Who Was Prophet Idris?
The Qur’an mentions Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) among the righteous prophets. Allah says:
“And mention Idris in the Book. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a prophet. And We raised him to a high station.”
(Qur’an 19:56–57)
According to the commentary attributed to Amin al-Islam al-Tabarsi, Idris was the ancestor of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). His name in the Torah is said to have been Enoch (Ukhnukh). He was called Idris because of his extensive study of the scriptures and the teachings of God.
Traditional accounts describe Idris as one of the first people to write with a pen. He is also reported to have been a tailor and among the first to sew and wear clothing rather than relying primarily on animal skins.
Some reports further state that Allah taught him knowledge of astronomy, calculation, and the structure of the heavens, and that this knowledge was among his miracles.
“And We Raised Him to a High Station”
The Qur’anic expression, “And We raised him to a high station,” has been understood in more than one way.
Some commentators interpreted it as referring to a high spiritual rank because of his prophethood and divine mission. Other reports state that Idris was raised physically to the sixth heaven.
According to reports attributed to Ibn Abbas and Mujahid, Idris was raised while he was alive, in a manner compared with the ascension of Jesus (peace be upon him).
Another report states that his soul was taken between the fourth and fifth heavens. Other interpretations understand the Qur’anic verse as referring to the elevation of his rank and position through his prophetic mission rather than necessarily describing a physical location.
These differing explanations are preserved in the traditional accounts concerning Idris.
Idris Calls His People to the Worship of God
One account, transmitted from Wahb, describes Idris as a man who reflected deeply upon the greatness and majesty of God.
As he contemplated the heavens, the earth, and the vastness of creation, he reasoned that such an immense creation must have a Lord who governs it and brings order and goodness to it. He therefore sought to know how he could worship this Lord in the proper manner.
Idris withdrew with a group of his people and began advising them, reminding them of God, and calling them to worship the Creator of all things.
A thousand people responded to his call. Idris selected seven among them and suggested that they pray together while the others said “Amen,” hoping that God would guide them to the proper way of worship.
They first placed their hands upon the earth and prayed for a long time, but they received no apparent answer. They then raised their hands toward heaven.
At that point, Allah revealed Himself to Idris, appointed him as a prophet, and taught him how He was to be worshipped.
Those who believed with Idris continued to worship Allah without associating anything with Him. Eventually, Allah raised Idris to heaven. Over time, most of those who had followed his religion passed away, leaving only a small number of believers.
Afterward, people began to differ, introduce innovations, and depart from the path of their prophet. This continued until the time of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him).
The Beginning of Idris’s Prophethood and the Tyrannical King
Another lengthy account, attributed to Imam al-Baqir through a narration recorded in al-Kafi, describes the circumstances surrounding the beginning of Idris’s prophethood.
During Idris’s time, there was a powerful and tyrannical king.
One day, the king went out on an excursion and passed through a beautiful, fertile piece of land belonging to a believing man. The king admired the land and asked his ministers who owned it.
They told him that it belonged to one of his subjects.
The king demanded that the man give him the land. The believer refused, explaining that his family needed it more than the king did.
The king then ordered him to sell it, but the man continued to refuse.
Angered, the king returned home troubled and began thinking about what had happened.
His wife noticed his anger and asked him what was wrong. When he told her about the land and its owner, she offered to solve the problem for him.
She had companions who shared her religious beliefs and who considered the killing of believers who opposed them permissible. She summoned some of them and instructed them to testify before the king that the believer had abandoned the king’s religion.
They gave false testimony against the man.
The king ordered the believer to be killed and seized his land.
According to the narration, Allah became angry because of what had happened to the believer and revealed to Idris that he should confront the tyrant.
Allah told Idris to remind the king that he had not been content merely to kill a believing servant, but had also taken his land and left his family in hardship.
Idris was instructed to warn the king that his tyranny would eventually bring about the loss of his kingdom and the destruction of his city.
Idris Confronts the Tyrant
Idris went to the king and delivered the message from his Lord.
The tyrant ordered Idris to leave, threatening to kill him.
The king’s wife, however, encouraged him not to fear Idris’s warning. She promised to send men to kill the prophet and thereby prevent him from continuing his mission.
Idris had a group of believing companions. He informed them of what had happened and of the message he had delivered to the tyrant.
The king’s wife eventually sent forty men to kill Idris. They searched for him but could not find him.
Idris’s companions saw the men and warned him, telling him that the tyrant intended to kill him and advising him to leave the village.
Idris departed with a number of his companions.
Before dawn, Idris prayed to his Lord and explained that the tyrant had threatened him with death. Allah instructed him to leave the tyrant’s land and promised that His decree concerning the tyrant would be fulfilled.
Idris then asked Allah for one request: that rain not fall upon the village and its surrounding region until he himself asked Allah to send it.
Allah warned him that such a decision would cause the village to suffer and its people to experience hunger.
Idris replied that even if the village were destroyed and its people became hungry, he still made the request.
Allah granted his request.
Twenty Years Without Rain
Idris informed his companions that rain would be withheld from the people. Twenty of them left the village and scattered among neighboring communities.
Idris himself withdrew to a cave in the mountains.
According to the account, Allah appointed an angel to bring Idris food every evening.
Meanwhile, the tyrant lost his kingdom and was eventually killed. His city was destroyed, and the punishment described in the narration was carried out against his wife as well.
A second tyrant later rose to power in the city.
Yet the people continued to suffer. For twenty years, rain did not fall.
Their situation became extremely difficult. They were forced to obtain food from neighboring villages.
Eventually, the people remembered that their suffering had begun after Idris had asked Allah to withhold the rain.
They reasoned that Idris had disappeared, but that Allah was more merciful to them than Idris. They therefore agreed to repent to Allah and ask Him for rain.
They stood upon the ashes, wore rough garments, placed dust upon their heads, and turned to Allah in repentance.
Allah then revealed to Idris that his people had repented.
Allah described Himself as the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate and informed Idris that He had accepted their repentance.
The only reason their request for rain had not yet been granted was Idris’s earlier request that the rain be withheld until he asked for it.
Allah then instructed Idris to ask Him for rain.
Idris Is Tested
Idris initially refused to ask for the rain.
Allah told him to ask, but Idris continued to decline.
Then Allah ordered the angel who had been bringing Idris his food to stop doing so.
That evening, Idris received no food.
The following day, there was still no food.
By the third night, Idris had become extremely hungry. He called upon his Lord and said that his sustenance had been withheld before his soul had been taken.
Allah reminded Idris that he had become distressed after only three days without food, while he had not shown the same concern for the hunger and suffering endured by the people of his village for twenty years.
Allah reminded him that the people had repented and that He had shown them mercy, yet Idris had refused to ask for the rain.
Idris was therefore instructed to descend from his place and seek his own livelihood.
Idris Returns to the Village
Idris descended from his retreat and went in search of food.
When he entered the village, he noticed smoke rising from one of its houses. He approached and found an elderly woman preparing two small flatbreads on a pan.
Idris asked her to give him something to eat because he was exhausted from hunger.
The woman replied that the people of the village had suffered so greatly because of Idris’s prayer that they had almost nothing left to eat.
She explained that the two pieces of bread were all she possessed.
One belonged to her, and the other belonged to her son.
If she gave her own bread to Idris, she would die of hunger. If she gave her son’s portion to him, her son would die.
Idris suggested that they divide the second piece so that her son could have half and he could have the other half.
The woman agreed.
However, when her son saw Idris eating from his portion of the bread, the boy became extremely distressed and died.
His mother cried out in grief and blamed Idris for her son’s death.
Idris told her not to despair and said that he would bring her son back to life by the permission of Allah.
He took the child by the arms and called upon the child’s departing soul to return to his body by Allah’s permission.
The boy came back to life.
When the woman witnessed the miracle, she declared that Idris was truly a prophet of God.
She went out into the village calling at the top of her voice and announcing the good news:
“Rejoice in relief! Idris has entered your village!”
The People Ask Idris for Rain
Idris eventually reached the place where the first tyrant’s city had stood, on a hill.
People from the village gathered around him.
They asked him why he had not shown them mercy during the twenty years in which they had suffered hunger and hardship. They asked him to pray to Allah for rain.
Idris refused, saying that he would not ask Allah for rain until their tyrant came to him on foot, barefoot, together with the people of the village.
The tyrant learned about Idris’s words and sent forty men to bring him to the king.
When they came to Idris, he prayed against them, and according to the narration, they died.
The tyrant then sent five hundred men.
They told Idris that their king had ordered them to bring him before him.
Idris pointed to the fate of the men who had come before them.
The men complained that the people had already suffered from hunger for twenty years and asked why Idris wanted to bring death upon them as well.
Idris replied that he would neither go to the tyrant nor ask Allah to send rain until the tyrant himself came to him walking barefoot, accompanied by the people of the village.
The men returned to the tyrant and informed him of Idris’s condition.
Eventually, the tyrant and the people went to Idris on foot and barefoot.
They humbled themselves before him and asked him to pray to Allah for rain.
Idris then agreed.
He asked Allah to send rain upon them and the surrounding region.
Immediately, clouds appeared in the sky. Thunder sounded, lightning flashed, and rain began pouring down.
The rain became so intense that the people feared they might drown before they could return to their homes.
The Meaning Behind Idris’s Delay
The commentator offers an explanation concerning Idris’s refusal to immediately pray for rain.
He explains that Allah’s command to Idris to pray for the rain should not necessarily be understood as an absolute command requiring immediate action. Rather, it could be understood as allowing him discretion regarding the timing of the prayer.
According to this interpretation, Idris’s purpose in delaying the rain was to humble the people, restrain them from tyranny and corruption, and prevent them from returning to their former behavior after he returned among them.
The account also presents a broader spiritual lesson: the righteous servants of God may display strong anger against wrongdoing on behalf of their Lord, while God’s own patience and mercy are vast.
Idris and the Angel Whose Wing Was Restored
Another narration, attributed to Imam al-Sadiq, tells of an angel whom Allah had punished by cutting off one of his wings and placing him on an island in the sea.
The angel remained there for as long as Allah willed.
When Idris was sent as a prophet, the angel came to him and asked:
“Prophet of God, pray to Allah that He become pleased with me and restore my wing.”
Idris agreed and prayed.
Allah restored the angel’s wing and became pleased with him.
The angel then asked Idris whether he had a request.
Idris replied that he wished to be taken to the fourth heaven.
The angel carried Idris there.
When they arrived, Idris saw the Angel of Death sitting and moving his head in astonishment.
Idris greeted him and asked why he was moving his head.
The Angel of Death replied that Allah had commanded him to take Idris’s soul between the fourth and fifth heavens.
He had wondered how this could happen because the distance between the heavens was immense.
The narration then states that the Angel of Death took Idris’s soul between the fourth and fifth heavens.
The account connects this event with the Qur’anic statement:
“And We raised him to a high station.”
It also repeats the explanation that Idris was called by this name because of his extensive study of the scriptures.
Idris and the Angel of Death
Another narration provides a somewhat different account.
According to this report, Idris used to glorify Allah during the day and fast throughout it. At night, wherever night overtook him, he would spend the night there, and his provision would come to him when he broke his fast.
His righteous deeds were said to ascend in an amount comparable to the deeds of all the people of the earth.
The Angel of Death asked Allah for permission to visit Idris and greet him. Allah granted permission.
The Angel of Death came to Idris and asked to accompany him.
They traveled together, spending their days glorifying Allah and fasting.
When night came, Idris would receive his meal. He would offer food to his companion, but the Angel of Death would say that he had no need for it.
They continued praying together.
Idris would sometimes rest and sleep, while the Angel of Death continued praying without sleeping or becoming tired.
After several days, they passed a flock of sheep and a flourishing vineyard.
The Angel of Death suggested that Idris take some food from the animals or grapes from the vineyard so that he could break his fast.
Idris replied that it was strange for him to refuse food from Idris’s own property and then invite him to take from someone else’s property.
Idris then asked his companion who he really was.
The Angel replied:
“I am the Angel of Death.”
Idris then said that he had a request.
The Angel asked what it was.
Idris asked him to take him up to heaven.
The Angel of Death sought permission from Allah, and permission was granted.
He carried Idris upon his wing and ascended with him.
Idris then made another request.
He explained that he had heard that death was extremely difficult and wished to experience a small part of it so that he could understand what it was like.
The Angel of Death sought permission from Allah.
Permission was granted, and he caused Idris to experience death for a brief moment before restoring him.
The Angel asked him how he had found it.
Idris replied that the reality of death was even more severe than what he had heard.
Idris then made another request: he wanted to see Hell.
The Angel of Death sought permission from its keeper, and Idris was shown Hell.
When he saw it, he fainted.
After recovering, Idris made another request: he wished to see Paradise.
The Angel of Death sought permission from the keeper of Paradise, and Idris entered it.
When he saw Paradise, Idris said that he did not wish to leave it.
He referred to the Qur’anic verses concerning death, the entry of people into Hell, and the fact that the people of Paradise will not be expelled from it.
The commentator then notes that scholars relied more heavily on two earlier reports because of the strength and clarity of their chains of transmission. He also states that this particular narration resembles reports found among other traditions, although he considers it possible to reconcile the different accounts.
Idris as a Tailor and the Presence of Angels
Another report attributed to Wahb ibn Munabbih states that Idris was the first person to sew clothes and wear them.
Those who lived before him are said to have primarily worn animal skins.
The report also states that angels during Idris’s time would meet people, shake their hands, greet them, speak with them, and sit with them.
This was attributed to the righteousness of that period and its people.
The people continued in this state until the time of Noah and his people, after which this interaction was said to have ceased.
The narration also returns to the story of Idris and the Angel of Death and describes Idris as having entered Paradise.
It explains this as a reward for his devotion, humility before God, and righteous deeds.
Idris and Masjid al-Sahlah
A report attributed to Imam al-Sadiq refers to Masjid al-Sahlah in Kufa as the house of Idris.
According to the narration, Idris used to sew and pray there.
The report encourages believers who enter Kufa to visit the mosque, pray there, and ask Allah for their needs in both religious and worldly matters.
It states that whoever calls upon Allah there for something he desires will have his needs answered and will be raised to a high station on the Day of Resurrection.
How Long Did Idris Live?
Al-Mas’udi is reported to have stated that Idris lived on earth for three hundred years, while another opinion suggests that he lived even longer.
Other historical accounts provide genealogical information connecting Idris with the generations before Noah.
Ibn al-Athir records that Anush, son of Seth, succeeded his father and lived for hundreds of years. The lineage continued through Qaynan, Mahlail, and Jared.
Jared’s son was Ukhnukh (Enoch), identified in these accounts as Prophet Idris.
Some Greek traditions are also said to have referred to him as Hermes the Wise.
A Lesson About Death
Among the teachings attributed to the scriptures of Idris is a powerful reminder concerning death.
A person is urged to imagine the moment when death arrives: the difficulty of breathing, the weakening of the body, the changes in the face and eyes, the struggle of the soul, and the helplessness that accompanies the final moments of life.
The passage reminds human beings that death is an unavoidable reality.
No matter how long a person’s life may be, it eventually comes to an end.
Every future event draws nearer with the passage of time, and therefore death should be a source of reflection and preparation.
The teaching concludes with a profound reminder:
Death is more difficult than what comes before it, while death itself is easier than what follows it, considering the tremendous realities and trials of the Day of Resurrection.
Lessons From the Story of Prophet Idris
The traditional accounts concerning Idris contain several important spiritual lessons:
- Reflection upon creation can lead a person toward knowledge of the Creator.
- Truthfulness and righteousness are central qualities of the prophets.
- A believer should stand against tyranny and injustice.
- Power and wealth cannot protect a tyrant from divine justice.
- Repentance remains a path back to God’s mercy.
- Hardship can become a test of patience, compassion, and faith.
- The stories of the prophets remind people that worldly life is temporary.
- Death is inevitable, and a wise person prepares for what comes after it.
- God’s mercy is vast, but human beings should not take that mercy as a reason to persist in wrongdoing.
The story of Idris therefore presents a prophet remembered for truthfulness, worship, knowledge, perseverance, and his struggle against oppression. His story also reminds believers that worldly power eventually passes away, while faith, righteous action, repentance, and preparation for the Hereafter remain of lasting importance.