Dhu L-Kifl

Dhu al-Kifl ( ar, ذُو ٱلْكِفْل, ''ḏū ʾl-kīfl'', literally "Possessor of the ; also spelled Dhu l-Kifl, Dhul-Kifl, Zu al-Kifl, or Zu l-Kifl) is an Islamic prophet. Although his identity is unknown, his identity has been theorised and identified as various Hebrew Bible prophets and other figures, most commonly Ezekiel. Dhu al-Kifl is believed to have been exalted by Allah to a high station in life and is chronicled in the Quran as a man of the "Company of the Good". Although not much is known of Dhu al-Kifl from other historical sources, all the writings from classical commentators, such as Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Kathir, speak of Dhu al-Kifl as a prophetic, saintly man who remained faithful in daily prayer and worship.

A tomb in the Ergani province of Diyarbakir, Turkey is believed by some to be the resting place of prophet Dhu al-Kifl. It is located 5 km from the city centre on a hill called ''Makam Dağı''.

Etymology

The name ''Dhu al-Kifl'' literally means "the possessor of , using a type of name where ذُو ''dhū'' ("possessor of") precedes some characteristically associated feature. Such names were used of other notable figures in the Quran, for example ''Dhu al-Qarnayn'' ( ar, ذُو ٱلْقَرْنَيْن, lit=He of the Two Horns/He of the Two Times, link=no), and ''Dhu al-Nūn'' ( ar, ذُو ٱلْنُّون, lit=the One with the Fish, link=no), referring to Yunus. ''Kifl'' is an archaic Arabic word meaning "double" or "duplicate", from a root meaning "to double" or "to fold"; it was also used for a fold of cloth. The name is generally understood to mean "one of a double portion". Some scholars have suggested that the name means "the man with the double recompense" or rather "the man who received recompense twice over", that is to say that it is a title for Job, as his family was returned to him according to the Quran and the Book of Job.

According to one view, it means "the man of Kifl", as "the one of..." is another possible translation of the participle ''dhū'', and ''Kifl'' is allegedly the Arabic rendition of "Kapilavastu".

In the Quran

Dhu al-Kifl has been mentioned twice in the Quran, in the following verses:

In both cases, Dhu al-Kifl is mentioned in the context of a list of Qur'anic prophets, including many others not mentioned in the ayat quoted above.

Identifications

Ezekiel

Some are of the opinion that Dhu al-Kifl could be Ezekiel. When the exile, monarchy, and state were annihilated, a political and national life was no longer possible. In conformity with the two parts of his book, his personality and his preaching are alike twofold, and the title Dhu al-Kifl means "the one to double" or "to fold".

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his Quranic commentary says:

Al Kifl (Arabic: الكفل; ''ul-Kifl'') is a town in southeastern Iraq on the Euphrates River, between Najaf and Al Hillah. Variant names for the shrine within Al Kifl are: ''Dhu'l Kifl Shrine, Marqad Dhu'l Kifl, Qubbat Dhu'l Kifl, Qabr al-Nabi Dhu al-Kifl, Dhu al-Kifl Shrine, Zul Kifl Shrine, Qabr Hazqiyal, Hazqiyal Shrine. Hazqiyal'' is the Arabic transliteration of the Hebrew ''Y'hezqel'', which was mostly utilized by Sephardi Jews after they adopted Arabic. This indicates that the Jews equated Ezekiel and Dhu al-Kifl, and Muslim exegetes followed suit. The Iraqi authorities assert that in 1316 (715–16 AH) the Ilkhanid Sultan Uljaitu acquired the rights of guardianship over the tomb from the Jewish community. Consequently, the shrine was renamed according to the Islamic nomenclature for the same prophet. Sultan Uljaitu added to the structure by building a mosque and a minaret. As well he restored the shrine implementing some alterations made clear by comparing its present state with pre-Ilkhanid travelers' descriptions. The site remained a Muslim pilgrimage place until the beginning of the nineteenth century when Menahim Ibn Danyal, a wealthy Jew, successfully converted it back to a Jewish site and restored it. The minaret remained as the only witness to its tenure as an Islamic site. Although the mosque and minaret were built in the 14th-century, the antiquity of the shrine and grave cannot be determined.

Others

Dhu al-Kifl has also been identified variously with Joshua, ObadiahDr. Mustafa Khattab, ''The Clear Quran''
38:48
Footnote: "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 Isaiah.

See also

* Biblical narratives and the Quran
*Legends and the Quran
* Prophets and messengers in Islam
* Stories of the Prophets
* Al Kifl

References

Further reading

* Thalabi, ''Ara'is'' al-Madjalis'', Cairo edition 1371, 155
* J. Horovitz, ''Koranische Untersuchungen'', 113
* Harawi, ''K. al-isharat ila ma'rifat al-Ziyarat'', ed. J. Sourdel-Thomine, 76
* ''Guide des lieux de Pelerinage'', tans. J. Sourdel-Thomine, 76, Damascus 1957, 174

External links

Story of Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiel)Dhu'l Kifl Shrine

{{Muslim saints

Prophets of the Quran