon Atad'oona Ba'lanw wa tazaroona ahsanal khaaliqeen Allaaha Rabbakum wa Rabba aabaaa'ikumul awwaleen Fakazzaboohu fa inna hum lamuhdaroon Illaa 'ibaadal laahil mukhlaseen Wa taraknaa 'alaihi fil aakhireen Salaamun 'alaaa Ilyaaseen Innaa kazaalika najzil muhsineen Innahoo min 'ibaadinal mu'mineen
(123) And indeed, Elias was from among the messengers, (124) When he said to his people, "Will you not fear Allah? (125) Do you call upon Ba'l and leave the best of creators - (126) Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers?" (127) And they denied him, so indeed, they will be brought [for punishment], (128) Except the chosen servants of Allah. (129) And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: (130) "Peace upon Elias." (131) Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. (132) Indeed, he was of Our believing servants.
Quran 37:123-132 · Sahih International · Read in Surah As-Saffat
Lessons from the story
- Shirk can take any name, Bal or anything else. The call is always back to "the best of creators".
- Faith is inherited only if it is renewed: "your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers".
- Allah preserves the good name of those who call to Him (37:129-130).
Where it is in the Quran
The main passages about Ilyas, with links to read and listen to each surah:
- Surah As-Saffat 37:123-132
- Surah Al-Anam 6:85
What is authentic, and what is not
We have kept to the Quran here. Stories about Ilyas being alive today have no sound basis.
We follow Ibn Kathir's Qasas al-Anbiya only where it rests on the Quran and sound hadith. Isra'iliyyat are reports taken from earlier scriptures and storytellers. Scholars allow mentioning them only when they do not contradict the Quran and Sunnah, and they are never treated as certain.
Questions
How many times is Ilyas mentioned in the Quran?
Twice by the name Ilyas (6:85, 37:123), and once as Il-Yasin (37:130).
Is Ilyas the same as Elijah?
Yes, this is the common identification among scholars and historians.
Is Prophet Ilyas still alive?
No authentic evidence says so. Reports that he is alive or meets al-Khidr are weak or from Isra'iliyyat.
Who was Bal?
An idol that his people worshipped instead of Allah (37:125).
Sources
- Ibn Kathir, Qasas al-Anbiya, chapter on Ilyas, and his tafsir of 37:123-132.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English by Sahih International. In quotations within the text, the prophets' names are given in their Arabic form (Musa for Moses, Ibrahim for Abraham).
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.