ABSTRACT
Mentioned by name in the Qur ) an two
times (21.85; 38.48), many Muslim exe-
getes identify Dhu al-Kifl as a prophet,
the son of Job. Others claim that Dhu al-Kifl is to be identified as the prophet
Elijah or Zechariah (see 3.37). Many
exegetes associate the prophet Ezekiel
with 2.243 because of its mention of the
resurrection of bones, as in the biblical
account of Ezekiel’s vision of the bones. Others state that Dhu al-Kifl was the
prophet Elisha, his successor, or a right-
eous person whom Elisha imitated in his
pious actions. The Qur ) an itself only
states that, along with Ishmael and
Idris, Dhu al-Kifl was steadfast and upright (21.85), and, along with Ishmael
and Elisha, he was chosen (38.48).
According to a saying of the Prophet
Muhammad, Dhu al-Kifl was an Israelite
who became righteous after recognizing the sinful ways of the other Israelites.
Those who identify Dhu al-Kifl with a
son of Job state that his real name was
Bishr, but that he was called Dhu al-Kifl
because he told the people of Rome
about the ‘guarantee’ (kafil) that God had given to them. Others relate that
Dhu al-Kifl was sent to the people of
Damascus. It is reported that Dhu al-Kifl
lived and died in Syria but there is no
extant tomb attributed to him there.
