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After the death of Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him)
his kingdom was dismembered. There was virtually the rule of Satan all
around. The religious people were mocked at. The ruler of Somaria killed
a large number of learned people. When the evil reached the saturation
point, God sent the Prophet Ilyas (peace be upon him) to reform mankind
during the reign of the king Ahab of Israel. He tried his best to save
the people from polytheism. He forbade them to worship the Tyrian Bal.
He advised the people to ward off evil and worship One God. When his
efforts bore no fruit he suddenly appeared before the king and foretold
him that severe draught and famine would overtake his kingdom. He added
that the Tyrian Bal would be powerless to avert it. The people paid no
heed to his warnings and did not mend their ways. The prophecy of the
Prophet Ilyas (peace de upon him) turned out to be true and whole of the
kingdom came under the sway of famine. The people began to starve. After
three years the Prophet Ilyas (peace be upon him) supplicated to show
mercy to the famine stricken people. They acknowledged the authority of
God and felt penitence. Soon after the rain ended the draught and God
lifted his curses After this he was directed by God to call upon al-Yasa
to be his successor. The Prophet Ilyas (peace be upon him) did so in
obedience to His command and disappeared mysteriously. The Holy Qur'an
makes mention of Prophet Ilyas (peace be upon him) in the following
Verses:
"And commemorate Ismail, Ilyas and Dhul Kifl. Each of them was the
companion of the good." (38:48) |