And ˹remember˺ Ishmael, Enoch, and Ⱬul-Kifl.1 They were all steadfast.

We admitted them into Our mercy, for they were truly of the righteous.

(SURAH AL ANBIYA AYAH 85-86)

TAFSIR

Iimam of Tafsir Ibn Jarir (رح) has reported on the authority of Mujahid (رح) that where Sayyidna Yasa' (علیہ السلام)

(who is referred to as a prophet in the Holy Qur'an) became old and weak, he thought of appointing

someone who could perform the duties of a prophet on his behalf during his life time. He assembled

all his companions for this purpose and told them of his desire to appoint someone who would act as

his deputy but who must fulfill three conditions namely that he should fast all the year round, should

spend the nights in prayers and does not ever lose his temper. A relatively unknown person who was

held in contempt by the people, stood up and offered himself for the job. Sayyidna Yasa' (علیہ السلام) asked

him whether he fasted all the year round, spent his nights in prayers and never lost his temper.

The man replied in the affirmative and confirmed that he fulfilled all the three conditions. Perhaps

Sayyidna Yasa' (علیہ السلام) did not believe his claim and rejected him. After a few days Sayyidna Yasa' (علیہ السلام)

reconvened the meeting and repeated his conditions and asked his companions if any of them met the

requirements. Everyone remained seated but the same man stood up again and claimed that he fulfilled

the three conditions. Then Yasa' (علیہ السلام) appointed him his deputy. When Shaitan realized that

Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl had been selected as a deputy to Yasa' (علیہ السلام) he asked all his aides to go to

Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl and inveigle him into doing something which would result in his removal from the post of deputy

. All his aides excused themselves and said that he was beyond their power to harm.

The Satan (Iblis) then said "Alright, leave him to me. I will take care of him."

Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl, true to his claim, used to fast during the day and pray the whole night and had a

little nap in the afternoon. Satan went to him just when he was about to take his afternoon nap and

knocked at the door. He got up and enquired who was there. The Shaitan replied "I am an old tortured man".

So he opened the door and let him in. The Shaitan came in and started a yarn about the cruelty and

injustice which he suffered at the hands of his community and relatives. He stretched the story so long

that no time was left for Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl to take his usual nap. So, he told the old man (Shaitan) that he should

come to him at the time when he came out, and he would cause justice to be done to him.

Later on Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl sat in his court and waited for the old man but he did not turn up.

Next morning he again waited for the old man in his court but again he did not come. Then in the afternoon

when he was about to have his nap, the old man came and started beating at the door. He enquired who he

was, and the Shaitan replied again - "an old tortured man" so, he opened the door and asked him "Didn't I

tell you to come to my court yesterday but you failed to appear, nor did you come this morning?" To this the

Shaitan answered "Sir, my enemies are very wicked people; when they learnt that you were sitting in your court

and would force them to give back to me what was my due, they agreed to settle the matter out of court. But

as soon as you left your court, they went back on their promise'. Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl asked him again to come

to his court when he was there. All this conversation continued for such a long time that he could not have

his usual nap on that day also. He then went to the court and waited for the old man, who again did not

turn up. The next day again he waited for him until late in the noon but to no avail. When he returned home

on that day, he was very sleepy because of lack of sleep for last two days. Therefore, he asked the family

members not to allow anyone to knock at the door. The old man came again and wanted to knock at the door

but the family members stopped him, so he entered the house through a ventilator, and started knocking at the

door of his room, Sayyidna Dhul-Kifl got up again and saw that the old man had come inside the house while

the door was still closed. So he asked him as to how he had entered the house.

Then suddenly he became aware that the man standing before him was Shaitan and asked him "Are you the

God's enemy Iblis?" He admitted that he was Shaitan and remarked, "You have thwarted all my plans and

frustrated all my efforts to entice you in my design. My intention was to make you angry somehow,

so that one of your claims before Yasa' (علیہ السلام) could be proved false." It was because of this

episode that he was given the title Dhul-Kifl, which means a person who is true to his covenant and

performs his duties faithfully, and this title was fully deserved by him. (Ibn Kathir)