Alyasa () in Islam is a

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

who was sent to guide the Children of Israel (Jacob). In the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, Alyasa is mentioned twice as a noble prophet, and is mentioned both times alongside fellow prophets. He is honored by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s as the prophetic successor to Ilyas (

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

). Islamic sources that identify Elisha with

Khidr Al-Khidr (, ; also Romanized as ''al-Khadir, Khader, Khidr, Hidr, Khizr, Kezr, Kathir, Khazer, Khadr, Khedher, Khizir, Khizar, Khilr'') is a folk figure of Islam. He is described in Surah Al-Kahf, as a righteous servant of God possessing great w ...

cite the strong relationship between Khidr and Ilyas in Islamic tradition.

Personality

The name of Alyasa is mentioned twice i
Al-An'am 6:86
an
Sad 38:48
In those verses, without mentioning anything about the personality or prophethood of Alyasa, he is mentioned as "graced" and "among the elect". According to the Quran, Elisha is exalted "above the rest of creation" ( and is "among the excellent" (). Alyasa is mentioned in Al-An'am 6:86 and Sad 38:48, along with Ismail:

Claimed tombs

Some Muslims believe the tomb of Alyasa is in

Al-Awjam Al-Awjam (Arabic:الأوجام) (locally known as Lājām ) is a town in the Qatif Governorate, located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Overview Al-Awjam and, like most cities in the region, is home to a large Shia Muslim population. ...

in the eastern region of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. The shrine was removed by the

Saudi Government The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy, along traditional Islamist lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consult ...

because such veneration is not in accordance with the

Wahhabi Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

reform movement dominant in Saudi Arabia. It had been an important landmark for many centuries during the time of

Ottoman Arabia The Ottoman era in the history of Arabia lasted from 1517 to 1918. The Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over these four centuries, with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority. History Early per ...

, and had been a very popular pilgrimage destination for Muslims of all sects throughout the pre-modern period. The grave of Elisha is present in the

Eğil Eğil (; ; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Diyarbakır Province, Turkey. Its area is 449 km2, and its population is 21,434 (2022). It is populated by Kurds. The elected mayor Mustafa Akkul of the Peoples' Democratic P ...

district of Diyarbakir Province, Turkey. The original shrine was near a riverbed that was to be flooded in 1994. A secret board of nine scholars was formed by the city council in cooperation with the

Directorate of Religious Affairs Directorate may refer to: Contemporary *Directorates of the Scottish Government * Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union * Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence ag ...

to avoid drawing the ire of the public to the exhumation. Before the area was flooded, the grave was dug at night and the preserved body of the prophet - witnessed by the nine scholars and official workers - was exhumed to be buried on a hill overlooking the flooded plain. However, many of the townfolk saw the prophet in their dream that night, and turned out before sunrise to observe his reburial in the new spot.Diyarbakirda 2 Peygamber Naaslarinin Naklinde Inanilmaz Olaylar Gerceklesti (Turkish)
''KorkusuzMedya''. Retrieved 11 April 2020.

References

{{Authority control Elisha Hebrew Bible prophets of the Quran