19. Surah Maryam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَاذْكُرْ فِي
الْكِتَابِ
إِسْمَاعِيلَ...
19: 54. Also mention in the Book (the story of) Isma'il:
...إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَّبِيًّا ﴿٥٤﴾
He was (strictly) true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger (and) a Prophet.
C2506. Isma'il was Dhabih Allah i.e., the chosen sacrifice for Allah in Muslim tradition.
When Abraham told him of the sacrifice, he voluntarily offered himself for it, and never flinched from his promise, until the sacrifice was redeemed by the substitution of a ram under Allah's commands.
He was the fountain-head of the Arabian Ummah, and in his posterity came the Prophet of Allah. The Ummah and the Book of Islam reflect back the prophethood on Isma'il.
وَكَانَ
يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ
بِالصَّلَاةِ
وَالزَّكَاةِ...
19: 55. He used to enjoin on his people Prayer and Charity,
...وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا ﴿٥٥﴾
and he was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord.
C2507. An acceptable sacrifice: see last note.
Other versions:
19: 54 [Mary, Mecca 44]
Yusuf Ali Also mention in the Book (the story of) Ismail: He was (strictly) true to what he promised and he was an apostle (and) a prophet.
Pickthall And make mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. Lo! he was a keeper of his promise, and he was a messenger (of Allah) a Prophet.
Transliteration Wadz kur fil kita_bi isma_'ila in nahu_ ka_na sha_diqal wa'di wa ka_na rasu_lan nabiy ya_
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19: 55
Asad who used to enjoin upon his people prayer and charity, and found favor in his Sustainer’s sight.
Yusuf Ali He used to enjoin on his people Prayer and Charity and he was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord.
Pickthall He enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his Lord.
Transliteration Wa ka_na ya'muru ahlahu_ bis shala_ti waz zaka_h wa ka_na inda rab bihi mardhiy ya_
21. Surah Al Anbiya'
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ
...
21: 85. And (remember) Isma'il,
C2741. Isma'il is mentioned specially, apart from the line which descended through Isaac (21:72), as he was the founder of a separate and greater Ummah.
His sufferings began in infancy (see n. 160 to 2:158 ); but his steady constancy and submission to the will of Allah were specially shown when he earned the title of "Sacrifice to Allah" (see n. 2506 to 19:54). That was the particular quality of his constancy and patience.
... وَإِدْرِيسَ ...
Idris,
C2742. For Idris see n. 2508 to 19:56.
He was in a high station in life, but that did not spoil him. He was sincere and true, and that was the particular quality of his constancy and patience,
... وَذَا الْكِفْلِ...
and Dhu al Kifl,
C2743. Dhu al Kifl would literally mean "possessor of, or giving, a double requital or portion"; or else, "one who used a cloak of double thickness," that being one of the meanings of Kifl.
The Commentators differ in opinion as to who is meant, why the title is applied to him, and the point of his being grouped with Isma'il and Idris for constancy and patience.
I think the best suggestion is that afforded by Karsten Niebuhr in his Reisebeschreibung nach Arabian, Copenhagen, 1778, ii. 264-266, as quoted in the Encyclopaedia of Islam under "Dhul-Kifl".
He visited Meshad 'All in 'Iraq, and also the little town called Kefil, midway between Najaf and Hilla (Babylon). Kefil, he says, is the Arabic form of Ezekiel. The shrine of Ezekiel was there, and the Jews came to it on pilgrimage.
If we accept "Dhul al Kifl" to be not an epithet, but an Arabicised form of "Ezekiel", it fits the context, Ezekiel was a prophet in Israel who was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar after his second attack on Jerusalem (about B.C. 599). His Book is included in the English Bible (Old Testament). He was chained and bound, and put into prison, and for a time he was dumb (Ezekiel, 3:25-26).
He bore all with patience and constancy, and continued to reprove boldly the evils in Israel.
In a burning passage he denounces false leaders in words which are eternally true: "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken ...... etc. (Ezekiel, 34:2-4).
Dhu al Kifl is again mentioned in 38:48 along with Isma'il and Elisha.
...كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّابِرِينَ ﴿٨٥﴾
all (men) of constancy and patience;
وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ
فِي رَحْمَتِنَا
إِنَّهُم مِّنَ
الصَّالِحِينَ
﴿٨٦﴾
21: 86. We admitted them to Our Mercy: for they were of the Righteous ones.
Other versions:
21:85
Arabic Source and Roman Transliteration |
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وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِدْرِيسَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ ۖ كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّابِرِينَ |
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AND [remember] Ishmael and Idris, 80 and every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto God]: " they all were among those who are patient in adversity,
(21:86) and so We admitted them unto Our grace: behold, they were among the righteous!
[[Asad’s note - 80 See surah 19, note 41. ]]
[[ Asad’s note - 81 Lit., "and him of the pledge". The expression
dhu '1-kifl is derived from the verb kafala and especially the form takaffala - which signifies "he became responsible [for something or someone)" or "pledged himself [to do something]". Although the classical commentators consider dhu '1-kifl to be the epithet or the proper name of a particular prophet - whom they variously, more or less at random, identify with Elijah or Joshua or Zachariah or Ezekiel - 1 fail to see any reason
whatever for such attempts at "identification", the more so since we have not a single authentic hadlth which would mention, or even distantly allude to, a prophet by this name. I am, therefore, of the opinion that we have here (as in the identical expression in 38 : 48) a generic term applying to every one of the prophets, inasmuch as each of them pledged himself unreservedly to God and accepted the responsibility for delivering His message to man. ]]
(21:86) and so We
admitted them unto Our grace: behold, they were among the righteous!
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