Lives of the prophets – Ilyas (A.S)
Prophet Ilyas is the descendent of Prophet Haroon (A.S). The prophet preached to the people of Israel. He, like other prophets, invited the people towards the message of Allah. He was given prophethood after the death of the Prophet Sulaiman (A.S). After his death, the people of his region were divided into two groups: Israel and Yahuda. He spread the message of Allah for 22 years of his life.
The newly appointed king of Israel was Ahaab. He was amongst the wicked rulers of the region. He alongside his wife introduced idol worshipping. And they built several temples in the region. They built an idol Ba’al that is said to have four faces and was 13.6 meters tall. The public followed their rulers and began idol worshipping in the region of Prophet Ilyas. The people who followed the path of Allah were tortured to death by the king.
Miracles of Prophet Ilyas:
Prophet Ilyas travelled to Jordan at the command of Allah. And the people welcomed him with an open heart. He lived there for a while. Then he travelled to a nearby town where he asked a woman to give him something to eat. The woman had a fire and therefore made three pieces of bread. Time passed and the son of the woman died.
She was disheartened and asked the prophet to give him life again. The prophet prayed to Allah and He granted his wish. The woman thanked Ilyas (A.S) and said that his message was true. This angered the king of Israel and plotted alongside his wife to murder the prophet. But Allah commanded the prophet to travel to Bersaba.
Punishment for the people:
After the people did not listen to the prophet. He requested Allah to punish them for their wrongdoings. And Allah accepted the prayer of his beloved prophet.
Allah called upon a famine and drought in the region that was related for three years. All of the disbelievers were dying from hunger and extreme conditions. They prayed to their idol Ba’al to help them in such a state. But nothing happened. Then they realized their doings and asked the prophet to release them of the punishment. They asked Ilyas (A.S) to pray for rain and to end the extreme condition of the region.
When Allah accepted the dua of Ilyas (A.S) it rained. The punishment of the people ended but they went back to their old ways (idol worshipping).
Family tree of prophet Ilyas (A.S):
The family tree of the prophet begins from Prophet Adam to Idris (A.S) to Nuh (A.S) to Ibrahim (A.S) to Ishaq (A.S) to Yaqub (A.S) to Musa (A.S) to Harun (A.S) to Ilyas (A.S).
Tomb Prophet Ilyas:
Allah commanded the prophet to meet Alyas’a and Khazal. There he struck the river with his turban and it split in two. A ride descended from heaven and he rode it until he disappeared.
For a detailed account of the story click here,
and to read more stories of prophets mentioned in the Quran, click here!
