The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 61
PT. 16 MARYAM ✓ is derived from. But whatever the difference of opinion the Arabs were familiar with this name even before Islam. Commentary: Now who is this Idrīs? Most of the commentators of the Quran are of the opinion that he is Enoch of the closely resemble إدريس and حنوک. Bible means حنوک ,much each other in their meanings and significations. Whereas means one who reads much or instructs instruction or dedication (Enc. Bib. ). Moreover, the account of Enoch given in the Bible and in Jewish religious literature closely resembles that of Idris as given in the Quran. In the Bible we have: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him (Gen. 5:24). In Targum, a famous book of Jewish traditions he has been called a holy man of God whom He gave the titles of "Safra Rabba" and "Metatron" (both words meaning a learned man or religious savant) and took up to heaven (Jew. Enc. ). In the Jewish book named "Sefer Ḥanok" (the book of Ḥanūk) it is written that inhabitants of the earth became wicked, therefore God took up Ḥanūk to heaven and made him a guardian of the heavenly treasures and the chief of angels. In another book named "Hayye Ḥanok" it is written that he was a holy and righteous priest whom God sent to the world for its reformation, but when it became full of sins, God raised him up to heaven (Jew. Enc. ). This account of Enoch resembles very much the picture of Idris as given in the Quran in the words: He was a CH. 19 truthful man and a Prophet and We exalted him to a lofty station. These commendatory expressions about Idris serve to demolish the false notions held about Jesus. The godhead of Jesus, more than anything else, rests on the belief that he was taken up to heaven alive. Now if, as Christians believe, God took up Jesus to heaven according to the present verse, Idris too was exalted to a very high station in heaven, and according to the Bible Enoch (Idrīs) also walked with God and was taken up to heaven (Gen. 5:24). If Jesus could be regarded as Divine and is entitled to a special spiritual status on the assumption of his having been taken up to heaven, then Idrīs of the Quran or Enoch of the Bible, on that very score is entitled to even a higher spiritual station. If Jesus has been called son of God in the Bible, Enoch has been called the father of the sons of God in Jewish literature. The Book of Enoch which was originally written in Hebrew and later on was translated into Greek and then into Latin contains a full account of Enoch's life. Its translation in Russian makes very useful and interesting reading. Ishmael and Idris have been mentioned together in the verse under comment and in 21:86, the only two places where mention has been made of Idris in the Quran. It is so because Ishmael bears a very close resemblance to him. According to the Quran Ishmael was a truthful man and so was Idrīs. God had raised Idris to a lofty spiritual station and so had He raised Ishmael. About Enoch we 1975