Islam Academy

Al-Yasa

Al-Yasa

اليسع

Al-Yasa is a Qur’anic prophet named twice: in Surat al-An‘am among figures whom God guided and favored, and in Surat Sad among those described as among the best. The Qur’an gives no continuous narrative, civil chronology, birthplace, genealogy, named father, miracles, death account or explicit statement that he succeeded Ilyas. His identification with the Biblical Elisha is historically strong and widely accepted in Islamic and modern scholarship, while the detailed succession narrative, genealogy and miracle stories derive from Biblical material, tafsir, historical works and qisas traditions and require qualification.

Names and variants

Al-Yasa· canonicalAl-Yasa· canonicalاليسع· canonicalal-Yasaʿ· transliterational-Yasaʿ· transliterationElisha· variantÉlisée· variantAlyasa· variantAlīsaʿ· variant

Al-Yasa in the Qur’anic record

Al-Yasa is named twice in the Qur’an, but no continuous life story is given. The revealed core is concise: he belongs to a group whom God guided and favored, and he is remembered among those described as among the best.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Where the Qur’an mentions Al-Yasa

Al-Yasa appears in Qur’an 6:86 and 38:48. Neither passage supplies a genealogy, place, dated event, miracle narrative or account of his death, so later biographical detail must be distinguished from these two direct notices.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Al-Yasa in Surat al-An‘am

Qur’an 6:86 names Al-Yasa together with Ismail, Yunus and Lut and states that God favored each over the worlds. The surrounding passage belongs to a sequence recalling figures guided by God, which is central to Al-Yasa’s Qur’anic status.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Al-Yasa in Surat Sad

Qur’an 38:48 commands remembrance of Ismail, Al-Yasa and Dhu al-Kifl and describes them collectively as among the best. This praise is explicit even though the verse gives no narrative episode from Al-Yasa’s life.

Sources: [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

A figure within the Qur’anic sequence of guidance

The passage around Qur’an 6:86 presents a succession of figures whom God guided. Al-Yasa’s place in that sequence is one of the strongest grounds for his recognition as a prophet in Islamic tradition, without requiring later stories about his career.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Favored over the worlds

Qur’an 6:86 places Al-Yasa among those whom God favored over the worlds. The statement is a revealed honor; the verse does not define it through political power, military success, wealth or a particular miracle.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Among the best

Qur’an 38:48 describes Al-Yasa and the other named figures as among the best. This establishes an affirmative moral and religious evaluation while leaving the details of his earthly biography unstated.

Sources: [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

No continuous Qur’anic narrative

Unlike Musa, Yusuf or Ibrahim, Al-Yasa is not given a narrated life cycle in the Qur’an. His Islamic biography therefore requires unusual discipline: the small canonical core should not be silently expanded with material from Elisha traditions.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

His status as a prophet

Muslim exegetical tradition consistently treats Al-Yasa as a prophet. This understanding fits his placement among the guided and favored figures of Surat al-An‘am and among the exemplary figures remembered in Surat Sad.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The Qur’anic name Al-Yasa

The Arabic Qur’anic form is al-Yasaʿ. Classical scholars discussed how the initial element should be analyzed and pronounced, while modern scholarship commonly connects the name with Elisha through older Semitic and Greek forms.

Sources: [8] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [9] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [12] Classical discussion of the name and pronunciation, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Is the initial al- an Arabic article?

Classical commentators differed over whether the opening al- in al-Yasaʿ is the Arabic definite article or part of the inherited proper name. The Qur’an itself gives the form without an etymological explanation, so one grammatical analysis should not be presented as certain.

Sources: [8] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [9] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [12] Classical discussion of the name and pronunciation, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The name and its comparative etymology

Specialist literature commonly relates al-Yasaʿ to Hebrew Elisha, a name traditionally interpreted as meaning that God is salvation. This is comparative philology rather than an etymology stated by the Qur’an.

Sources: [8] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [9] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [12] Classical discussion of the name and pronunciation, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Al-Yasa and the Biblical Elisha

Islamic scholarship has long identified Al-Yasa with the Biblical Elisha, and modern reference works generally accept the comparison. The close names and the later association with Ilyas or Elijah make the identification strong, but it remains a cross-scriptural identification rather than an explicit Qur’anic statement.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [8] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [9] Philological discussion of Qur’anic proper names, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

What the Elisha identification does not prove

Identifying Al-Yasa with Elisha does not automatically make every episode in Kings part of revealed Islamic biography. Biblical stories can be used to explain historical reception and later Muslim narratives while remaining distinct from Qur’anic evidence.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

No secure Qur’anic civil chronology

The Qur’an gives no year, reign or absolute date for Al-Yasa. Dates assigned to the Biblical Elisha belong to a comparative reconstruction and should not be entered as established birth or death years for the Qur’anic prophet.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Birth and death remain undated

No birth year or death year for Al-Yasa is established by the Qur’an or a strong canonical Islamic report. Later chronologies may be historically useful when discussing Elisha, but they do not justify inventing civil dates for Al-Yasa.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

No Qur’anic birthplace or city

The Qur’an does not name Al-Yasa’s birthplace, residence, burial place, kingdom or city. Places attached to Elisha in Biblical geography or to later shrine traditions must therefore be identified as comparative or local tradition.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The attribution to the Children of Israel

Islamic literature generally places Al-Yasa among the prophets of the Children of Israel, especially through his identification with Elisha. The two Qur’anic verses that name him do not themselves explicitly identify his people.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Was Al-Yasa the successor of Ilyas?

Later Muslim sources commonly describe Al-Yasa as the disciple or successor of Ilyas, paralleling Elijah and Elisha. The Qur’an names both prophets but never narrates a meeting, discipleship or succession between them, so the relationship should remain reported rather than established.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative Elisha narrative, [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Elijah and Elisha in the Biblical record

The Books of Kings explicitly connect Elijah and Elisha. This scriptural relationship explains much of the later Muslim association between Ilyas and Al-Yasa, but it is evidence from comparative scripture rather than a direct Qur’anic relationship.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative Elisha narrative, [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The Biblical calling of Elisha

First Kings 19 presents Elijah finding Elisha while he is working and calling him into service. This episode became an important background for later accounts of Al-Yasa as Ilyas’s follower, although it is absent from the Qur’an.

Sources: [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The ploughing and oxen episode

In First Kings, Elisha is found ploughing with oxen before leaving his former life to follow Elijah. The scene belongs to the Biblical Elisha cycle and should not be presented as a Qur’anic account of Al-Yasa’s occupation.

Sources: [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The mantle as a sign of calling

The Biblical narrative describes Elijah casting his mantle over Elisha as a symbolic call. Later Islamic storytelling can echo this succession motif, but the Qur’an gives no mantle episode for Al-Yasa.

Sources: [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Companionship before succession

Biblical Elisha follows and serves Elijah before succeeding him. Islamic qisas and historical writings often preserve a comparable pattern for Al-Yasa and Ilyas; its literary importance is greater than its status as direct Islamic revelation.

Sources: [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The crossing of the Jordan

Second Kings 2 depicts Elijah striking the Jordan with his mantle so that the two prophets cross, followed later by Elisha repeating the act. The episode is part of the comparative Elisha narrative, not the Qur’anic dossier of Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The request for a double portion

Before Elijah’s departure, Biblical Elisha asks for a double portion of his spirit. This wording concerns succession in the Biblical prophetic cycle and is not a Qur’anic teaching about the transmission of prophethood.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Elisha as witness to Elijah’s departure

Second Kings presents Elisha as witnessing Elijah’s extraordinary departure. Later Muslim stories of Ilyas and Al-Yasa drew on related motifs, but the Qur’an does not narrate Ilyas’s ascent or place Al-Yasa at such an event.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Succession in the Biblical narrative

After Elijah’s departure, the Biblical narrative presents Elisha carrying forward the prophetic mission. This is the clearest source for the widespread later description of Al-Yasa as Ilyas’s successor, but the distinction between Biblical evidence and Qur’anic evidence remains essential.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The healing of Jericho’s water

Second Kings attributes to Elisha the purification of a harmful water source at Jericho. Muslim reference works recount this as part of the Biblical Elisha dossier, but the Qur’an names no comparable miracle for Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The bears episode

Second Kings contains a difficult episode in which youths mock Elisha and are attacked by bears after his curse. It belongs to the Biblical narrative and should not be imported into Qur’anic biography as an event revealed about Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Water during the Moab campaign

The Biblical Elisha cycle includes a wartime episode in which water is provided for allied armies campaigning against Moab. This story reflects the political setting of Kings and is not mentioned in the Qur’an’s notices of Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The widow’s oil

Second Kings narrates Elisha multiplying a widow’s oil so that she can meet her debts. The story is important in Jewish and Christian reception of Elisha and appears in comparative discussions, but it is not a Qur’anic miracle of Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The Shunammite woman and her son

The Biblical narrative attributes to Elisha the promise of a child to a woman of Shunem and later the restoration of her son. This powerful miracle story belongs to the Elisha cycle in Kings rather than to the two Qur’anic references to Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Naaman and healing

Second Kings describes the Syrian commander Naaman being healed after following Elisha’s instruction to wash in the Jordan. The account is part of the Biblical tradition and does not appear in the Qur’an or a strong Al-Yasa-specific canonical hadith.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Gehazi and the misuse of prophetic service

The Naaman narrative continues with Elisha’s servant Gehazi taking gifts dishonestly and being punished. This moral episode belongs to the Biblical Elisha corpus and should remain identified as comparative material.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The floating iron axe head

Second Kings reports that Elisha caused a lost iron axe head to float. Later religious literature sometimes catalogs this among his miracles, but no equivalent episode is stated for Al-Yasa in the Qur’an.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Elisha and the Aramean conflicts

Several chapters of Second Kings place Elisha amid conflicts between Israel and Aram. These political narratives can help date the Biblical figure comparatively, but they do not establish a Qur’anic chronology or political office for Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The Hazael episode

Second Kings connects Elisha with Hazael and the future kingship of Aram. This episode belongs to the Biblical prophetic-political narrative and is not part of the Qur’anic description of Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Kings and courts in the comparative record

The Biblical Elisha is repeatedly placed in relation to kings of Israel, Judah, Moab and Aram. The Qur’an names no ruler alongside Al-Yasa, so these royal contexts remain features of the comparative Elisha reconstruction.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Elisha’s death in the Biblical record

Second Kings reports that Elisha became ill and died during the reign of King Joash. That narrative supplies a comparative death setting for Elisha but does not establish a civil death date or place for the Qur’anic Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The posthumous miracle in Kings

The Biblical text narrates that a dead man revived after touching Elisha’s bones. Whatever its significance within the Biblical tradition, the Qur’an does not recount a grave miracle or posthumous event for Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative Elisha narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Al-Yasa in classical tafsir

Classical commentators generally had little Qur’anic narrative to explain beyond Al-Yasa’s name and placement among praised figures. They therefore preserved linguistic opinions, genealogical reports and stories drawn from earlier traditions, whose evidentiary levels vary.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [4] Classical tafsir and genealogy reports, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Genealogy in al-Tabari

Al-Tabari transmits genealogical information about Al-Yasa in connection with older historical and exegetical traditions. Such chains are valuable evidence for Muslim reception but are not genealogies supplied by the Qur’an.

Sources: [1] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [2] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [4] Classical tafsir and genealogy reports, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Al-Yasa in al-Tha‘labi’s prophet stories

Al-Tha‘labi’s qisas literature expands Al-Yasa’s story through the inherited Ilyas-Elisha narrative world. These accounts helped shape popular Muslim memory while remaining later narrative material rather than canonical revelation.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [7] Classical qisas expansion of Al-Yasa traditions, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Al-Qurtubi on the name Al-Yasa

Al-Qurtubi records different opinions about the form and pronunciation of Al-Yasa’s name, including whether its initial element is a definite article. The diversity itself counsels caution against presenting one derivation as certain.

Sources: [12] Classical discussion of the name and pronunciation, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Was his father named Akhtub?

Some Islamic historical works give Al-Yasa a genealogy beginning with Akhtub or a similar form. The Qur’an names no father for him, so Akhtub should remain a reported genealogical detail rather than an established parent-child relation.

Sources: [1] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [2] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [4] Classical tafsir and genealogy reports, [7] Classical qisas expansion of Al-Yasa traditions, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Variants in later genealogies

Later Islamic sources transmit more than one genealogy for Al-Yasa and often harmonize his lineage with older Israelite prophetic traditions. The Qur’an supplies no ancestry for him, so no post-Qur’anic chain should be treated as established.

Sources: [1] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [2] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [4] Classical tafsir and genealogy reports, [7] Classical qisas expansion of Al-Yasa traditions, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The disciple of Ilyas in later Muslim literature

Qisas and historical works often describe Al-Yasa accompanying Ilyas, learning from him and continuing his mission. The pattern strongly reflects the Elijah-Elisha relationship but should remain attributed to later Muslim tradition.

Sources: [1] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [2] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [4] Classical tafsir and genealogy reports, [7] Classical qisas expansion of Al-Yasa traditions, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Miracles in later prophet stories

Later prophet literature attaches numerous wonders to Al-Yasa, often paralleling miracles in the Biblical Elisha cycle. Their presence in Muslim literature is historically important, but the Qur’an itself does not name a single miracle of Al-Yasa.

Sources: [1] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [2] Classical historical reception and genealogy, [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [7] Classical qisas expansion of Al-Yasa traditions, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

No miracle is named in the Qur’an

Neither Qur’an 6:86 nor 38:48 attributes a specific miracle to Al-Yasa. His Qur’anic honor rests on guidance, divine favor and inclusion among the best, not on a narrated wonder.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

No place is named in the Qur’an

The Qur’an gives no city, mountain, river, kingdom, grave or shrine for Al-Yasa. Geographical claims drawn from Elisha traditions or later local devotion should therefore never be displayed as certain Qur’anic geography.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

How to assess claimed graves

The Qur’an gives no burial place for Al-Yasa. Any later claim that a particular grave belongs to him requires independent historical evidence and should not be converted into a structured geographic fact merely because a devotional tradition exists.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

The limited canonical hadith dossier

Al-Yasa does not have a substantial body of sound canonical hadith supplying an independent life narrative. This makes the two Qur’anic notices especially important and increases the need to label later stories by source type.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Using isra’iliyyat responsibly

Many detailed Al-Yasa stories reached Muslim literature through Biblical or Jewish narrative material. Such reports can illuminate reception when their origin is stated, but they should not be promoted to the status of established Qur’anic or authentic-hadith facts.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [7] Classical qisas expansion of Al-Yasa traditions, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

What can be stated with confidence

Al-Yasa is named in the Qur’an, belongs to a sequence of figures guided and favored by God, and is remembered with Ismail and Dhu al-Kifl among the best. These points form the secure core of his Islamic profile.

Sources: [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

What remains outside the established core

Exact BCE dates, birthplace, named parents, a fixed genealogy, formal succession from Ilyas, the miracles of the Biblical Elisha cycle, named kings, a precise death place and any claimed grave location are not established by the Qur’anic text. They belong to comparative, exegetical or later narrative layers.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [5] Qur’an 6:86 direct wording and context, [6] Qur’an 38:48 direct wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophets in Qur’an and Muslim literature, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Source-sensitive points

established

Al-Yasa is explicitly named in Qur’an 6:86 among figures whom God favored over the worlds. This is direct Qur’anic evidence.

Sources: [5] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

established

Al-Yasa is explicitly named in Qur’an 38:48 together with Ismail and Dhu al-Kifl. This is direct Qur’anic evidence.

Sources: [6] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

established

Qur’an 6:86 explicitly includes Al-Yasa among those whom God favored over the worlds. The verse does not tie this favor to a specific narrated miracle or political achievement.

Sources: [5] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

established

Qur’an 38:48 explicitly places Al-Yasa among those described as among the best. This praise is established even though no life episode is narrated there.

Sources: [6] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

established

Al-Yasa is recognized as a prophet in Islamic tradition, consistent with his Qur’anic placement within the sequence of guided and favored prophetic figures.

Sources: [5] Direct Qur’anic wording, [6] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

probable

The identification of Al-Yasa with the Biblical Elisha is historically strong and widely accepted in Islamic and modern scholarship, but the Qur’an itself does not use the name Elisha or narrate the Biblical cycle.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [8] Philological evidence for the name, [9] Philological evidence for the name, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

probable

Relating the Qur’anic name al-Yasaʿ to Hebrew Elisha is a strong comparative philological interpretation. Its proposed meaning belongs to historical linguistics rather than to an etymology supplied by the Qur’an.

Sources: [8] Philological evidence for the name, [9] Philological evidence for the name, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

disputed

Classical scholars disagreed over whether the initial al- of al-Yasaʿ is the Arabic definite article or part of the inherited proper name. No single analysis should be presented as certain.

Sources: [8] Philological evidence for the name, [9] Philological evidence for the name, [12] Classical name discussion, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

probable

Al-Yasa is commonly placed among the prophets of the Children of Israel through Islamic tradition and his identification with Elisha. The two Qur’anic verses that name him do not explicitly identify his people.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

The claim that Al-Yasa succeeded Ilyas is widespread in later Muslim literature and closely parallels Elijah and Elisha in Kings. The Qur’an does not state this succession.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative narrative, [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

Later Muslim accounts often make Al-Yasa a disciple and companion of Ilyas. This is a reported reception tradition rather than an explicit Qur’anic relationship.

Sources: [3] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

Some classical Islamic sources give Al-Yasa a father named Akhtub or a similar form. The Qur’an gives no paternal name, so this remains a reported genealogy.

Sources: [1] Classical genealogy reports, [2] Classical genealogy reports, [4] Classical genealogy reports, [7] Classical genealogy reports, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

Later Islamic sources transmit variant genealogies for Al-Yasa. Because the Qur’an supplies no ancestry, none of these post-Qur’anic chains is established as his certain lineage.

Sources: [1] Classical genealogy reports, [2] Classical genealogy reports, [3] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [4] Classical genealogy reports, [7] Classical genealogy reports, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [14] Modern study of Biblical prophet reception, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

First Kings presents Elisha being called by Elijah while working with oxen. This is established as part of the Biblical Elisha narrative but is not a Qur’anic event about Al-Yasa.

Sources: [10] 1 Kings 19 comparative narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

Second Kings attributes numerous miracles to Elisha, including healings and extraordinary signs. Their connection to Al-Yasa depends on the comparative identification with Elisha; the Qur’an names no specific miracle for Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

reported

Second Kings places Elisha’s final illness and death in the reign of Joash. This is a Biblical comparative datum and does not establish a civil death year for the Qur’anic Al-Yasa.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

uncertain

No exact BCE chronology for Al-Yasa is established by the Qur’an or canonical Islamic evidence. Biblical regnal chronologies may be discussed comparatively but should not be stored as certain life dates.

Sources: [11] 2 Kings 2–13 comparative narrative, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

uncertain

No exact birthplace for Al-Yasa is established by the Qur’an or strong canonical Islamic evidence. A location inferred from the Biblical Elisha narrative remains comparative.

Sources: [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

established

Neither Qur’an 6:86 nor 38:48 attributes a named miracle to Al-Yasa. Miracle stories belong to later or comparative narrative layers.

Sources: [5] Direct Qur’anic wording, [6] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

established

The Qur’an gives no grave, burial site or death location for Al-Yasa. Later devotional location claims therefore cannot be treated as established Qur’anic geography.

Sources: [5] Direct Qur’anic wording, [6] Direct Qur’anic wording, [13] Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, Elisha overview, [15] TDV ELYESA‘ specialist overview

Contributions

A Qur’anic witness to divine guidance

Surat al-An‘am places Al-Yasa within a sequence of figures associated with divine guidance and says that God favored him with the others over the worlds. His secure legacy begins with guidance rather than with later miracle catalogues.

religious · established

Remembered among the best

Qur’an 38:48 preserves Al-Yasa’s name with Ismail and Dhu al-Kifl and describes them as among the best. This concise praise gives him a lasting ethical and devotional place in Muslim remembrance.

religious · established

Part of the Qur’anic company of prophets

Al-Yasa’s inclusion among the guided and exemplary prophetic figures demonstrates that Qur’anic significance does not depend on a long surviving narrative. A prophet may be remembered through a small number of revealed qualities and honors.

religious · established

A link in later Ilyas–Al-Yasa prophetic memory

Later Muslim tradition strongly connected Al-Yasa with Ilyas through the Elijah–Elisha succession pattern. Although this relationship is not stated by the Qur’an, it became an influential way of expressing continuity of prophetic teaching in Muslim narrative culture.

scholarly · probable

An enduring figure in tafsir and prophet literature

The brevity of the Qur’anic notices encouraged commentators and authors of prophet stories to discuss Al-Yasa’s name, genealogy and identification with Elisha. This reception remains valuable when the Qur’anic core, classical reports and comparative scripture are kept clearly distinct.

scholarly · established

Sources

  1. [1]
    Tārīkh al-rusul wa-l-mulūk

    Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī · Classical historical source

  2. [2]
    Tārīkh al-rusul wa-l-mulūk

    al-Ṭabarī · Classical history

  3. [3]
  4. [4]
    Jāmiʿ al-bayān ʿan taʾwīl āy al-Qurʾān

    al-Ṭabarī · Classical tafsir

  5. [5]
    Qur’an 6:86

    Islam Academy Qur’an Corpus

  6. [6]
    Qur’an 38:48

    Islam Academy Qur’an Corpus

  7. [7]
    ʿArāʾis al-majālis fī qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ

    al-Thaʿlabī · Classical qisas al-anbiya

  8. [8]
    Koranische Untersuchungen

    Josef Horovitz · Walter de Gruyter · 1926

  9. [9]
    The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’an

    Arthur Jeffery · Oriental Institute, Baroda · 1938

  10. [10]
    1 Kings 19

    Hebrew Bible · Comparative scriptural source

  11. [11]
    2 Kings 2–13

    Hebrew Bible · Comparative scriptural source

  12. [12]
    Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān

    al-Qurṭubī · Classical tafsir

  13. [13]
    Elisha

    Roberto Tottoli · Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān · 2002

  14. [14]
    Biblical Prophets in the Qur’an and Muslim Literature

    Roberto Tottoli · Curzon · 2002

  15. [15]
    ELYESA‘

    Ömer Faruk Harman · TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi · 1995

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