The story in short
- Arabic name
- إدريس
- English name
- Enoch (by many scholars)
- Named in the Quran
- 2 times
- Sent to
- The descendants of Adam, before Nuh, according to most historians
- In the list of 25
- 2 of 25
In short: the Quran calls Idris "a man of truth and a prophet" and says "We raised him to a high station" (19:56-57). It counts him among the patient and the righteous (21:85-86). On the Night Journey the Prophet ﷺ met him in the fourth heaven. Most historians place him between Adam and Nuh, and many scholars identify him with Enoch, but neither of these is stated in the Quran or a sahih hadith.
The story of Idris
What the Quran says
Surah Maryam mentions Idris in its list of prophets, after Ibrahim, Musa and Ismail: "And mention in the Book, Idris. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a prophet. And We raised him to a high station" (19:56-57). Surah Al-Anbiya names him with Ismail and Dhul-Kifl: "all were of the patient" and "of the righteous" (21:85-86).
Idris on the Night Journey
In the hadith of the Miraj, Jibril took the Prophet ﷺ up through the heavens, and in the fourth heaven he met Idris, who welcomed him as "the righteous brother and the righteous prophet".1 Many scholars read "We raised him to a high station" in the light of this hadith. Others take it to mean a high rank with Allah. Both meanings are given in the books of tafsir.
What is uncertain
The identification of Idris with Enoch (Akhnukh) is the view of many early scholars and historians, and Ibn Kathir reports it, but it is not stated in the Quran. Reports that he was the first to write with a pen, or the first to sew clothes, come through weak chains. Stories of Idris being taken up alive and visiting Paradise and Hell before death come from Isra'iliyyat and should not be relied on. Some scholars even suggested that Idris and Ilyas are one person, which shows how little is firmly known.
Key verses
وَٱذْكُرْ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ إِدْرِيسَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ صِدِّيقًۭا نَّبِيًّۭا ﴿٥٦﴾ وَرَفَعْنَٰهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا ﴿٥٧﴾
Wazkur fil Kitaabi Idrees; innahoo kaana siddeeqan Nabiyyaa Wa rafa'naahu makaanan 'aliyyaa
(56) And mention in the Book, Idrees. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a prophet. (57) And We raised him to a high station.
Quran 19:56-57 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Maryam
وَإِسْمَٰعِيلَ وَإِدْرِيسَ وَذَا ٱلْكِفْلِ ۖ كُلٌّۭ مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ﴿٨٥﴾ وَأَدْخَلْنَٰهُمْ فِى رَحْمَتِنَآ ۖ إِنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ﴿٨٦﴾
Wa Ismaa'eela wa Idreesa wa Zal Kifli kullum minas saabireen Wa adkhalnaahum fee rahmatinaa innahum minas saaliheen
(85) And [mention] Ishmael and Idrees and Dhul-Kifl; all were of the patient. (86) And We admitted them into Our mercy. Indeed, they were of the righteous.
Quran 21:85-86 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Anbiya
Lessons from the story
- Truthfulness (sidq) is the first quality the Quran gives him. It is the base of every other good quality.
- Patience and righteousness raise a person with Allah, whether or not people know their story.
- When the sources are silent, we stop where they stop and do not fill the gap with stories.
Where it is in the Quran
The main passages about Idris, with links to read and listen to each surah:
- Surah Maryam 19:56-57
- Surah Al-Anbiya 21:85-86
What is authentic, and what is not
We have kept this page to what the Quran and the Miraj hadith say. Details found in some popular books, such as his age, his crafts or a visit to the angel of death, are from weak reports or Isra'iliyyat.
We follow Ibn Kathir's Qasas al-Anbiya only where it rests on the Quran and sound hadith. Isra'iliyyat are reports taken from earlier scriptures and storytellers. Scholars allow mentioning them only when they do not contradict the Quran and Sunnah, and they are never treated as certain.
Questions
How many times is Idris mentioned in the Quran?
Twice: in Surah Maryam (19:56) and Surah Al-Anbiya (21:85).
Is Idris the same as Enoch?
Many scholars held this view, but the Quran and the sahih hadith do not say so. It remains a likely identification, not a certainty.
What does "We raised him to a high station" mean?
Scholars give two meanings: a high rank with Allah, or his place in the fourth heaven, where the Prophet ﷺ met him on the Miraj (Bukhari 3207, Muslim 162).
When did Idris live?
Most historians place him between Adam and Nuh. The Quran does not give his time.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3207; Sahih Muslim 162.
- Ibn Kathir, Qasas al-Anbiya, chapter on Idris, and his tafsir of 19:56-57.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English by Sahih International. In quotations within the text, the prophets' names are given in their Arabic form (Musa for Moses, Ibrahim for Abraham).
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.