Surah 21. Al-Anbiya

for We saved him and Lot, [his brother's son, by guiding them] to the land which We have blessed for all times to come.⁶⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "for all the worlds" or "for all people": i.e., Palestine, which subsequently became the homeland of a long line of prophets. (Abraham's native place - and the scene of his early struggles against polytheism - was Ur in Mesopotamia.)

We delivered him and his nephew Lut (Lot) and directed them to the land which We have blessed for all the people of the world.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then We delivered him, along with Lot, to the land We had showered with blessings for all people.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Abraham and his nephew, Lot, migrated from Babel, Iraq to Jerusalem.

And We rescued him and Lot (and brought them) to the land which We have blessed for (all) peoples.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But We delivered him and (his nephew) Lut (and directed them) to the land which We have blessed for the nations. ²⁷²⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The land of Aram or Syria, which in its widest connotation includes Canaan or Palestine. Syria is a well-watered fertile land, with a Mediterranean sea-coast, on which the famous commercial cities of Tyre and Sidon were situated. Its population is very mixed, as it has been a bone of contention between all the great kingdoms and empires of Western Asia and Egypt, and European interest in it dates from the most ancient times.

And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Llsaac s son] Jacob as an additional gift,⁶⁷ and caused all of them to be righteous men,

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in addition (nafilatan) to his eldest son Ishmael (Isma'll) who had been born years before Isaac.

We gave him a son Ishaq (Isaac) and then a grandson Ya'qoob (Jacob); and We made each of them a righteous man.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We blessed him with Isaac 'as a son' and Jacob 'as a grandson', as an additional favour- making all of them righteous.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We bestowed upon him Isaac, and Jacob as a grandson. Each of them We made righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We bestowed on him Isaac and as an additional gift (a grandson) Jacob and We made righteous men of every one (of them). ²⁷²⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Nafilat has many meanings: (1) booty; (2) extra work or prayer; (3) extra or additional gift; (4) grandson. The two last significations are implied here. Not only was Abraham given a son in his old age; he was given not only Isaac, but several sons, the chief being Isma'il and Isaac, who both joined in burying him (Gen. xxv. 9); and he also saw grandsons. Isma'il is specially mentioned later (xxi. 85) apart from Isaac's line, on account of his special importance for Islam.

and made them leaders who would guide [others] in accordance with Our behest: for We inspired them [with a will] to do good works, and to be constant in prayer, and to dispense charity: and Us [alone] did they worship.

  - Mohammad Asad

We made them leaders who guided other people by Our command and We sent them revelations to do good deeds, establish Salah and pay Zakah. To Us Alone did they serve.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We 'also' made them leaders, guiding by Our command, and inspired them to do good deeds, establish prayer, and pay alms-tax. And they were devoted to Our worship.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We made them chiefs who guide by Our command, and We inspired in them the doing of good deeds and the right establishment of worship and the giving of alms and they were worshippers of Us (alone).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We made them leaders guiding (men) by Our Command and We sent them inspiration to do good deeds to establish regular prayers and to practice regular charity; and they constantly served Us (and Us only). ²⁷²⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The spiritual lesson from this passage may be recapitulated. The righteous man makes no compromise with evil. If the votaries of evil laugh at him he pays them in their own coin, but he stands firmly by his principles. His firmness causes some confusion among the followers of evil, and he openly declares the faith that is in him. They try, openly and secretly, to injure or kill him, but Allah protects him, while evil perishes from its own excesses.

AND UNTO Lot, too, We vouchsafed sound judg-ment and knowledge [of right and wrong], and saved him from that community which was given to deeds of abomination.⁶⁸ [We destroyed those people - for,] verily, they were people lost in evil, depraved -

  - Mohammad Asad

For the story of Lot, see {7:80-84}, {11:77-83} and {15:58-76}.

To Lut (Lot) We gave wisdom and knowledge, and We delivered him from the town which practiced abominations - surely its inhabitants were very wicked transgressors

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And to Lot We gave wisdom and knowledge, and delivered him from the society engrossed in shameful practices. They were certainly an evil, rebellious people.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And unto Lot We gave judgment and knowledge, and We delivered him from the community that did abominations. Lo! they were folk of evil, lewd.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And to Lut too we gave Judgment and Knowledge and We saved him from the town which practiced abominations: truly they were a people given to Evil a rebellious people. ²⁷³⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Lot's people were given to unspeakable abominations. His mission was to preach to them. He withstood Evil, but they rejected him. They were punished, but he and his followers were saved. See xv. 61-74; xi. 77-82; and vii. 80-84. A) The date of Noah was many centuries before that of Abraham.

whereas him We admitted unto Our grace: for, behold, he was among the righteous.

  - Mohammad Asad

- and We admitted him to Our mercy: for he was of the righteous people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We admitted him into Our mercy, 'for' he was truly one of the righteous.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We brought him in unto Our mercy. Lo! he was of the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We admitted him to Our Mercy: for he was one of the Righteous.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND [remember] Noah- [how,] when He called out [unto Us], long before [the time of Abraham and Lot], We responded to him and saved him and his house- hold from that awesome calamity;⁶⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the Deluge. The story of Noah is mentioned several times in the Qur'an, and particularly in {11:25-48}. Regarding the Deluge itself, see surah {7}, note [47].

Before them Nuh (Noah) prayed to Us, We accepted his prayer and delivered him and his family from the great calamity.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when Noah had cried out to Us earlier, so We responded to him and delivered him and his family¹ from the great distress.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., the believers in his family.

And Noah, when he cried of old, We heard his prayer and saved him and his household from the great affliction.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(Remember) Noah when he cried (to Us) aforetime: We listened to his (prayer) and delivered him and his family from great distress. ²⁷³¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The contemporaries of Noah were given to Unbelief, oppression of the poor, and vain disputations. He carried Allah's Message to them, and standing fast in faith, built the Ark, in which he was saved with his followers from the Flood, while the wicked were drowned. See xi. 25-48.

and [how] We succoured him against the people who had given the lie to Our messages: verily, they were people lost in evil - and [so] We caused them all to drown.

  - Mohammad Asad

We helped him against those people who had denied Our revelations; surely they were an evil people, so We drowned them all in the Great Flood.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We made him prevail over those who had rejected Our signs. They were truly an evil people, so We drowned them all.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And delivered him from the people who denied Our revelations. Lo! they were folk of evil, therefor did We drown them all.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We helped him against people who rejected Our Signs: truly they were a people given to Evil: so We drowned them (in the Flood) all together.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND [remember] David and Solomon - [how it was] when both of them gave judgment concerning the field into which some people's sheep had strayed by night and pastured therein, and [how] We bore witness to their judgment:⁷⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

For an elucidation of the story - or, rather, legend - to which the above verse alludes, we must rely exclusively on the Companions of the Prophet, since neither the Qur'an nor any authentic saying of the Prophet speels it out to us. However, the fact that a good many Companions and their immediate successors (tabi'un) fully agreed on the substance of the story, differing only in one or two insignificant details' seems to indicate that at that period it was already well-established in ancient Arabian tradition (cf. note [77] below). According to this story, a flock of sheep strayed at night into a neighbouring field and destroyed its crop. The case was brought before King David for judicial decision. On finding that the incident was due to the negligence of the owner of the sheep, David awarded the whole flock - the value of which corresponded roughly to the extent of the damage - as an indemnity to the owner of the field. David's young son, Solomon, regarded this judgement as too severe, inasmuch as the sheep represented the defendant's capital, whereas the damage was of a transitory nature, involving no more than the loss of one year's crop, i.e., of income. He therefore suggested to his father that the judgement should be altered: the owner of the field should have the temporary possession and usufruct of the sheep (sheep, wool, new-born lambs, etc.), while their owner should tend the damaged field until it was restored to its former productivity, whereupon both the field and the flock of sheep would revert to their erstwhile owners; in this way the plaintiff would be fully compensated for his loss without depriving the defendant of his substance. David realized taht his son'd solution of the case was better than his own, and passed judgement accordingly; but since he, no less than Solomon, had been inspired by a deep sense of justice, God - in the words of the Qur'an - "bore witness to their judgement".

We also bestowed favors upon Dawood (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon): when the two were judging a case regarding the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night, and We were watching them to arrive at judgment,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when David and Solomon passed judgment regarding the crops ruined 'at night' by someone's sheep, and We were witness to their judgments.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And David and Solomon, when they gave judgment concerning the field, when people's sheep had strayed and browsed therein by night; and We were witnesses to their judgment.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember David and Solomon when they gave judgment in the matter of the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night: We did witness their judgment.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

for, [though] We made Solomon understand the case [more profoundly], yet We vouchsafed unto both of them sound judgment and knowledge [of right and wrong].⁷¹ And We caused⁷² the mountains to join David in extolling Our limitless glory, and likewise the birds:⁷³ for We are able to do [all things].

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the fact that Solomon's judgment was more profound did not disprove the intrinsic justice of David's original judgment or deprive it of its merit.

Lit., "We compelled".

A reference to the Psalms of David, which call upon all nature to extol the glory of God - similar to the Qur'anic verses, "The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain" ( 17:44 ), or "All that is in the heavens and on earth extols God's limitless glory" ( 57:1 ).

at that time We gave Sulaiman insight to arrive at the right decision, although We had given wisdom and knowledge to both of them. We caused the mountains and the birds to celebrate Our praises with Dawood; it was We Who made this happen.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We guided 'young' Solomon to a fairer settlement,¹ and granted each of them wisdom and knowledge. We subjected the mountains as well as the birds to hymn 'Our praises' along with David. It is We Who did 'it all'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 A man’s flock of sheep strayed into another man’s vineyard, eating and destroying all his produce. When the two men came to David for judgment, he ruled that the shepherd must give his animals to the vineyard owner in compensation for the damage. On their way out, the two men met young Solomon and the shepherd complained to him. Solomon discussed the case with his father, and suggested that the sheep should be kept with the man who lost his produce so he may benefit from their milk and wool, while the shepherd worked on the farm to restore it to its original state. Eventually the famer would take back his farm in perfect condition, and the sheep would be returned to the shepherd. David was impressed by his son’s insight and approved his fair judgment immediately.

And We made Solomon to understand (the case); and unto each of them We gave judgment and knowledge. And We subdued the hills and the birds to hymn (His) praise along with David. We were the doers (thereof).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge; it was Our power that made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises with David: it was We Who did (these things). ^{2732 2733}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The sheep, on account of the negligence of the shepherd, got into a cultivated field (or vineyard) by night and ate up the young plants or their tender shoots, causing damage, to the extent of perhaps a whole year's crop. David was king, and in his seat of judgment he considered the matter so serious that he awarded the owner of the field the sheep themselves in compensation for his damage. The Roman law of the Twelve Tables might have approved of this decision, and on the same principle was built up the Deodand doctrine of English Law, now obsolete. His son Solomon, a mere boy of eleven, thought of a better decision, where the penalty would better fit the offence. The loss was the loss of the fruits or produce of the field of vineyard: the corpus of the property was not lost. Solomon's suggestion was that the owner of the field or vineyard should not take the sheep altogether but only detain them long enough to recoup his actual damage, from the milk, wool, and possibly young of the sheep, and then retum the sheep to the shepherd. David's merit was that he accepted the suggestion, even though it came from a little boy: Solomon's merit was that he distinguished between corpus and income, and though a boy, was not ashamed to put his case before his father. But in either case it was Allah Who inspired the true realisation of justice. He was present and witnessed the affair, as He is present all the time.

Whatever is in the heavens and the earth celebrates the praises of Allah: xvii. 44; Ivii. 1; xvi. 48-50. Even the "thunder repeateth His praises": xiii. 13. All nature ever sings the praises of Allah. David sang in his Psalms, cxlviii. 7-10: "Praise the Lord from the earth, ye ... mountains and all hills; ... creeping things and flying fowl!" All nature sings to Allah's glory, in unison with David, and angels, and men of God. Cf. xxxiv. 10 and xxxviii. 18-19.

And We taught him how to make garments [of God-consciousness] for you, [O men,] so that they might fortify you against all that may cause you fear: but are you erateful Ifor this boonl?⁷⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

The noun labus is synonymous with libas or libs, signifying "a garment" or "garments" (Qamus, Lisan al-'Arab). But since this term has occasionally been used by pre-Islamic Arabs in the sense of "mail" or "coats of mail" (ibid.), the classical commentators assume that it has this meaning in the above context as well; and in this they rely on the - otherwise unsupported - statement of the tabi'i Qatadah to the effect that "David was the first to make chain mail" (Tabari). Accordingly, they understand the term ba's which occurs at the end of the sentence in its secondary sense of "war" or "warlike violence", and interpret the relevant part of the verse thus: "We taught him how to make coats of mail for you, so that they might fortify you against your [mutual acts of] violence", or "against [the effects of] your warlike violence". One should, however, bear in mind that ba's signifies also "harm", "misfortune", "distress", etc., as well as "danger"; hence it denotes, it its widest sense, anything that causes distress or fear (Taj al-'Arus). If we adopt this last meaning, the term labus may be understood in its primary significance of "garment" - in this case, the metaphorical "garment of God-consciousness" (libas at-taqwa) of which the Qur'an speaks in 7:26 . Rendered in this sense, the above verse expresses the idea that the Almighty taught David how to imbue his followers with that deep God-consciousness which frees men from all spiritual distress and all fears, whether it be fear of one another or the subconscious fear of the Unknown. The concluding rhetorical question, "but are you grateful [for this boon]?" implies that, as a rule, man does not fully realize - and, hence, is not really grateful for- the spiritual bounty thus offered him by God.

We taught him the armor's craft, so that they might protect you in your wars: yet are you ever grateful?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We taught him the art of making body armour to protect you in battle. Will you then be grateful?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We taught him the art of making garments (of mail) to protect you in your daring. Are ye then thankful?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It was We Who taught him the making of coats of mail for your benefit to guard you from each others violence: will ye then be grateful? ^{2734 2735}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The making of coats of mails is attributed to David. It is defensive armour, and therefore its discovery and supply is associated with deeds of righteousness in xxxiv. 10-11, in contrast with the deadly weapons which man invents for offensive purposes. Indeed, all fighting, unless in defence of righteousness, is mere "violence."

David's good work then was: (1) he was open to learn wisdom wherever it came from; (2) he sang the praises of Allah, in unison with all nature; (3) he made defensive armour. But all these things he did, because of the faculties which Allah had given him, and we must be grateful for this and for all things to Allah.

And unto Solomon [We made subservient] the stormy wind, so that it sped at his behest towar'ds the land which We had blessed:⁷⁵ for it is We who have knowledge of everything.

  - Mohammad Asad

This is apparently an allusion to the fleets of sailing ships which brought untold riches to Palestine ("the land which We had blessed") and made Solomon’s wealth proverbial.

We made the raging winds subservient to Sulaiman, pursuing its course by his command to the land which We had blessed; and We have knowledge of everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And to Solomon We subjected the raging winds, blowing by his command to the land We had showered with blessings. It is We Who know everything.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by His command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are aware.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(It was Our power that made) the violent (unruly) wind flow (tamely) for Solomon to his order to the land which We had blessed: for We do know all things. ^{2736 2737}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxxiv. 12, and xxxviii. 36-38, This has been interpreted to mean that Solomon had miraculous power over the winds, and he could make them obey his order. In any case the power behind was, and is, from Allah, Who has granted man intelligence and the faculties by which he can tame the more unruly forces of nature.

Evidently Palestine, in which was Solomon's capital, though his influence extended for north in Syria.

And among the rebel-lious forces [which We made subservient to him]⁷⁶ there were some that dived for him [into the sea] and performed other works besides: but it was We who kept watch over them.⁷⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

My rendering, in this particular context, of shayatin (lit., "satans") as "rebellious forces" is based on the tropical use of the term shaytan in the sense of anything "rebellious", "inordinately proud" or "insolent" (cf. Lane IV, 1552)-in this case, possibly a reference to subdued and enslaved enemies or, more probably, to "rebellious" forces of nature which Solomon was able to tame and utilize; however, see also next note.

In this as well as in several other passages relating to Solomon, the Qur'an alludes to the many poetic legends which were associated with his name since early antiquity and had become part and parcel of Judaeo-Christian and Arabian lore long before the advent of Islam. Although it is undoubtedly possible to interpret such passages in a "rationalistic" manner, I do not think that this is really necessary. Because they were so deeply ingrained in the imagination of the people to whom the Qur'an addressed itself in the first instance, these legendary accounts of Solomon's wisdom and magic powers had acquired a cultural reality of their own and were, therefore, eminently suited to serve as a medium for the parabolic exposition of certain ethical truths with which this book is concerned: and so, without denying or confirming their mythical character, the Qur'an uses them as a foil for the idea that God is the ultimate source of all human power and glory, and that all achievements of human ingenuity, even though they may sometimes border on the miraculous, are but an expression of His transcendental creativity.

And We had subjected to him many of the shaitans who dived for him into the sea and performed other duties besides this; and We were the One Who had control over them for him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'We subjected' some jinn¹ that dived for him,² and performed other duties. It is We Who kept them in check.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., devils.

 The jinn dived to bring him pearls.

And of the evil ones (subdued We unto him) some who dived (for pearls) for him and did other work, and We were warders unto them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And of the evil ones were some who dived for him and did other work besides; and it was We Who guarded them. ²⁷³⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It was Allah's power ultimately, Who granted him wisdom. Solomon tamed the jinns with Wisdom.

AND [remember] Job, when he cried out to his Sus-tainer, "Affliction has befallen me: but Thou art the most merciful of the merciful!"⁷⁸ -

  - Mohammad Asad

The story of Job (Ayyub in Arabic), describing his erstwhile happiness and prosperity, his subsequent trials and tribulations, the loss of all his children and his property, his own loathsome illness and utter despair and, finally, God's reward of his patience in adversity, is given in full in the Old Testament (The Book of Job). This Biblical, highly philosophical epic is most probably a Hebrew translation or paraphrase - still evident in the language employed-of an ancient Naba-taean (i.e., North-Arabian) poem, for "Job, the author of the finest piece of poetry that the ancient Semitic world produced, was an Arab, not a Jew, as the form of his name (Iyyob) and the scene of his book, North Arabia, indicate" (Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, London 1937, pp. 42-43). Since God "spoke" to him, Job ranks in the Qur'an among the prophets, personifying the supreme virtue of patience in adversity (sabr).

Similarly We blessed Ayub, when he prayed to his Rabb saying, "I am badly afflicted with disease: but of all those who show mercy You are the most Merciful."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when Job cried out to his Lord, 'I have been touched with adversity,¹ and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This refers to his loss of health, wealth, and children.

And Job, when he cried unto his Lord, (saying): Lo! adversity afflicteth me, and Thou art Most Merciful of all who show mercy.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (remember) Job when he cried to his Lord "Truly distress has seized me but Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are merciful." ²⁷³⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Job (Ayub) was a prosperous man, with faith in Allah, living somewhere in the north-east comer of Arabia. He suffers from a number of calamities: his cattle are destroyed, his servants slain by the sword, and his family crushed under his roof. But he holds fast to his faith in Allah. As a further calamity he is covered with loathsome sores from head to foot. He loses his peace of mind, and he curses the day he was born. His false friends come and attribute his afflictions to sin. These "Job's comforters" are no comforters at all, and he further loses his balance of mind, but Allah recalls to him all His mercies, and he resumes his humility and gives up self-justification. He is restored to prosperity, with twice as much as he had before; his brethren and friends come back to him; he had a new family of seven sons and three fair daughters. He lived to a good old age, and saw four generations of descendants. All this is recorded in the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Of all the Hebrew writings, the Hebrew of this Book comes nearest to Arabic. The account given in the Biblical sources and the image that it projects of Prophet Job is decidedly different from that found in the Qur-an and the Hadith, which present him as a prophet and brilliant example of dignified patience becoming of a great Prophet of Allah ever trustful in Him and His promises. Nothing could be farther from truth than saying that he lost his peace of mind or resorted to curses during the period of his trial.

whereupon We responded unto him and removed all the affliction from which he suffered; and We gave him new offspring,⁷⁹ doubling their number as an act of grace from Us. and as a reminder unto all who worship Us.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "his family" - i.e., new children in place of those who had died.

We accepted his prayer and relieved his affliction, and restored not only his family but also as many more with them as a favor from Us so that it may serve as a reminder to Our worshippers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We answered his prayer and removed his adversity, and gave him back his family, twice as many, as a mercy from Us and a lesson for the 'devoted' worshippers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then We heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he suffered, and We gave him his household (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them, a mercy from Our store, and a remembrance for the worshippers;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So We listened to him: We removed the distress that was on him and We restored his people to him and doubled their number as a Grace from Ourselves and a thing for commemoration for all who serve Us. ²⁷⁴⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Job is the pattern of humility, patience, and faith in Allah. It was with these weapons that he fought and conquered evil.

AND [remember] Ishmael and Idris,⁸⁰ and every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto God]:⁸¹ they all were among those who are patient in adversity,

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {19}, note [41].

Lit., "and him of the pledge". The expression dhu 'l-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 'l kifl to be the peithet or the proper name of a particular prophet - whom they variously, more or less at randm, identify with Elijah or Joshua or Zachariah or Ezekiel - I fail to see any reason whatever for such attempts at "identification", the more so since we have not a single authentic hadith 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.

Likewise, We blessed Isma`il (Ishmael), Idris and Zul-kifl, for all of them practised patience.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' Ishmael, Enoch, and Ⱬul-Kifl.¹ They were all steadfast.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Scholars are in disagreement as to whether Ⱬul-Kifl was a prophet or just a righteous man. Those who maintain that he was a prophet identify him with various Biblical prophets such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Obadiah.

And (mention) Ishmael, and Idris, and Dhul-Kifl. All were of the steadfast.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (remember) Ismail Idris and Zul-kifl all (men) of constancy and patience; ^{2741 2742 2743}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Isma'il is mentioned specially, apart from the line which descended through Isaac (xxi. 72), as he was the founder of a separate and greater Ummat. His sufferings began in infancy (see n. 160 to ii. 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 xix. 54). That was the particular quality of his constancy and patience.

For Idris see n. 2508 to xix. 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.

Zul-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 "Zul-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, iii. 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, xxxiv. 2-4). Zul-kifl is again mentioned in xxxviii. 48 along with Isma'il and Elisha.