Tafsir of Sad 38:48

(And remember Ishmael): His mention is separated from the mention of his father and brother as a mark of care for his status, in that the Arabs share no claim to him other than them, or to indicate his deep-rootedness in the patience which is the intended object of the mention.

(And Elisha): Ibn Jarir said: He is the son of Akhṭūb ibn al-ʿAjūz. It is mentioned that Elijah appointed him as his successor over the Children of Israel, and he was later made a prophet. The lam (the 'al') in it is an inseparable additional letter, for it accompanied the name from its inception. This does not contradict its being non-Arabic, as it has become attached to some non-Arabic proper nouns, such as al-Iskandar (Alexander); indeed, al-Tabrizi considered it a grammatical error for one to say "Iskandar" stripped of it. In my view, it is better that when it is a non-Arabic name and the al accompanied it from its inception, one should not describe it as an addition. It is also said that it is an Arabic name derived from yasaʿa, the imperfect tense of wasiʿa, as related by al-Jalal al-Suyuti in al-Itqan. In al-Qamus, it is stated: "Yasaʿ—like yaḍaʿu—is a non-Arabic name to which al was prefixed, though it does not enter upon its counterparts like Yazīd."

Hamzah and al-Kisa'i recited it as wa-al-Laysaʿ with two lams and a shaddah (doubling). Its origin was Laysaʿ, on the pattern of fayʿal from al-lasʿ (stinging/biting), to which al was added, analogizing it to a transferred name to which one adds [the article] to observe its origin. Some asserted that even according to this recitation, it remains a non-Arabic proper noun to which the lam was prefixed.

(And Dhu al-Kifl): It is said that he is the son of Job. From Wahb, it is narrated that after Job, God Almighty sent Sharof ibn Ayyūb as a prophet and named him Dhu al-Kifl, commanding him to call [the people] to His Oneness; he resided in the Levant throughout his life until he died at the age of seventy-five.

In al-ʿAja'ib by al-Kirmani, it is said that he is Elijah, and it is said he is Joshua the son of Nun, and it is said he is a prophet named Dhu al-Kifl, and it is said he was a righteous man who took responsibility (takaffala) for affairs and fulfilled them. It is also said he is Zechariah, based on the words of the Almighty: "And Zechariah took care of her (kaffalaha)." Ibn ʿAsakir said: He is a prophet for whom God Almighty guaranteed a reward double that of the works of other prophets. It is said he was not a prophet, but that Elisha appointed him as his successor, and he guaranteed to him that he would fast by day, pray by night, and, as some say, pray one hundred rak'ahs every day. It is also said: He was one of the righteous men during whose time there were four hundred prophets among the Children of Israel. A tyrannical king killed them, except for one hundred who fled from the killing; he sheltered them, hid them, and provided for them, so God Almighty named him Dhu al-Kifl. It is also said he is Elisha, possessing two names, though the outward structure of the verses rejects this.

(And all): That is, all of them.

(Are among the chosen): Who are famous for their goodness.