Daniel in Islam

Muslim tradition has retained some records of the two figures name Daniel in the Hebrew Bible: the first being the sage of ancient times mentioned by Ezekiel[5] and the second being the visionary who lived at the time of the captivity in Babylon, whose life was chronicled in the Book of Daniel, canonized in the current Hebrew Bible. The first figure is referred to as "Daniel the Elder" in Muslim writing, whilst the second figure is referred to as Daniel. Daniel's character in Muslim legend has shaped the figure in a similar way to that of the prophet Idris,[6] as he is considered to have been a revealer of future mysteries, coupled with one who excelled in scientific matters.[7] However, other scholars reject the differentiating and treat both Daniel the Elder and Daniel as one and the same.[8] Also Ibn Tayymiyyah in his book Al Jawaab as Saheeh writes a lot about Daniel writing and foretelling Muhammad[9]

Muslim tradition recounts that it was Daniel who preached in Babylon, exhorting the people to return to God. He lived during the reign of Cyrus, and taught this prince the unity of God and the true religion of Islam.[10] Key events from Daniel's life which are recounted in exegesis are the presence of Daniel and his companions in the court of Nebuchadnezzar; Nebuchadnezzar's dreams; the friction between Daniel and his detractors and his miraculous delivery from the den of the lions; and Belshazzar's feast and the deciphering of the mysterious writing.[11] Other events from the Book of Daniel, such as Susanna and the Elders, play no part in tradition.

One legend that is not found in Jewish tradition but appears in Muslim writings is that of Jeremiah meeting Daniel. A similar event involving Habakkuk and Daniel, however, is to be found in Lives of the Prophets.[12] Ibn Abi Al-Dunya narrated the following, based on a chain of citations:

Nebuchadnezzar captured two lions and threw them into a pit. He then brought Danyal and threw him at them; yet they did not pounce at him; rather, he remained as God wished. When then he desired food and drink, God revealed to Jeremiah, who was in Sham: "Prepare food and drink for Danyal." He said: "O Lord I am in Jerusalem while Danyal is in Babylon." God revealed to him: "Do what I have commanded you to do, and I shall send you one who will carry you and what you have prepared." Jeremiah did so and God sent him something that would carry him until he arrived at the brink of the pit. Then Danyal asked: "Who is this?" He answered: "I am Jeremiah." He asked: "What brought you?" He answered: "Your Lord sent me to you." He said: "And so my Lord has remembered me?" He said: "Yes." Danyal said: "Praise be to God Who has never forgotten me! And Praise be to God Who never forgets those who appeal to Him! And Praise be to Him Who compensates good with good, rewards patience with safety, dispels harm after distress, assures us when we are overwhelmed, and is our hope when skill fails us."

Danyal also appears in The Thousand and One Nights. On Night 394, in the tale of ‘The Pious Jewish Woman’ he appears as a 12-year-old boy who mediates in the case of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The book refers to him as a prophet.

In Shia Islam

Once one of the close companions of the 6th Shia Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq known as Jabir al-Ju'fi reported:

I asked the Imam regarding the interpretation of dreams of Danyal? The Imam said: Yes, he was inspired. He was a Prophet and one to whom God had taught the interpretation of dreams. He was truthful, wise...[13]

A shrine known as Tomb of Daniel in Susa, Iran, is considered by Shia Muslims to be his sacred resting place and is visited by pilgrims.

Tomb of Daniel in Susa, Iran

Ibn Katihr records in his book of Al Biddyah Wan Nihya:

It was narrated from Khaalid ibn Dinaar that Abu’l-‘Aaliyah said: When we conquered Tastar, we found in the treasury of al-Hormuzaan a bier on which was the body of a dead man, and by his head was a scripture of his. We took the scripture and took it to ‘Umar, and he summoned Ka‘b, who translated it into Arabic. I was the first man among the Arabs to read it, and I read it as I read this Qur'an.

I said to Abu’l-‘Aaliyah: What was in it? He said: It was about you, your affairs, your religion, your talk, and what will happen after that. I said: What did you do with the man? He said: We dug thirteen different graves during the day, then at night we buried him and we levelled all the graves, so as to conceal its location from the people, so that they would not exhume him. I said: Why would people do that? He said: If rain was withheld from them, they would take his bier out and they would receive rain. I said: Who do you think the man was? He said: A man called Daniyal. I said: How long ago do you think he died? He said: Three hundred years ago. I said: Had anything of him changed? He said: No, except a few hairs at the back of his head, for the earth does not consume (the bodies of) the Prophets, and wild animals cannot devour them.[14][15]

• Mausoleum of Danyal, Tarsus, Turkey
• Tomb of Daniel, Susa, Iran
• Walter Benjamin

• Emil G. Hirsch and M. Seligsohn (1906), Daniel, Jewish Encyclopedia; citing:
  • Tabari, Chronigue (French transl. by Zotenberg), i. 44, 496, 503, 571, ii. 283;
  • Mas'udi, Les Prairies d'Or (ed. B. de Meynard), ii. 128;
  • Barthélemy d'Herbelot, Bibliothèque Orientale, s.v.
• 'Balkhi, al-Badwa wa'l-Tarikh, ii, 156 f./144; 165/150 sq.; iii, 114 f./ 118 f. and c.f. index
• Thalabi, 'Ara'is al-Madjalis, 198 - 202