An imagining of Idris visiting Heaven and Hell |
He is described in the Qur'an as "trustworthy" and
"patient" and the Qur'an also says that he was "exalted to a
high station", Because of this and other parallels, traditionally Idris
has been identified with the Biblical Enoch, and Islamic tradition usually
places Idris in the early Generations of Adam, and considers him one of the
oldest prophets mentioned in the Qur'an, placing him sometime between Adam and
Noah. Idris' unique status inspired many future traditions and stories
surrounding him in Islamic lore.
According to a hadith [tradition], … it is said that on
Muhammad's Night Journey, he encountered Idris in the fourth heaven. The
traditions that have developed around the figure of Idris have given him the
scope of a prophet as well as a philosopher and mystic, and many later Muslim
mystic or Sufis… also mentioned having encountered Idris in their spiritual
visions.
(Adapted from Wikipedia Encyclopedia)