Alyasa ( ar, اليسع, translit=Alyasaʿ) is
prophet and messenger of
God who was sent to guide the
Children of Israel
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
. In the
Quran, Alyasa is mentioned twice as a prophet, and is mentioned both times alongside fellow prophets. He is honored by
Muslims as the prophetic successor to
Ilyas (
Elijah). Islamic sources that identify Elisha with
Khidr cite the strong relationship between Khidr and Ilyas in Islamic tradition.
Personality
The name of Alyasa is mentioned twice i
Al-An'am 6:86an
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:
Miracles
In a Shia ''
hadith'' from
Ali al-Ridha, it is mentioned that Alyasa, had some miracles including the revival of the dead, curing the ill, and walking on water.
Claimed tombs
Some Muslims believe the tomb of Elisha is in
Al-Awjam
Al-Awjam (also written Al Awjām, Al Ājām, or Ajam al Qatif) is a small city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The village lies in far north-eastern corner of the Eastern Province, ...
in the eastern region of
Saudi Arabia. The shrine was removed by the
Saudi Government because such veneration is not in accordance with the
Wahhabi or
Salafi
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generat ...
reform movement dominant in Saudi Arabia. It had been an important landmark for many centuries during the time of
Ottoman Arabia, 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 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
The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey ( tr, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, normally referred to simply as the Diyanet) is an official state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under article 136 of t ...
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
{{Qur'anic people
Hebrew Bible prophets of the Quran