His lordship was one of the greatest inspired prophets, and a descendant of Harûn. Some have asserted that Eliâs was Edris, whose corporeal figure had in ancient times disappeared from among the people, but whose spiritual essence had been raised to heaven, and had returned a second time in this age under the name of Eliâs, for the purpose of reclaiming the weak [in the Faith] and convincing the inadvertent and the careless, that although corruption destroys the body, it does not become the cause of real annihilation, and that the spiritual part, upon which the duties of obedience, knowledge and responsibility devolve, remains the same for ever and ever; and likewise of demonstrating to the infidels and to the ignorant that the Lord of Grandeur—w. n. b. pr.—is able to invest that spiritual essence with another garment, and to send it [again] another time among the people, according to his will and option, contrary to the [opinions of the] adherents of metempsychosis and the Halulians, all whose assertions are false and vain. At any rate, monotheists and the principal historians relate that when Hazkil left the children of Esrâil many accidents and misfortunes, as well as numerous wicked and rebellious acts took place among them, and that every one of the kings and tribes of the children of Esrâil who were dispersed over the regions of Syria and Egypt professed false and culpable religions, and entirely forgot the commandments of the Mosaic Law. Among the idolaters of that age there was the King of Ba’lbek, Vâjub by name, who proved to be very diligent in worshipping statues and figures. He possessed an idol seventy cubits high, named Ba’l, from whose internal parts Satan conversed with the people, ordered or prohibited them to do, or to abstain from what he pleased, and four hundred men guarded the temple of that idol. According to the opinion of several commentators, Ba’l was the name of a comely and well-shaped woman, the like of whom did not exist at that time, and the people who believed in her godhead adored her. When, however, the guilt and rebellion of the inhabitants of Ba’lbek had reached their utmost height, Eliâs was ordered and directed to guide them. He said to them, by way of admonition: ‘Do you invoke Ba’l and slight the blest Creator?’ He invited the people to profess the religion of Mûsa, and read the Mosaic law to them, but was, despite of all his efforts, unable to convert more than one man, who was the prime-minister of the king. Some have narrated that at the commencement the king had acted according to the religion of Mûsa and the command of Eliâs; he had, however, a wife, Arbil by name, who was extremely bloodthirsty and impudent, bearing hatred towards prophets. She had during her long life been successively married to seven kings of the children of Esrâil, every one of whom she succeeded in destroying some way or other. She had seventy sons [sic] in connection with whom she seduced the king, and forced the inhabitants of that country to worship Ba’l, to which opprobrious custom they became quite reconciled in course of time. When Arbil received information of the mission of Eliâs, the flames of wrath blazed up in her, and she prepared to slay him. The prophet, however, took refuge from the infidels among the mountains, where he remained alone and solitary in a cavern during seven years, notwithstanding the efforts of the spies of the king, who were unable to discover his hiding-place because the Lord and Sovereign-Guardian kept those malefactors away from him and preserved him by His infinite grace. After the expiration of seven years, however, the king’s son fell a prey to a dangerous malady, which made the doctors and physicians despair of his recovery. The king and the queen looked to Ba’l for the recovery of their son, and augmented their devotions, all of which remained fruitless; wherefore the servant of the idol-temple said: ‘Ba’l is angry with you because you have left Eliâs alive, and have ceased to persecute him. For, as long as he is alive, Ba’l will not speak, nor will he protect you from any misfortunes.’ The King of Ba’lbek said: ‘My mind is engrossed with the disease of my son, and I have not a moment’s peace or tranquillity; but if he gets better I shall make efforts, and do my best to discover, capture, and destroy Eliâs, in order to gain the favour of Ba’l.’ The servants of the idol-temple said: ‘It is proper for thee in this predicament to have recourse to the gods of the inhabitants of Syria, and to ask them to restore the health of thy son, so that if the wrath of Ba’l becomes propitiated, and thou acquirest his grace, he may arrange any affairs that will take place in future.’ At the instigation of these accursed ones the king accordingly fitted out four hundred individuals of this rebellious and irreligious nation, and sent them into the country of Syria, in order to intercede for the recovery of his son, and to return again, after having implored the various idols and gods to grant him tranquillity of mind. When they started in that direction, they happened, whilst crossing the desert, to reach the foot of a mountain, where Eliâs had taken up his abode. On that occasion he came down from the mountain by Divine command, and, beginning to admonish them, said: ‘Tell the king that God the Most High speaks thus to him: Knowest thou not that I am God, and that there is no other besides Me? I am the God of Ebrahim, of Esma’il, of Esahâq, of Ya’qûb, and of all the inhabitants of the world. I have created them, I provide for them, I cause them to live and to die. Thou associatest, in the littleness of thy intellect and in the perfection of thy folly, other gods with Me, and worshippest them; thou askest thy son’s health from them who can neither hurt nor profit thee. I swear by My majesty and glory that I shall pour out My wrath upon thee through thy son, whom I shall soon cause to die; for besides Me, no one has any anthority whatever.’ The courtiers of the King of Ba’lbek, who had listened to the words of Eliâs, trembled at them, and great fear overwhelmed their hearts. They returned to their country and delivered the message to the king, but the ill-fated and unhallowed wretch was determined to kill Eliâs, and selected fifty robbers from among his people, whom he despatched to that mountain for the purpose of obtaining possession of Eliâs by stratagem, and killing him by main force. The Most High, however, protected Eliâs, at whose request those who had striven to take his life were consumed by fire. That accursed one despatched men on several occasions, but they were every time destroyed by fire. At last he assembled a great multitude and appointed his Musalmân wazir over it, imagining that Eliâs, attracted by the presence of the wazir, would come forward, and might be captured in that way, if skill and cunning were properly employed. When the messengers arrived in the locality where Eliâs was, he received the [Divine] inspiration to accompany them for the purpose of fulfilling the requisites of celestial wisdom; not to fear for his life, to accompany the Musalmân wazir to the presence of the king, and that the hand of the Lord would shorten the power of the infidels, so that they would by no means be able to injure him. Therefore Eliâs travelled with the servants of the king to the country of Ba’lbek. When he met the king, the malady of whose son happened to be very violent, no one thought of doing the least harm to Eliâs; therefore the latter once more returned to the mountain, and remained there, until his exalted mind became weary of dwelling in mountains and caverns, and he felt inclined to live in a house. When he entered the city he accidentally happened to alight at the house of the mother of Yûnas, and sojourned therein six months. At that time Yûnas was a sucking babe, and his mother waited upon Eliâs with alacrity until he departed from that narrow house, and intended again to roam in the desert. After he had gone away the Lord of Magnificence— w. n. b. pr.—took the soul of Yûnas, whose mother was greatly distressed by this event, and also by the absence of Eliâs; therefore she hastened in pursuit of the latter, but was unable to find him before she had travelled seven days; whereon she explained to him her unhappy and disconsolate state, and requested him to resuscitate her child to life. Eliâs, however, refused, and said: ‘I am but a servant who is ordered about; I do the behest of my Lord, and He has not commanded me to do this.’ At these words the mother of Yûnas was so distressed that she rolled about on the earth, and again besought his lordship to help her. Eliâs pitied her, and then prayed as follows: ‘O Creator, and accommodating Maker, there is no mystery hidden from Thee:
| Distich: | Since to Thee the secrets of the mind are open, What need is there of explanation, much or little?’ |
On that occasion Eliâs returned, by Divine command, with the woman, reached her house after the expiration of seven days and nights, and ennobled it with his exalted presence. Yûnas, who had now been dead a fortnight, was, by the effects of his prayers, which were considered worthy of response, again resuscitated to life.* Then Eliâs departed to the mountain, but as the rebellion of his people became protracted, they ceased not to commit flagitious acts, so that he was much afflicted in his mind. Then this [Divine] allocution was addressed to him: ‘O Eliâs! whence this sadness? Why is thy mind so melancholy and depressed? Thou art a witness on earth and an argument to the people; ask Me, and I shall comply, for I am very merciful.’
Verses: He said, ‘I ask the Knower of mysteries
To allow me to leave the inn of this world;
I want no longer to behold this people,
Whose nature distresses me so much.’
Then the revelation arrived: ‘O Eliâs! what request is this? I shall not deprive the earth of the blessings of thy presence, since the prosperity of the people is bound up with thy existence; but I shall grant thee anything else thou wilt ask.’ Eliâs asked for a famine of seven years, and prayed that the rain and the descent of showers might become interrupted; he received, however, the following reply: ‘O Eliâs! the human race is to be supported, but if the benefits of rain are withdrawn therefrom, many people will be destroyed, and innumerable multitudes must perish. Though they oppress each other, the ocean of My mercy is greater than that I should for similar transgressions afflict the whole race. I shall nevertheless comply with thy request in so far as to surrender the reins of the loosing and stopping of the clouds into the hands of thy option, and allow thee during three years to interrupt or to let go the rain according to thy pleasure; nor shall one drop fall on the fields, harvests, or possessions, except by thy permission.’ The rain was accordingly withheld from that nation, the flames of scarcity and dearth blazed, the gates of affliction and misery were opened, and the inhabitants remained in that distressing condition for nearly three years.* Eliâs was accustomed to spend his time in the houses of some widows and pious persons, and every building in which he sojourned was, by the blessings of his advent, abundantly provided with all necessaries and comforts. The people therefore followed him, but he changed his habitation for that very reason, and thus it happened that he one night entered the habitation of Elisa’ [Elisha], the son of Akhtût, where he relieved an old woman of her pains by his orisons. From that time Elisa’, who was in the prime and vigour of manhood, became a follower of Eliâs; whereon they went together among the people, inviting them to profess the religion of Islâm, and promising them comfort and happiness, but could not effect anything; wherefore Eliâs harangued them as follows: ‘It is a long time since you are worshipping idols; take them therefore this day to the plain, and request them to grant you rain. If they comply with your request we shall cease our mission, and no longer invite you to accept our religion; but if your prayers remain unanswered, you must believe in the unity of God and the truth of our prophetic mission, and we shall offer a supplication, in consequence whereof the meadows of your hopes will be refreshed and drenched by the plentiful showers of the Bounteous Sovereign.’ Both parties agreed to these conditions, and when the people despaired of their idols Eliâs offered his supplications for rain; a cloud immediately appeared, increased in bulk, and by the command of the Most Wise Sovereign abundant rain fell, and changed the whole country to its first state. The inhabitants then complained that they had no seeds or grains for sowing; therefore his lordship ordered them to pound salt, and to strew it on the ground, from which the Most High produced harvests for them. The people, however, relapsed, despite of their former afflictions and of these miracles, again into their infidelity, and were not afraid to break the covenant into which they had entered. Then Eliâs prayed to be delivered of the company of those people. Therefore the Omnipotent appointed a time at which their separation was to take place, and when it was near at hand Eliâs went with Elisa’ to the mountain, where a horse with all the requisites for riding made its appearance, and everything was [like] burning fire. Eliâs put his foot into the stirrup, took leave of Elisa’, appointed him his successor, and left him his woollen cloak.* At that moment all physical impulses abandoned his lordship, his connection with all corporeal attributes closed, and the Lord God removed him from the view of mortals:
Distich: Intercourse is painful, company is grief,
Therefore the sage retires into solitude.