Dhu'l-Kifl

Dhu'l-Kifl appears in the Qur'an as one of a list of righteous figures; the Quranic phrases record him among the steadfast and relate that they were admitted into God's mercy. The Qur'an itself gives no extended narrative or chronology for Dhu'l-Kifl; he is attested primarily as a named exemplar of patience and piety. Classical and later exegetical traditions frequently attempt to identify the Qur'anic name: many commentators and local usages equate Dhu'l-Kifl with the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel (Arabic Hazqiyal). This identification is reinforced by the existence of a tomb and shrine at the town called al-Kifl in southeastern Iraq, a site historically visited by Jews (as the Tomb of Ezekiel) and later maintained and renovated by Muslim patrons, producing a continuous local association between the Qur'anic name and the Ezekiel tradition.

No physical description of Dhu'l-Kifl is provided in the Qur'anic text or in the supplied classical summaries; he is portrayed through moral and devotional attributes rather than bodily features. Exegetical and secondary sources characterize him as steadfast, pious, and righteous, and French and English modern secondary descriptions likewise call him "the prophet pieux" or "a prophet of fortitude." The absence of iconographic or biometric detail in the cited materials means classical portrayals rely on character biography (ṣabr, ʿibāda, and steadfast prayer) rather than visual depiction.

The supplied sources attribute to Dhu'l-Kifl moral and religious qualities: steadfastness, patience (ṣabr), righteousness, faithful observance of prayer (ṣalāh) and worship (ʿibāda), and being admitted to divine mercy. The materials do not record specific miraculous acts or extraordinary supernatural powers for Dhu'l-Kifl; his distinction in the sources is his prophetic status and elevated station granted by God rather than a catalog of miracles. Interpretive readings of his name (e.g., "possessor of a double portion" or "double recompense") are exegetical attempts to explain the epithet rather than accounts of concrete abilities.