Prophet Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiel?)

Dhul-Kifl (peace be upon him) is a prophet and righteous servant of Allah, mentioned twice in the Quran. In Surah Al-Anbiya (21:85-86): "And [mention] Ismail and Idris and Dhul-Kifl — all were of the patient. And We admitted them into Our mercy. Indeed, they were of the righteous." In Surah Sad (38:48): "And remember Our servants Ismail and Al-Yasa and Dhul-Kifl, and all are among the distinguished." His placement alongside such luminaries as Ismail, Idris, and Al-Yasa establishes him among the greatest servants of Allah in human history.

The name Dhul-Kifl is interpreted by Arabic linguists as "the one with the portion" or "the one who fulfills the pledge" — indicating a man who took on a weighty commitment and discharged it with complete faithfulness throughout his life. Classical scholars differed significantly on his identity. A substantial group identified him with the Prophet Ezekiel of the Israelite tradition; others held him to be an independent righteous man who was given a kifl (a double portion of reward or a guaranteed pledge of paradise) because of his extraordinary commitment to worship.

The most widely transmitted account in classical tafsir literature describes Dhul-Kifl as a man who, when an aging prophet sought a righteous successor, stepped forward and pledged three things: to fast every day without exception, to pray the entire night without sleeping, and never to become angry. He took this pledge publicly and maintained it for the rest of his life with complete fidelity. According to these narrations, Iblis himself tried multiple times to anger him — appearing as an old man with grievances and repeatedly disturbing Dhul-Kifl during his sleep and prayer times — but Dhul-Kifl remained composed and patient on every occasion, never breaking his pledge.

The quality most emphasized in his Quranic description is patience (sabr), which Allah explicitly attributes to him alongside Ismail and Idris. This patience was not passive but active — an ongoing daily renewal of commitment to worship and moral excellence under every circumstance, sustained across an entire lifetime of quiet, faithful obedience.

While the Quran does not provide an extended narrative of his life and mission, his place in the Quranic text alongside the greatest of the prophets is itself a divine testimony to the extraordinary rank that sustained, faithful devotion to Allah can achieve. His story teaches that sometimes the greatest acts of worship are not the dramatic or the visible ones but the quiet, daily fulfillment of one's commitments to Allah across a lifetime — fasting when no one watches, praying when no one requires it, maintaining composure when anger would be entirely understandable.