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Some Conditions of Ðul-Kifl (PUH)
As attributed to Al-Tabarsi: as for Ðul-Kifl many people differ about
him, some said that he was a faithful man and not a prophet, but he promised
a prophet that he will fast the day time and worship at night and never
be angry and work with the truth and so he did so God did thank him for
this, and others said that he is a prophet. As attributed to `Abdul-`Adheem
Al-Hasani that he said: I wrote to Al-Jawâd (PUH) asking him about
Ðul-Kifl, about his name and wether he is a prophet or not? He answered:
God sent one hundred and twenty four thousand prophets, and the messangers
of them are three hundred and thirteen men, and Ðul-Kifl is one of
them (PUT), and he came after Solomon ben David (PUH), and used to judge
between people as David used to do and never been angry except for God
and his name was `Uwidâyâ (Obadiah). God said: And make mention
of Ishmael and Elisha and Dhu'l-Kifl. All are of the chosen(Sad:48), and
also God said: And (mention) Ishmael, and Idris, and Dhu'l-Kifl. All were
of the steadfast. And We brought them in unto Our mercy. Lo! they are among
the righteous(Al-Anbiyâ':85-86).
As attributed to the prophet (PUH) when he was asked about Ðul-Kifl
he said: he was a man from Hadhramaut (Hazarmaveth) and his name was `Uwidâyâ
ben Adrim, and when Elisha grew old he said: I want to make a viceroy after
me that works between during my life and see what shall he do, so he gathered
the people and said to them: who shall accept three from me and I will
make him a viceroy after me: to fast the daytime and worship at night and
never be angry, so then a man stood up that the eyes of men did not like
to see him even and said: me! And he was a prophet. Then the Satan said
to his followers: who shall take care of him? Then one of them, and he
was called Al-Abyadh (the white), said: I shall take care of him,
so then the Satan said: go to him and you might be able to make him angry,
and then Al-Abyadh tried his best to make the man angry but he could not,
so then he got despaired of turning the man into anger, so then God revealed
his story to the prophet to take the sermons out of it and to be patience
for the harm that gets to him as like the prophets did have patience as
well as the messangers of the Steadfast [Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and
later Muhammad].
As mentioned by Al-Þa`labi as he mentioned by others: Ðul-Kifl
was Bishr ben Job, the prophet of adversities (PUH), and God sent him as
a prophet after his father to the lands of Romans and they believed in
him, and then God ordered him to stand up for fighting the enemy and make
his people stand up as well, but they denied that and said to him: O Bishr,
we love life and hate death, and we hate to rebel and refuse the commandments
of God as well, so if you asked God to make our lives longer and never
make us die unless we wanted to then we shall worship Him fully and fight
against His enemies, and we shall answer you and obey you with whatever
you command us with, then Bishr said to them: you asked for something great,
then he went to pray and asked God and said: O my Lord, You ordered us
to fight Your enemies and You know that I don't owe anything but myself
and that my people asked me what You know better than me about so do not
take me by the mistakes of others, and then God inspired to him: I heard
the request of your people and I gave them what they want so they shall
not die unless they want to, so be their surety for Me, and then Bishr
told them the message of God and so he was called Ðul-Kifl [Arabic:
kafal = to assure/guarantee/to take care of].
Then they reproduced and grew wider until the lands were full of them
and their lives became harder because of their numbers, so then they asked
Bishr to pray to God to let them back to their original state and then
God inspired to Bishr: did not they know that My choice for them is better
than their choice for themselves, and then God turned them back to their
original state and they died with their appointed times, and then Al-Þa`labi
said: for this the Romans were so much in number so that it is said that
the five sixth of the world is made of Romans, and they were called Romans
because they are descendants of Roum ben Esau ben Isaac ben Abraham (PUH),
and Bishr lived in the lands of Canaan until he died, and his age when
he died was ninety five.
Next: David (PUH)