Home > Dhul-Kifl
Dhul-Kifl (Arabic ذو الكفل ) is considered by Muslims to be either a prophet or simply a righteous and just man, mentioned in the Quran. The etymology of his name could mean many things, among which that he protected a prophet from his people, or that he guaranteed upon himself to be a just judge.
He is mentioned in the following Quranic verse:
"And (remember) Ishmael and Idris (Enoch) and Dhul-Kifl, all were from among those who observe patience." (Surah 21: 85-86)
Although the most common view is that he was a righteous and just man, and not a prophet, some Muslims believe him to be the same person as Gautama Buddha, taking 'Kifl' to be the Arabic pronunciation of Kapilvastu, a place where he spent 30 years of his life.
Others believe he may have been the prophet who is called Ezekiel by the Christians, a contemporary of Ilyas. He was a pious and well-respected man living during the reign of a particularly tyrannical king who tried to kill many prophets. Ezekiel was responsible for saving the lives of many of them, and his name means savior or protector. (However note that this information does not agree with what the Jewish/Christian Bible has to tell about Ezekiel; according to the Bible Ezekiel lived some centuries after Elija(Ilyas) and it it was Elija, not Ezekiel, who saved the lives of the prophets.)
