Critical Analysis of Elias's (A.S.) Genealogy Traditions

In the genealogy of the prophets, the descent, the name, and the life of the prophets are reviewed. The results of genealogy have a direct influence on prophetic mission awareness, and are effective in denying and proving some of the ideas and doctrines, and sometimes helping to correct attitudes about their mission. In this paper, the genealogy of Elias (A.S.) has been studied and evaluated based on Islamic sources in three subjects: descent, name and life. Islamic sources show two descents about Elias (A.S.) that none of them is perfect and each has its own shortcomings. In the descent of Elias (A.S.), the presence of Joshua and his connection through the Ephraim b.Yusuf is an important point that has been neglected. The name of Elias is Hebrew, and its Arabic derivation is confronted with linguistic and historical conflicts. According to the Qur’an verses' contexts, Eliasin in the Qur’an is Elias (A.S.). The documents that claim Elias is still alive show controversy in documentation and content, and there is consensus among Muslim scholars that he passed away. Hence, the occult mission of Elias is not acceptable to the Islamic tradition.