The Ranks (Al-Saffat) الصافات 123–132
123
وَإِنَّ إِلْيَاسَ لَمِنْ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
Elijah too was one of the messengers.
124
إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ
He said to his people, ‘Have you no fear [of God?]
125
أَتَدْعُونَ بَعْلًا وَتَذَرُونَ أَحْسَنَ الْخَالِقِينَ
Do you call on Baal and abandon the Best of Creators,
126
وَاللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْ وَرَبَّ آبَائِكُمُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
God your Lord and Lord of your forefathers?’
127
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ
but they rejected him, and thus will certainly be called to account;
128
إِلَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ
except the chosen servants of God.
129
وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ
We left him thus to be succeeded by a group [of followers] among the following generations—
130
سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِلْ يَاسِينَ
‘Peace be on Elijah and his people!’
131
إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ
It is thus indeed that We reward those who do good:
132
إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
surely he was one of Our believing servants.
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
(a) Elijah (Elias or Ilyas) was probably a descendant of Aaron (Harun). He lived in the ninth century B.C. at a time when Israel (Palestine) was governed by the Jewish King, Ahab, while Lebanon, was ruled by Phoenicians, polytheists who worshipped Baal (ba‘l). Ahab married the daughter of the King of Lebanon. Under the influence of their Queen, the Jews began worshipping Baal. Then, Elijah calling upon the Jews to worship One God, which was their original (ancestral) religion. A detailed account of Elijah is given in the Bible. Only a few Jews supported Elijah in his mission. Many of them opposed him to the extent of hatching plots to murder him. But Elijah subsequently attained a high status among the Jews. Now, in Jewish history, he is treated as a great prophet.