Tafsir of Maryam 19:57

This refers to the nobility of prophethood and proximity to Allah, the Exalted. This has been narrated from al-Hasan, and it is the view favored by al-Jubba'i and Abu Muslim. From Anas, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Ka'b, and Mujahid, it is said that this means the fourth heaven; and from Ibn Abbas and al-Dahhak, it is the sixth heaven. In another narration from al-Hasan, it is the Garden (Paradise), for there is nothing higher than Paradise.

It is reported from al-Nabigha al-Ja'di that when he recited to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) the poem ending with: "We have reached the heaven with our glory and our eminence, and we hope for a station above that," the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked him, "To where, O Abu Layla?" He replied, "To Paradise, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Indeed, if Allah, the Exalted, wills."

It is narrated from Qatada that he (peace be upon him) worships Allah, the Exalted, alongside the angels (peace be upon them) in the seventh heaven, and grazes at times in Paradise wherever he wills. Most of those who argue for a physical elevation also maintain that he is alive where he was raised. According to Muqatil, he is dead in the heaven, though this is a deviant view.

The reason for his elevation, as narrated from Ka'b and others, is that he passed by one day while on an errand and was overcome by the scorching heat of the sun. He said, "O Lord, I have walked one day in the sun and have been affected by it as I have been; how then is it for the one who carries it for a journey of five hundred years in a single day? O Allah, lighten its weight and heat for him." When the angel reached his station, he felt a lightness in the sun's heat and weight that he did not recognize. He said, "O Lord, You created me to carry the sun; what is it that You have ordained regarding it?" Allah said, "My servant Idris asked Me to lighten its weight and heat for you, and I answered him." He said, "O Lord, then bring me and him together and establish a friendship between me and him." So He permitted him until he came to Idris. Then he asked him to raise him to the heaven, and Allah the Exalted permitted him to do so, and he raised him.

Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Umar, the freed slave of 'Afra, who attributes the Hadith to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), saying: Idris was a pious and pure prophet. He divided his time into two halves: three days he would teach people goodness, and four days he would roam the earth, worshipping Allah, the Exalted, with great diligence. The amount of good deeds he sent up to the heaven from his labor alone was equal to the deeds of all the children of Adam. The Angel of Death loved him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted. He came to him when he went out for his roaming and said to him, "O Prophet of Allah, I wish for you to grant me permission to accompany you." Idris, not knowing who he was, replied, "You will not have the strength to accompany me." He said, "Rather, I hope that Allah, the Exalted, will grant me the strength for that." So he went out with him that day until, at the end of the day, they passed by a shepherd. The Angel of Death said, "O Prophet of Allah, we do not know where we will spend the night; if only we took a kid from these sheep and broke our fast with it." Idris said to him, "Do not return to such a suggestion! Do you invite me to take what is not ours? From wherever we spend the night, Allah, the Exalted, will provide us with sustenance." When evening came, Allah provided them with the sustenance that usually came to him. He then said to the Angel of Death, "Come forward and eat." He replied, "No, by the One who honored you with prophethood, I have no desire for it." He ate, they rested, and then they both stood for prayer. Idris grew weary and drowsy, while the Angel did not tire and did not grow drowsy. He marveled at him, and his own worship seemed small to him compared to what he saw.

The next morning, they roamed again. At the end of the day, they passed by a vineyard, and he said to him the same as he said the first time. When evening came, Allah provided them with sustenance, and he invited him to eat, but he did not eat. They stood for prayer, and the same occurred as before. Idris said to him, "No, by Him in whose hand is my soul, you are not of the children of Adam!" He replied, "Indeed, I am not of them." He revealed to him that he was the Angel of Death. Idris asked, "Were you commanded to do something regarding me?" He said, "If I were commanded regarding you, I would not have delayed with you, but I love you for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and have accompanied you for that." Idris asked, "During this time you have been with me, have you not taken the soul of anyone from creation?" He replied, "Yes, I am with you, and I take the soul of whoever I am commanded to take in the east and west of the earth. The whole world is to me but like a table before a man, from which he takes whatever he wishes."

Idris said to him, "O Angel of Death, I ask you by the One to whom you responded for me, and for whom you accompanied me, to grant me a need I ask of you." He said, "Ask me, O Prophet of Allah." He said, "I wish for you to let me taste death and then return my soul to me." He said, "I have no power to do so unless I seek permission." He sought permission from his Lord, the Exalted, and He permitted him. So he took his soul, and then Allah, the Exalted, returned it to him. The Angel of Death said to him, "O Prophet of Allah, how did you find death?" He said, "Greater than what I used to hear and talk about." Then he asked him to show him the Fire. He went to one of the gates of Hell and called out to some of its keepers. When they knew it was the Angel of Death, they trembled and said, "Were you commanded to do something regarding us?" He said, "If I were commanded regarding you, I would not have delayed with you; but the Prophet of Allah, Idris, asked me for you to show him a glimpse of the Fire." They opened for him the amount of a needle's eye, and he was struck by what made him faint. The Angel of Death said, "Close it," and they closed it. He began to wipe Idris's face, saying, "O Prophet of Allah, I did not want this to be your portion of my company." When he recovered, he asked him, "How did you find it?" He said, "Greater than what I used to hear and talk about." Then he asked him to show him a glimpse of Paradise. He did as he had done before. When they opened it for him, he was struck by its coolness, pleasantness, and fragrance, which captivated his heart. He said, "O Angel of Death, I wish to enter Paradise to eat a morsel of its fruits and drink a draft of its water, perhaps that will satisfy my longing and desire." He entered, ate, and drank.

The Angel of Death then said to him, "Go out, O Prophet of Allah, you have obtained your need, so that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, may return you with the prophets (peace be upon them) on the Day of Resurrection." But he clutched the branch of one of its trees and said, "I am not going out, and if you wish to dispute with me, then dispute!" Allah, the Exalted, revealed to the Angel of Death, "Judge the dispute with him." He said to him, "By what do you dispute with me, O Prophet of Allah?" Idris said, "Allah, the Exalted, says: 'Every soul shall taste death,' and I have tasted it. He says: 'And there is none of you but will pass over it,' and I have passed over it. And He says: 'And they shall not be driven out from there.' Shall I go out from something Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has brought me into?" Allah, the Exalted, revealed to the Angel of Death, "My servant Idris has argued against you. By My Might and Majesty, it was in My prior knowledge that this would be so; so leave him, for he has argued against you with a strong argument."

The authenticity of this Hadith is known only to Allah, as is the authenticity of the preceding report of Ka'b. This elevation, because it implies high status and lofty rank, contains within it such praise, for otherwise, mere elevation to a high place in a physical sense is nothing—for smoke rises above the fire, and dust may rise above the turbans of horsemen. Some have claimed that it is more likely that the elevation is physical, because elevation associated with a place cannot be metaphorical. This is refuted by the fact that the same has been mentioned, and indeed, something even clearer, such as the saying: "Be in a place where, if you fall, you rise, while your foot is in health." So ponder this.