Idrīs, Atraḫasīs and al-Khiḍr
In: Islam, the Ancient Near East and Varieties of GodlessnessSearch for other papers by Patricia Crone in
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Abstract
This article argues that Enoch and the ancient Near Eastern figure Atraḫasīs became indistinguishable at a popular level in pre-Islamic Iraq and that this is why Enoch came to be known as Idrīs, explained here as an Arabised version of a still unattested Aramaic form of Atraḫasīs. The exegetes may have been right when they identified the Qurʾānic Idrīs as Enoch, and they were at least half right when they identified Moses’ mysterious companion in sura 18 as al-Khiḍr, long recognised as another version of Atraḫasīs. In both cases they seem to be exhibiting a familiarity with the traditions behind the Qurʾān that they often lack in their interpretation of other Qurʾānic material.