General
Idris [peace be upon him] is the great-grandchild of Adam [peace be upon him]. It is narrated that he lived through 308 years of Adam’s [peace be upon him] life. The name Idris (إدريس) is said to perhaps originally mean “interpreter”. According to the traditional view of Islam, the prophet fulfilled an interpretative and mystical role and therefore this meaning was generally accepted. Later islamic sources, those of the eighth century, began to claim that Idris had two names, “Idris” and “Enoch,” and other sources even stated that “Idris’s true name is Enoch and that he is called Idris in Arabic because of his devotion to the study of the sacred books of his forefathers Adam and Seth.” Therefore, these later sources also emphasized that Idris either meant “interpreter” or had a meaning close to that of an interpreting role. Several of the classical commentators on the Qur’an, such as Al-Baizawi, said that he “was called Idris from the Arabic dars, meaning ‘to study’, because of his knowledge of the divine mysteries.”
It was a Prophet who could write and sew clothes. Ibn Katheer reports the following story, which Ibn Hajar says is (probably) from the isra’iliyat: “Idris [peace be upon him] wanted to know how long he had left to live and asked an angel. This angel took him to the heavens and there they encountered the angel of death. The angel asked the angel of death how long Idris [peace be upon him] had to life and the angel of death indicated that he should take the life of Idris [peace be upon him] in the fourth heaven. So when Idris [peace be upon him] was there, the angel did this immediately.”
Allah says in the Qur’an about Idris [peace be upon him]: ”Also mention Idris in the Book. He was very sincere and a prophet. We have elevated him to a high position.” According to the scholars, this high position can also be understood literally, in addition to the figurative meaning. The reason for this is that Idris [peace be upon him] was in the fourth heaven. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) also spoke to Idris [peace be upon him] during his [sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam] journey into heaven. According to a hadith narrated by Malik ibn Anas and found in Sahih Muslim, Muhammad is said to have encountered Idris in the fourth heaven on his Night Journey. The traditions that have developed around the figure of Idris have given him the scope of being a prophet as well as a philosopher and mystic, and many later Islamic mystics, or Sufis, including Ruzbihan Baqli and Ibn Arabi, also reported encountering Idris in their spiritual visions.
Lessons
One day, Prophet Idris was informed by Allah that he would receive the reward of all the good deeds that man performs every day until his last breath.
Prophet Idris was overjoyed with the news and thanked Allah immensely for all His blessings. But Idris was quite old, and wasn’t quite ready to leave the earth as a well-spreading companion. So he decided to speak to the Angel of Death and beg him to postpone his death. The Angel agreed to Idris’ plea and decided to meet the Angel of Death with Idris.
The Angel flew to the fourth heaven with Prophet Idris on his wings and met the Angel of Death. Idris’ beloved companion said to the Angel of Death: “Prophet Idris wants to know if you could prolong his life.” The Angel of Death was stunned and replied, “And where is Idris?” “He is on my back”, answered the Angel. The Angel of Death replied, “How amazing! I was sent and told to cease the soul of Idris in the fourth heaven. I kept thinking how could I hold it up in fourth heaven while he was on earth. Subhanallah (glory be to God), He made it happen!” And as the Lord had commanded the Angel of Death, the soul of Idris was taken up into the fourth heaven.
After the death of Prophet Idris, corruption began to increase rapidly. Several generations later, without Prophetic guidance, Satan finally succeeded in influencing the children of Adam to commit their first act of shirk (polytheism).
1 Surah Maryam, verses 56-57
