A story
Prophet Idris, the Truthful and Patient
One quiet evening, Grandpa Salim sat on the rooftop with his granddaughter Mariam. The air was cool. The sky was turning deep blue, and the first stars were coming out one by one.
Mariam held a pencil and a little notebook. She was trying to write her name, but the letters kept going wobbly.
"I give up," she sighed. "Writing is too hard."
Grandpa smiled. "Shall I tell you about a prophet who was very patient, and who is remembered for his knowledge? His name was Idris, peace be upon him."
Mariam put down her pencil. "Yes, please!"
So Grandpa began. And this is the story he told.
A long, long time ago, after the time of Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, there lived a man named Idris. He lived many generations after Adam, and long before Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him.
Allah chose Idris to be a prophet. The Quran tells us only a little about him, but what it tells us is beautiful. Allah says that Idris was a man of truth and a prophet, and that Allah raised him to a high place (Surah Maryam, 19:56-57). Allah also counts Idris among those who were patient (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:85).
So we know three special things about Idris. He was truthful. He was patient. And Allah gave him a high and honored place.
In those days, many people had begun to forget the teachings of Adam. Some had become careless. Some told lies to get what they wanted. Some were unkind to their neighbors.
Idris called them back to the right path. He taught them to worship Allah alone. He taught them to pray, to be fair, and to help the poor. He told them to speak the truth, even when it was hard.
Idris did not shout or get angry. He taught them again and again, with a calm voice and a kind heart. Some people listened. Others turned away. But Idris did not give up. That is what patience means. You keep doing what is right, even when it is slow, and you trust Allah.
Many scholars of the past wrote that Idris loved knowledge. They said that he was among the first people to write with a pen. Before that, people remembered things only in their heads. But memories can fade, and words can be forgotten.
Imagine how it must have been to learn to write for the first time! The first lines might have been crooked. The first letters might have been messy. But little by little, with practice and patience, the marks became clear and neat.
With writing, good teachings could be kept safe. A wise lesson could be written down and read again tomorrow, or next year, or by children who were not even born yet.
Some scholars also wrote that Idris worked with his hands and sewed clothes. As he worked, he remembered Allah. Every stitch was done carefully and honestly. He did not hurry and make poor clothes, and he did not cheat anyone. His work was a kind of worship, because he did it well and for the sake of Allah.
The people who followed Idris learned from him. They learned to be honest in their buying and selling. They learned to keep their promises. They learned to look up at the night sky and think about Allah, who made every star and keeps each one in its place.
Idris kept teaching for many, many years. Day after day, he was truthful. Day after day, he was patient. He did not become proud because of his knowledge. He knew that every bit of knowledge was a gift from Allah.
And so Allah honored him. Allah raised Idris to a high place. When our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, went up through the heavens on the night journey, he met Prophet Idris in the fourth heaven. Idris greeted him warmly and called him "the good brother and the good prophet." This is reported in the hadith collections of Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Grandpa stopped and looked at Mariam. She was looking up at the stars.
"So Idris was patient," she said slowly, "even when people did not listen to him."
"Yes," said Grandpa. "He kept going. Calmly and kindly. And he never stopped telling the truth."
Mariam looked down at her notebook. There was her name, with wobbly letters.
"Maybe the first letters were wobbly for everyone," she said.
Grandpa laughed softly. "Maybe they were. Nobody begins as an expert. Only Allah knows everything. The rest of us learn a little at a time."
Mariam picked up her pencil again. She wrote the first letter of her name slowly. It was still a little crooked. She wrote it again. It was better.
She wrote it a third time, and a fourth. She did not give up.
The stars twinkled above them. A soft wind blew across the rooftop. Somewhere below, a door closed and a cat meowed.
"Grandpa," said Mariam, "I think I will practice a little every day. Patiently, like Idris."
"That is the way," said Grandpa. "Little steps, a patient heart, and the help of Allah."
By the end of the evening, Mariam had filled a whole page. The letters at the bottom were much neater than the letters at the top. She showed it to Grandpa, and he kissed the top of her head.
"Alhamdulillah," he said. "You see? Patience is a quiet kind of strength."
Mariam yawned. She closed her notebook carefully and held it close.
As they went downstairs, she looked back once more at the stars. They were still there, shining in their places, just as Allah had made them.
And Mariam whispered, "Thank you, Allah, for pencils, and for patience, and for stars."
Prophet Idris, peace be upon him, was truthful and patient. He taught with kindness and never gave up. And Allah raised him to a high and honored place.
Mariam held a pencil and a little notebook. She was trying to write her name, but the letters kept going wobbly.
"I give up," she sighed. "Writing is too hard."
Grandpa smiled. "Shall I tell you about a prophet who was very patient, and who is remembered for his knowledge? His name was Idris, peace be upon him."
Mariam put down her pencil. "Yes, please!"
So Grandpa began. And this is the story he told.
A long, long time ago, after the time of Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, there lived a man named Idris. He lived many generations after Adam, and long before Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him.
Allah chose Idris to be a prophet. The Quran tells us only a little about him, but what it tells us is beautiful. Allah says that Idris was a man of truth and a prophet, and that Allah raised him to a high place (Surah Maryam, 19:56-57). Allah also counts Idris among those who were patient (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:85).
So we know three special things about Idris. He was truthful. He was patient. And Allah gave him a high and honored place.
In those days, many people had begun to forget the teachings of Adam. Some had become careless. Some told lies to get what they wanted. Some were unkind to their neighbors.
Idris called them back to the right path. He taught them to worship Allah alone. He taught them to pray, to be fair, and to help the poor. He told them to speak the truth, even when it was hard.
Idris did not shout or get angry. He taught them again and again, with a calm voice and a kind heart. Some people listened. Others turned away. But Idris did not give up. That is what patience means. You keep doing what is right, even when it is slow, and you trust Allah.
Many scholars of the past wrote that Idris loved knowledge. They said that he was among the first people to write with a pen. Before that, people remembered things only in their heads. But memories can fade, and words can be forgotten.
Imagine how it must have been to learn to write for the first time! The first lines might have been crooked. The first letters might have been messy. But little by little, with practice and patience, the marks became clear and neat.
With writing, good teachings could be kept safe. A wise lesson could be written down and read again tomorrow, or next year, or by children who were not even born yet.
Some scholars also wrote that Idris worked with his hands and sewed clothes. As he worked, he remembered Allah. Every stitch was done carefully and honestly. He did not hurry and make poor clothes, and he did not cheat anyone. His work was a kind of worship, because he did it well and for the sake of Allah.
The people who followed Idris learned from him. They learned to be honest in their buying and selling. They learned to keep their promises. They learned to look up at the night sky and think about Allah, who made every star and keeps each one in its place.
Idris kept teaching for many, many years. Day after day, he was truthful. Day after day, he was patient. He did not become proud because of his knowledge. He knew that every bit of knowledge was a gift from Allah.
And so Allah honored him. Allah raised Idris to a high place. When our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, went up through the heavens on the night journey, he met Prophet Idris in the fourth heaven. Idris greeted him warmly and called him "the good brother and the good prophet." This is reported in the hadith collections of Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Grandpa stopped and looked at Mariam. She was looking up at the stars.
"So Idris was patient," she said slowly, "even when people did not listen to him."
"Yes," said Grandpa. "He kept going. Calmly and kindly. And he never stopped telling the truth."
Mariam looked down at her notebook. There was her name, with wobbly letters.
"Maybe the first letters were wobbly for everyone," she said.
Grandpa laughed softly. "Maybe they were. Nobody begins as an expert. Only Allah knows everything. The rest of us learn a little at a time."
Mariam picked up her pencil again. She wrote the first letter of her name slowly. It was still a little crooked. She wrote it again. It was better.
She wrote it a third time, and a fourth. She did not give up.
The stars twinkled above them. A soft wind blew across the rooftop. Somewhere below, a door closed and a cat meowed.
"Grandpa," said Mariam, "I think I will practice a little every day. Patiently, like Idris."
"That is the way," said Grandpa. "Little steps, a patient heart, and the help of Allah."
By the end of the evening, Mariam had filled a whole page. The letters at the bottom were much neater than the letters at the top. She showed it to Grandpa, and he kissed the top of her head.
"Alhamdulillah," he said. "You see? Patience is a quiet kind of strength."
Mariam yawned. She closed her notebook carefully and held it close.
As they went downstairs, she looked back once more at the stars. They were still there, shining in their places, just as Allah had made them.
And Mariam whispered, "Thank you, Allah, for pencils, and for patience, and for stars."
Prophet Idris, peace be upon him, was truthful and patient. He taught with kindness and never gave up. And Allah raised him to a high and honored place.
