Dhul-Kifl: Encyclopedia - Dhul-Kifl

Dhul-Kifl

Dhul-Kifl (Arabic ذو الكفل ) is considered by Muslims to be either a prophet of Islam or simply a righteous man mentioned in the Qur'an.

Dhul-Kifl - Etymology

The name Dhul-Kifl probably means "the man from Kifl", where Kifl is the Arabic pronunciation of Kapilavastu, where Gautama Buddha spent thirty years of his life, but it could mean many things, among which that he protected a prophet from his people, or that he guaranteed upon himself to be a just qadi (judge).

Dhul-Kifl - Qur'anic reference

Dhul-Kifl is mentioned in the following Qur'anic ayat:

"And (remember) Ismail (Ishmael) and Idris (Enoch) and Dhul-Kifl, all were from among those who observe patience." (Surah 21: 85-86)

Dhul-Kifl - Dhul-Kifl in other religions

The most common view is that the man referred to as Dhul-Kifl was a righteous and just man, and not a prophet. On the other hand, 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, and use this as evidence to describe the Buddha as a prophet. Others believe he may have been the prophet who is called Ezekiel by the Christians.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Dhul-Kifl", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki