Dāiyah
Prophet Idris (Enoch)
Prophet Idris/Enoch (Peace be upon him)
(سيدنا إدريس (عليه السلام
Prophet Idris was the great-grandson of Prophet Sheeth and was born 100 years after the death of Prophet Adam. He was the third Prophet of Allah. Prophet Idris used to tell the people to worship Allah and not to commit sins. Enoch was born and raised in Babylon following the teachings and religion of Prophet Adam (pbuh) and his son Seth (pbuh).Enoch was the 5th generation of the Prophet Adam. He was a clever man and taught the people many new skills. He was the first man to introduce the art of writing and showed people how to measure weights with a balance. He taught them about the movements of planets. He was the first man to make weapons for hunting and defense and he also taught people how to stitch clothes.
As a result of the efforts of the Prophet Sheth (pbuh) some people began to believe in The Almighty. As the time passed by, they shifted their attention towards the worshiping the statue of their prophet. They became polytheists, religious- and faithless. They adopted indecent ways of life. Under such circumstances, The Almighty sent the Prophet Idris (pbuh) for the reformation and guidance of those who had gone astray.
Allah has praised Enoch, describing him as being a prophet and truthful: Mention in the Book (Quran) Idris (Enoch). Verily! He was a man of truth (and) a prophet. We raised him to a high station. (Ch 19:56-57 Quran).
At the time of Prophet Idris there was a cruel king who had full control over the life and property of the people. One day the king went out of his capital for an outing. On the way he saw a beautiful garden which he liked very much. He called the owner and told him to hand over the garden to him. The owner, who was a pious and God-fearing man, replied that the garden supported his family and he would not hand it over. The king offered to buy the land but the owner refused. The king then returned to his palace in an angry mood. The king's wife was a mean woman. When she heard what had happened, she advised the king to call a few of his faithless friends as witnesses in the court. She asked them to swear that the owner of the garden was no longer a believer in God and furthermore, he was plotting against the king. When these liars gave evidence in the court the owner was called and accused of these crimes. Although he swore that he was innocent, the king did not listen to him and killed him. He then took the dead man's land for himself.
This murder by the greedy king displeased Allah and He commanded Prophet Idris to go to the king and say to him that, not only had he killed a pious man, but he had stolen his land and left his family penniless.Prophet Idris was also commanded to tell the king that Allah would punish him by taking his kingdom from him and destroy his capital and cause the flesh of his evil wife to be eaten by dogs. When Prophet Idris brought this message to the palace, the king was furious and he told him, "It is better that you leave before you are killed by my hand." Prophet Idris left, but the queen decided to send some men after him and kill him.
Prophet Idris learnt that his life was in danger so he left the town and hid himself. He took shelter in a cave on a mountain and an angel used to provide him with food. He prayed to Allah saying, "O Lord! do not send your blessings on this town." Prophet Idris's prayer was granted and Allah's punishment descended on the king. He lost his throne and died a shameful death. His capital was destroyed and wild dogs ate his wife's flesh. The kingdom passed into the hands of another cruel king. Twenty years passed after the disappearance of Prophet Idris.
During this time not even a drop of rain fell and the people suffered terribly. They realized that their troubles were due to the curse of Prophet Idris and they prayed to Allah to forgive them. Allah accepted their prayers and sent Prophet Idris back to the town. People gathered all around him and promised that they would obey him and worship Allah. He then prayed for rain and the drought ended. Prophet Idris guided his people for many years. He was one Prophet who had the respect and love of all his people. Finally Allah raised him to the heavens where he is alive even today.
Prophet Enoch and his followers left Babylon for Egypt. There he carried on his mission, calling people to what is just and fair, teaching them certain prayers and instructing them to fast on certain days and to give a portion of their wealth to the poor.
Some of his wise sayings are:
v Happy is he who looks at his own deeds and appoints them as pleaders to his Lord
v None can show better gratitude for Allah's favours than he who shares them with others.
v Do not envy people for what they have as they will only enjoy it for a short while.
v He who indulges in excess will not benefit from it.
v The real joy of life is to have wisdom.
v Do not feel jealous of the prosperity of others.
v He who has unlimited desires is deprived of the wealth of contentment.
v One should be sincere in the acts of devotion.
v It is an act of grave sin to take false oaths.
v Patience is a key to victory.
v He who controls his passions is fortunate.
v Only a good act will be a living intercessor before The Almighty on the Day of Judgment.
v One who is desirous of attaining perfection in knowledge; should have no concern with immoral acts.
